(continued from page 14 - Society for Science and ARSA) each aligned with NGSS and paired to two reading levels of a Science News article, providing more equitable access to high-quality STEM content. • Programmatic newsletters that highlight the current Educator Guide and provide other teaching resources. • Access to a digital Educator Community to share ideas and best practices for integrating the program resources into their classroom and a webinar workshop series to further support and enhance collaboration between participating educators. Science News in High Schools program staff provide additional support to district and regional STEM coordinators to help their districts meet STEM and literacy goals, including professional development sessions for STEM teachers and/or department chairs; individual meetings to talk about district goals and how to help teachers integrate the resources; curated lists of articles and related lesson plan activities that align with district curricula; and program-related slides, recorded webinars, additional magazines or other resources for professional development. While we off er these services to all district coordinators that enroll in the program, we fi nd that STEM coordinators in smaller districts often serve dual roles as coordinators and teachers and rarely have time to take advantage of this extra level of support. To fi ll this service gap, the Rural STEM Fellow will work independently with the Arizona Rural Schools Association (ARSA) and attend and present at key Arizona conferences to build relationships with STEM and literacy teacher leads and district coordinators. The Society’s long-term goal is to collaborate and use Arizona Society for Science STEM Fellow’s results as a model to provide “district-level” support to rural schools nationwide. Page 17 Kal Mannis is well-versed and embedded in the Arizona rural school community and will be able to assess the needs, preferences, and barriers to engagement of rural district-level science coordinators, teachers and literacy specialists in order to strategically support them with the Society for Science’s Science News in High Schools program resources. Kal is the co-author and project director for the Rural Activation and Innovation Network (RAIN, NSF drl#1612555) a project that seeks to support and understand STEM learning in rural communities. Prior to this, he was a middle school and high school science teacher, district technology director, and lead teacher in the White Mountains (over almost two decades). Currently residing in Cochise County, Kal has worked tirelessly to bring STEM opportunities that build capacity and empower learners of all ages in STEM. Anna Pawlow (Rhymes) is the Director of STEM Literacy & Curriculum at the Society for Science. She oversees the Science News in High Schools program and is responsible for managing the Society’s additional STEM work and partnerships in Arizona. With a formal background in science and many years of experience in teaching and curriculum development, Anna manages the development of NGSS-aligned education resources paired to Science News articles to support and encourage teachers to integrate current STEM applications into their regular curricula. You can reach Anna at arhymes@societyforscience.org. “Stronger Together!”
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