The Summer Immersion Program application deadline has been extended until March 25.

Many 10th and 11th grade girls who have applied for the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program that is being offered in Arkansas for the first time this summer.  However, some students have expressed concern about being able to meet the attendance policy of only two absences during the 7-week program due to other commitments.  If a student is interested in the program, but may have to miss more than 2 days due to other commitments, please encourage her to still apply.  Students should explain summer commitments on their application.

Our corporate partners, Walmart and Procter&Gamble, are committed to ensuring all girls in Northwest Arkansas who have an interest in the Summer Immersion Program have the opportunity to participate.  If a student is interested in the program, but has concerns about transportation, please encourage her to still apply.  Once the student is admitted, we will work with her to try to make accommodations for transportation.  Please note this is not a guarantee of transportation, but a commitment to work collaboratively with the student to meet her needs.

Thank you for helping us spread the word about this incredible new opportunity in Northwest Arkansas! Whether you have shared information with your network, hosted us at your school, or referred a student directly, you have been an invaluable member in the effort to introduce girls to opportunities that will change their future.

Below you will find flyers detailing the program. Also included is an outreach toolkit that contains social media blurbs and email templates to send out to your network.  As a reminder, the Summer Immersion Program dates are June 10-July 26, at Procter&Gamble in Fayetteville and Walmart in Bentonville.

Student Flyer

Parent/Family Flyer

Stipend Flyer: though our program is free, this flyer will detail how to apply for additional funding to help cover missed summer economic opportunities or other costs.

Outreach Toolkit

Thank you again for partnering with us to spread the word!

Do you want to invigorate your STEM classroom and inspire your students while preparing them for future jobs with STEM skills and knowledge? Do you want to experience first-hand what it is like to work in a local business or industry that utilizes the STEM skills you teach in your classroom?

This summer, the newly remodeled UA Little Rock STRIVE Program (https://ualr.edu/strive/) is designed to work with Arkansas STEM businesses and 7-12th grade STEM teachers to improve student awareness of and preparation for future STEM jobs in the State. Lasting five weeks, four of the weeks will involve being in the workplace for this summer; think of it as an inspiring “internship” for teachers. We are now recruiting teachers from across the state to participate this summer.

One the goals of the STRIVE program is to work with teachers in underserved schools. Hence we are specifically recruiting teachers from and businesses within a breadth of communities across the entire state of Arkansas.

Although we plan to be very flexible in our framework for the teacher placement to maximize benefit for all parties involved, below is a summary of the core components of the UALR STRIVE Program.

*   Application & Selection
*   Teachers in STEM disciplines from across the state will apply to be part of the program
*   Application includes the skills and background you have, and what you hope to get out of the placement.
*   Business partners will review teacher applications and will interview their top candidates before making an offer for placement
*   Placement details will be agreed upon by teachers and their respective businesses (dates, placement responsibilities and deliverables, mentor, etc.)
*   Placement starts June 3rd or before, depending on school schedules.
*   Training & Timing
*   Teachers will spend June 4th & 5th with UALR STEM Education Center to frame summer placement activities in relation to impacting their students’ awareness of jobs in STEM and skills required for STEM jobs while still achieving teaching standards.
*   Led by Keith Harris and Sandra Leiterman, ADE Science and Math specialists.
*   Teacher deliverables by the end of the program will include a series of lesson plans or unit that will be implemented in their STEM classroom.
*   Program lasts 5 weeks, placement is approximately 4 of those weeks
*   Teachers are paid by STRIVE for the number of hours they participate.
*   Maximum stipend for teachers is $750/week.
*   Additional funds will be available for the purchase of supplies for the implementation of lesson plans and/or unit.
*   10% of your time at the placement will be reserved for working on your lesson plans/unit.
*   Businesses will create opportunity for you to shadow minimum of 3 more careers during your placement, to increase visibility of variety of jobs available.
*   Teachers spend July 8th & 9th at the UALR STEM Education Center to continue to develop or to wrap up their lesson plans/unit.
*   Creating Community Connection
*   Continued interaction between teachers, their classrooms, and businesses will be facilitated during fall semester

If you are interested in our newly remodeled program for Summer 2019, please visit the STRIVE website, https://ualr.edu/strive/, where you can find more information and the opportunity to apply.