SMART Community Review (SCR) 2017 SMART PROGRAM | Page 39

SMART Education Exchange (SEE)
Summary
Young people can’t find jobs. Yet employers can’t find people with the
right entry-level skills. How can we close this gap?
“All young people should be prepared to think deeply and to think
well so that they have the chance to become the Innovators,
Educators, Researchers, and Leaders who can solve the most
pressing challenges facing our nation and our world, both today and
tomorrow. But, right now, not enough of our youth have access to
quality STEM learning opportunities and too few students see these
disciplines as springboards for their careers”, according to the White
House.
The charter for Sponsors and Associate Partners is for both public
and private sector organizations interested in participating in the
SMART Education Exchange (SEE).
It is envisaged that there will be four, different types of Sponsors and
Associate Partners involved with the regional SEE projects:
• Boards of Education, regional and municipal education authorities
wanting to introduce SEE to their own network of schools.
• Economic Development Agencies, Chambers of Commerce, Trade
Associations, NGOs, and Non-Profits, wanting to introduce SEE to
their own network of organizations.
• Projects and organizations wanting to pilot/test their findings,
products, services or participate in SEE programs, with the SEE
network of schools through the SEE validation service.
• Enterprises and Organizations wanting to contribute to SEE projects
and share in the research and learning of the project.
The SEE welcomes inquiries from schools, enterprises and
organizations interested in becoming SEE Partners and Associate
Partners. The first group of schools joined SEE in July 2016 and the
program continues to expand. To understand the SEE, interested
individuals and organizations are encouraged to attend the SEE
working groups and conferences.
SMART Education Exchange (SEE) Program Brief
The SEE program is fully funded and coordinated by SMART
Community Exchange (SCE) Sponsors and Associate Partners to
create:
• A sustainable, growing network of primary and secondary schools,
that showcase and share best practice and ways to successfully
embed the use of SEE learning solutions in teaching and learning
STEM in classrooms.
• A strong network of continuous professional training and
development opportunities for Educators.
• Opportunities for schools to get involved in action-based research,
creating links with outside partners, including industry.
The SEE program will develop validation methodologies and a new
turnkey validation service, whereby schools in the network will be
available to test and evaluate results of industry funded projects along
with SMART Learning Solutions and Education Technology Services.
Content will be provided by SEE Education and Industry
Stakeholders.
From SMART Education to 21st Century Employment
Objectives
• To establish a network of regional SEEs demonstrating
and showcasing a diverse range of innovative
pedagogical practices involving technology.
• To identify successful strategies for taking change
management to scale – moving from a single class to
SMART learning and SMART classroom exchange being
embedded across the classrooms and or schools.
• To establish a sustainable SEE network of schools
offering a baseline validation methodology and service for
future projects and research.
• To promote a dynamic system of SEEs encouraging
change and organic growth with individuals, enterprises,
and organizations joining the network of SEE schools.
• To create a strong community of Educators, with access
to continuous professional development to help them with
a changing pedagogical practice.
• To help improve skills required for employment.
• To share best practice in preK-12 learning and training
youth to become productive citizens and employees.
• To help design and identify the programs that move youth
from SMART Education to 21st century Employment.
SEE partners, will be invited to participate in SEE
conferences, executive roundtables, training and
development programs, education trade missions, and
partner projects, including validation pilots that involve the
testing and evaluation of products, services, content, or
prototypes with teachers and/or students under ‘real life’
conditions. There is no cost for Teachers, Students,
Schools, and School Districts to participate in the SEE
program. Learn more:
www.SMARTEducationExchange.com
Transatlantic Education Leadership Exchange (TELE)
Reference:
Education to Employment: Designing A System That Works