Logic Model Narative:

Project SYNCERE’s mission is to increase the number of minority, female, and under-served students who pursue a career in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The goals of the North Kenwood community organization  Project SYNCERE  is to increase awareness, stimulate interest, and provide hands-on learning experiences to prepare students for rewarding STEM careers that pay in terms of salary, prestige, and challenge.

The logic model is focused alongside Project SYNCERE goals to increase the number of minority, female, and under-served students who participate in programs that support careers in STEM.

One major input to the logic model is funding. Funding provides financial support for professional staff to coordinate programming, and this allows for the organization to leverage additional recourses from potential partners and donors within the STEM fields. Having network funding will open doors for the organization and providing an opportunity for long-term mentoring to students within the program, therefore, supporting STEM programming. Additional resources that will help the organizations will be increasing the facility size where they can better serve more students and encourage more group activities. New equipment’s for science experiments and projects will provide students with hands-on experiences and stimulate their interests in STEM. Having a curriculum for students that integrates STEM through the use of project-based learning will have a big impact in their interests in pursuing STEM related careers. A program that provides activities, workshops, and courses that help students discover first-hand how technology and engineering relate to the “real” world is key. Lastly, bringing in STEM professionals to share their experiences with the students and mentor them will be a great addition to increasing their participation in the STEM field.    

Project SYNCERE needs their students to interact with STEM professionals and help the students learn more about the STEM careers. Interactions with STEM professionals lead to mentorship, this opportunity provides students a chance to work with and learn from teachers and professionals that have worked in the STEM fields. Students will apply STEM skills in real-life and hands-on situations. The skills gain from the program will help students relate their STEM skills to the real world situations, making it applicable as possible for them which will in turn raise curiosity about the project-based learning experiments. The program will also employ critical thinking and problem-solving skills and students will collaborate within small group settings. Students will begin think critically because the program activities will promote and build students’ leadership, teamwork, and communication, analytical and critical thinking skills. The focus is directly on students who are under-served, female, or of minority. Parents, teachers, and STEM professionals exert a strong influence on students’ interest in STEM. Parents and teachers are in the forefront of a student’s life, teachers are constantly teaching students Monday through Friday until the end of the academic school and parents take over at home. Both Parents and teachers have ample opportunities to stimulate the student’s interests in STEM and spread awareness. STEM professional can serve as role models and mentors for the students.

For short-term outcomes, the intent for the organization was to stimulate students’ curiosity while engaging in STEM activities that gives them an opportunity to have fun and exciting experiences. It was also hoped that the experiences would encourage their belief in the importance and relevance of STEM subjects to their lives, as well as to increase their sense of self-efficacy and reduce anxiety related to their own perceived ability to apply STEM skills. For medium-term outcomes, the organization wants to see personal growth. Personals growth occurs through interaction with other students and a healthy learning environment. Having student present in school all-day and having an interested in learning will contribute greatly to personal growth. Student will show significant improvement in self-esteem and confidence in what they are learning. Having afterschool programming will be an opportunities to provide student with essential tools, which not only aid them in their primary school studies, but also prepare them for college and the real world. Having curriculum in areas of math and sciences will provide students with needed STEM skills in order to perform well on test scores and improve grades within that subject matter.

For long-term outcomes, it is the organization hope that overall the initiatives would increase student interest in STEM subjects and careers. Increased interest can lead one student to seek more knowledge and skill, while increased knowledge and/or skill may also stimulate further interest. This then results in an increase of the number of minority, female, and under-served students to pursue a career in the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). 

Overall, it is assumed that Project SYNCERE will increase the number of minority, female, and under-served students to pursue a career in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), by continuing to increase awareness, stimulate interest, and provided hands-on learning experiences. In life there are always external factors that may act as barriers and some potential issues to this declining number of minorities, females, and under-served students pursuing careers in STEM might be that the student encounters0 great barriers in degree attainment such as lack of mentoring and experience of prejudice and discrimination on campus. With this logic model, Project SYNCERE will be several  steps closer to achieving their goals within the North Kenwood community.

Reference

Anderson, E. L, and Dongbin, K. (2006). Increasing the Success of Minority Students in Science and Technology. Washington, D.C.: American Council on Education

Baine, Celeste. 2008. Engineers Make a Difference: Motivating Students to Pursue

an Engineering Education. Springfield, OR. Bonamy Publishing.

Project SYNCERE | Home (2013).  Project SYNCERE | Home. Retrieved from http://www.projectsyncere.org/