Polk Education Foundation Receives AT&T Full STEAM Ahead for Florida’s Future

Grant to Fund Learning Innovation and provides $5,000 to Berkley Charter School! 

Students at Berkley Charter School will benefit from a statewide investment by AT&T this year, one that seeks to engage students who may have fallen behind during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as those in underserved communities, and high school students seeking to jump start their STEM careers through industry certifications. 

For the 13^th consecutive year, AT&T is working with the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations (Consortium) to support hands-on learning opportunities. 19 separate projects organized and funded through Consortium member local education foundations will re-engage students who have gotten behind in academics and/or are in underserved communities through hands-on STEAM enrichment activities or increasing CTE certification completion. 

Berkley Charter’s program, All "Hands-On" Deck for Learning, is designed to increase the hands-on learning experiences in science and math for students who are in the bottom 25% academically.  Providing opportunities to engage in STEM related subjects in a positive, engaging way will help bridge the learning gap with participating students and boost their academic confidence.  Classrooms have set time aside each day for structured centers that are differentiated to meet the specific needs of students. During this time, teachers use the opportunity to work with students one on one, or in small group instruction. Teachers remediate or enrich students in specific content, whichever is needed. 

Students who are the bottom 25% are students generally struggling with traditional instruction, therefore we want to provide multiple opportunities for them to grasp the concepts. We especially want to provide hands­ on experiences so their mind and body are engaged in learning, and so they will be more likely to understand and retain the content. Activities are targeted.  Kindergarten and first grade students will experience BeeBots – Child friendly robots that can be programed by students and used to practice a variety of content. Third and fourth grade students will experience STEaM challenge tasks including Lego WeDo kits.  Students will take real world tasks and put concepts into action, helping them understand their math and science concepts at a deeper level.     

“We care about the students in our community and by providing opportunities for them to experience the relevance of STEM curriculum in the world of work, through hands-on learning and career certification programs, they will be better equipped to enter the workforce,” said Joe York, President, AT&T Florida. “Local education foundations and other organizations are key to ensuring that young people are exposed to the educational and skills development opportunities to prepare them for success in their careers.” 

This year’s statewide grant brings the total investment by AT&T over eleven years to more than $1.1 million. More than 86,000 students have been directly impacted through 488 projects.