Closing the Achievement Gap by Bringing STEM Kits Home

ABSTRACT

According to Quinn and Polikoff (2017), "summer slide" is a phenomenon in which students' academic skills regress over the summer. To assist students who do not have internet connectivity during extended breaks, the authors created STEM kits in which educational materials and directions are placed in a bag and provided to students who would be most at risk of falling behind academically. Because these activities were aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS;NGSS Lead States 2013) and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS-M;NGAC and CCSSO 2010), the STEM kits helped students to continue their academic progress through hands-on activities. In these cases, teachers can have materials available, and students can help package them before leaving for break. [...]the STEM kits can also be used to complement instruction in an online or hybrid format. [...]the authors encouraged students to use their cell phones to create a short video or share