MCESA spearheads effort to keep area youth in school
People who care about Phoenix-area youth and the future of Arizona are coming together Wednesday, October 15, 2014, to take the first steps toward re-engaging disconnected youth —those young adults not in school or in a job— at the Maricopa County Education Service Agency’s second Disconnected Youth Summit.
The issue of disconnected youth in the region came to the forefront of education discussion through the past two years after Measure of America released a study showing that the Phoenix-metropolitan area had the highest percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds not in school or in a job out of the 25 largest metro areas in the nation at 18.8 percent.
Learn more and register for the summit by clicking here.
 During the month of October, MCESA will be unveiling a brand new tax credit portal that includes information about the state of Arizona's education tax credit program and provides an online place for people to donate to any local school in Maricopa County.
MCESA is working to not only get the word out about school tax credits, but also to help people know what schools have not received significant tax credit funding.
In 2013, only 11 percent of Maricopa County’s 58 school districts accounted for 80 percent of the total collected tax credit money. That means that “the majority of districts are missing out,” said MCESA Director of Learning and Communication Laurie King.
“We want to be clear,” King said. “Our goal is not to target current givers and divert money away from schools. Our goal is to target non-givers and inform them about where their donation is needed most.”
The Tax Credit Portal is scheduled to be available October 6. To sign up to be notified when the portal goes live, sign up here.
 MCESA is seeking individuals in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math who would consider becoming a role model for a local classroom as a part of the Engineering STEM Identity program.
If you know people passionate about working in the STEM field, you can help inspire future scientists and engineers by encouraging them to become a STEM role model for select Maricopa County schools. Being a STEM role model allows students to see someone with a STEM identity more personally and to envision themselves working in STEM areas.
MCESA provides training for STEM professionals to become classroom STEM mentors and matches those mentors with a teacher and classroom. Classrooms work with your schedule and STEM role models do not even need to drive to the school to connect, thanks to online video technology.
MCESA is currently implementing Engineering STEM Identity to help approximately 2,300 students in ten school districts be able to see themselves as scientists. Along with connecting STEM mentors with classroom, the program offers professional development for math and science teachers in grades six through eight to integrate hands-on activities to help understand what it’s like to work in STEM. Learn more about the program and about how to become a STEM role model here.
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 Great Arizona ShakeOut The Great Arizona ShakeOut earthquake preparedness drill is scheduled for 10:16 a.m. on October 16. The Arizona Geological Survey and Arizona Division of Emergency Management are asking state and local authorities, K-12 schools, tribal communities, businesses, health agencies and organizations to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” for ShakeOut. While some communities are more at risk, no community is invulnerable to the ground shaking and damage that accompanies moderate- to large-magnitude. To learn the three simple steps of “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” and to sign up your school, organization or community for the ShakeOut, visit http://bit.ly/1iLLdif and pledge your organization’s participation in the drill.
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 School's Out, Make It Count The 2014 Arizona Statewide Out-of-School Time Conference and Awards of Excellence Luncheon will be Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Phoenix Convention Center. Attendees at the conference will gain new STEM ideas and activities to easily implement. Workshops will include:
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The 5 E's of STEM, presented by the U of A STEM Center
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Go for Launch! Blastoff with Rocketry!, presented by Kaci Heins and Jennifer Cheesman
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STEM on the Cheap, presented by Eric Larsen, Arizona 4-H
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Hands-On STEM Projects, presented by Harold Gordon, president of Nature Watch
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STEM-It's Your World!, presented by Amanda Hughens, STEM Outreach for GCU
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Rockets to the Rescue!, award-winning experiment from 2014 National Youth Science Day, created and presented by Arizona 4-H
Registration is $90 or $85 for groups of 10 or more. Register by Oct. 27 here.
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