The STEM FOCUS Program has been developed to provide undergraduate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) majors the opportunity to provide support to science teachers and students in area schools while also developing their own teaching skills. At the heart of the program is a service learning experience that provides STEM majors the opportunity to spend three hours per week in a high-needs, urban school setting serving as an instructional support specialist. FOCUS participants also spend one hour a week in professional development session designed to increase their pedagogical skill-set.
Through generous funding provided by the Board of Regents’ STEM Initiative, the STEM Office at Georgia State has awarded seven mini-grants to College of Education faculty members. Their research is focused on improving Georgia State's STEM courses, better preparing STEM majors for careers in STEM education and other STEM fields, and increasing the overall quality of STEM education at Georgia State and throughout Georgia.
Now in its sixth year, the academy is a three-week, math and science-based program for rising high school juniors and seniors from Atlanta Public Schools and other metro school systems. The academy is intended to attract talented high school students to the teaching profession and provide them with professional and academic preparation. Students work on creative teaching projects, allowing them to see the relevance of math and science and think of innovative ways to teach in the future.