Projects funded by the PAsmart Advancing Grants include CS and STEM after-school programs in robotics and artificial intelligence; the establishment of innovative STEM partnerships between school districts and higher education partners to provide college credits and industry credentials in STEM and Computer Science; support for diversity and inclusion on esports teams in high-need areas; establishing innovation hubs through collaborations with community colleges, city parks, and libraries to help underserved learners build STEM and computer science skills; establishing mentorships to expose underrepresented learners to STEM careers; and opportunities for rural, urban, and suburban students to gain hands-on experience in coding and robotics.
Among the 26 recipients of the newly announced PAsmart Advancing Grants are:
- Pittsburgh School District, for “PPS PAsmart: A Pre-K-12 Vertical Approach to Holistic Learning”
- Spring Cove School District, for “PAsmart Rural Community Advancement Partnership”
- The Allegheny County Library Association and Chester County Intermediate Unit 24, for “From Incubator to Launch: Co-Creating a CS Ecosystem”
- The University City Science Center, for “FirstHand STEM Partnership for Inclusion and Regional Equity (STEMPIRE)”
- Luzerne Intermediate Unit 18, for “Carbon-Schuylkill-Luzerne STEM Ecosystem”
- Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8, for “Rural Access and Equity Partnership for CS/STEM”
