According to the Krishnamurthi, Ballard, & Noam (2014), students in the United States are being outperformed in science and math by students in other industrialized countries. In addition, industries require proficiency in STEM-related fields but many in the U.S. population are unable to effectively work in these industries.

What does research say about the effectiveness of afterschool STEM, STEAM programs in helping prepare our youth for such industry needs? According to the Noyce Foundation (2014) compilation of research studies on how afterschool programs impact youth, several key findings are worth noting:

The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) led by Durlak & Weissburg (2007), found that children in afterschool programs tend to improve their social behavior and develop more positive perceptions of themselves.

Vandell, Reisner and Pierce (2007) reviewed 35 afterschool programs and found that participants improved their work habits; showed increased persistence and a reduction in skipping school. This also translated into gains in academic performance during the school day.

Auger, Pierce & Vandell (2013) also found that the academic achievement gap between high and low academic students narrows when low academic elementary school students participate at high levels in afterschool programs. This is particularly so in math achievement. Work habits and better attendance during the school day also improves.

Another interesting finding in the research on afterschool science programs is the suggestion that the commonly held belief that males have higher academic achievement in STEM than girls may not really be an ability gap issue, but rather a gap in perceptions of science careers. Because of this issue, afterschool programs now target female participants. One example is the Bringing Up Girls in Science (BUGS) program that was funded by the National Science Foundation. This Texas afterschool outdoor science lab served girls in grades four and five. Research findings about the program noted that it improved the way the young females viewed science and STEM careers (Tyler-Wood et al., 2011).

At Makersmiths, we began an after-school STEM-related youth program in fall 2018 for students in grades four through twelve to focus on KidWind initiatives. We founded our KidWind program when our members asked how our community-based makerspace can help their children learn maker-related skills. KidWind.org is a national initiative that teaches students about renewable energy initiatives as they design, build, and test out wind and solar projects. Participants work together as teams when creating their projects and preparing for regional, state, and national KidWind challenges.

Since the beginning of Makersmiths’ KidWind program, we discovered that our youth learn much more than how to use hand tools, 3D printers, the laser cutter and other maker equipment when constructing wind turbines and solar projects. They learn problem-solving skills (How can we improve wind blade design to increase power output?) and collaborative learning skills (participants research and study renewable energy topics while preparing their teams to take a knowledge quiz at KidWind challenges). They also learn about careers in renewable energy industries, ones that are needed now and ones that are likely to be needed in the future. This information often comes from the electrical, mechanical, environmental and software engineers that serve as KidWind mentors and coaches at Makersmiths.

In 2020, I began documenting my observations about how KidWind teams operate and what benefits does the program offer our participants. I followed these guiding questions as I documented my observations:

What happens when youth participate in KidWind initiatives?

What do they learn?

What do they accomplish?

My observations are published on this International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) blog: https://www.iste.org/explore/computer-science-and-computational-thinking/students-explore-real-world-energy-projects

I would like to invite you to explore the Makersmiths Renewable Energy KidWind Projects website to learn about our goals, resources, activities and KidWind teams’ accomplishments. Then come see for yourself the benefits of KidWind on March 15, 2023, as three of our wind and solar teams compete with other teams at the Northern Virginia Regional Challenge at Shenandoah University in Winchester, VA.

Questions? Contact KidWind coach, Diane D. Painter, at diane.painter@makersmiths.org

References

Auger, A., Pierce, K., & Vandell, D. L. (2013). Narrowing the achievement gap: Consistency and intensity of structured activities during elementary school. Presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development. Seattle, WA.

Durlak, J. A., & Weissberg, R. P. (2007). The impact of after‐school programs that promote personal and social skills. Chicago, IL: Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. Retrieved from www.casel.org

Krishnamurthi, A., Ballard, M., & Noam, G. G. (2014). Examining the Impact of Afterschool STEM Programs. Afterschool Alliance.

Tyler-Wood, T., Ellison, A., Lim, O. et al. Bringing Up Girls in Science (BUGS): The Effectiveness of an Afterschool Environmental Science Program for Increasing Female Students’ Interest in Science Careers. J Sci Educ Technol 21, 46–55 (2012). Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED546628.pdf

Vandell, D. L., Reisner, E. R., & Pierce, K. M. (2007). Outcomes linked to high‐quality afterschool programs: Longitudinal findings from the study of promising afterschool programs. Report to the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.