Objective 1

To develop measurable definitions of these terms in STEM education, we researched what has already been done on measuring these concepts qualitatively. The STEM Education Quality Framework table developed by the Dayton Regional STEM Center provided a useful framework with examples of components and descriptions to create our own framework for this project (Dayton Regional STEM Center, 2011).

To develop our evaluation framework, we did the following:

• Compiled a list of components and their descriptions to form the basis of our measurements of accessibility, availability, and equity in STEM education, then

• Presented the framework in a format that is easy to understand.

Each component of our framework is a different factor of STEM education that we broke down into the following categories: technology, students, and educators. For example, we created the “Access to Technology for Students and Educators” component to measure how many students and educators have access to or are provided devices by the school and have access to an internet connection. This framework can be used for schools and districts in northern New Mexico of any size, location, and type.