Innovation in Out-of-School Digital STEM Initiatives

Sponsored by: The Campaign for Gravel-Level Reading
Co-sponsored by: Overdeck Family Foundation

Afterschool STEM isn’t just fun; it plays a unique role in promoting academic outcomes, supporting social-emotional development, and leveraging the home and community environments as places for extended learning for students from all walks of life. When the pandemic shut down schools and after-school programs, it created a real sense of urgency for accessible digital platforms that can support children’s learning. This was especially important for math: between 2019 and 2021, students’ average math scores dropped by a range of 3.3 points to 4.5 points for sixth-graders and eighth-graders, respectively, fueling the need for academic support outside the school day.