• If you are interested in joining others in visioning about 21st Century Learning, hearing from exemplary leaders in elementary education, and problem solving about the barriers to moving forward join us in July.
•  If you are interested in such 21st Century solutions as Dream Flight simulators, Makerspace, robotics, heart centered education, early childhood education, and 21st Century IB programs, don't miss these complementary sessions at the Annual Conference of the National Association of Elementary School Principals. 

• CEI has collaborated with principal leaders over the past six years to develop and refine an interactive rubric for implementing 21st Century learning. This tool is now available from Thrivist and Class Gather.com, companies whose rubrics are shared with over 1000 schools in the US and internationally.
• The P21 Framework for 21st Century Learning guided the development of P21's Exemplar program recognizing over 40 leading schools around the country. Each organization will address its tools and methods.
• Aaron Brengard, the Principal of P21 Exemplar Katherine Smith school, will present a brief videoclip and discuss the path that led to P21 recognition and hands-on learning taking center stage at a school with high minority, low income students, showing how 21st century learning benefits all kids.

• Principals will be guided in a process to vision their school as a 21st Century School.
• Principals will be provided tools to use at their schools to assess their journey to embed 21st century learning.
• Participants will leave with a template for visioning and developing an action plan.

• Jillayne Flanders, M.Ed., Executive Director of the Massachusetts' Elementary School Principals Association, will share her approaches to Early Childhood and Heart Center Education (Social Emotional Learning);
• Dr. Gregory Egnor will share information on their Dream Flight Simulator, innovative approach to mathematics, and process of inquiry-based design.
• Beth Lee, M.Ed., a national board certified educator and principal will share highlights from Bate Middle School, a P21 Exemplar School.
• Dr. Jacqueline Luzak will share insights from Montgomery Middle School, a P21 Exemplar School and MYP International Baccalaureate program.

• Avid video gamers of the ages seven to nine will love the weeklong course called "Adventures in Minecraft Game Design," which Georgetown, among many other locations, will be offering this summer for at least four separate weeks.
• "Adventures in Robotics" is also for those ages seven to nine, and is taught during five available sessions this summer at American University. Using legos, software, and microcomputers, students will begin making robots from Day 1.

SteamWorks Studio. For other examples of the types of camps available, look no further than the SteamWorks Studio located in Princeton, NJ. It has a wealth of options that will meet any child's interests, with an emphasis on engineering and technology.

• For instance, in their "NANO Bots" camp, campers will get to think like an engineer. This may involve building and programming a complex robot arm, an escalator, and even a real-life Wall-E.
• One of the many other camps is "Crazy Chemistry", which makes chemistry exciting by letting campers decorate T-shirts using chromatography, and make exothermic ice cream.

Acera Camps. Acera Summer STEAM Camp at the Massachusetts School for Science, Creativity and Leadership in Winchester, Massachusetts, has over 100 sessions to choose from. Aspiring doctor ages 7-9 can attend a "Mini Med School" where they will learn about how the human body works!

• The Acera program has made an effort to merge more artistic elements into STEM activities. This can be seen with the "Film Club" session for ages 7-9, in which students will plan and create a film project. Such a project requires both creative thinking and technological capabilities from students.
• To further advance towards this ideal combination, the school has built a SEEDS Studiolab; SEEDS stands for Science, Engineering, Esthetics, Design, and Storytelling. These particular themes take a unique approach at harnessing a child's artistic creativity as a trait that will help them learn science better. For example, in "Beauty of Scale" for ages 7-12, campers will utilize microscopes, telescopes, and computer programming to bring an original story to life.

• Leading economists concur that high-quality early education makes dollars and sense; an analysis of the economic impact of the Perry Preschool program showed a 7% to 10% per year return on investment based on increased school and career achievement.
• Researchers have found that effective early mathematics education can enhance later learning and narrow achievement gaps.
• Approximately 40% of U.S. children are not ready for kindergarten, and too many children reach Grade 4 lacking key science and math skills and knowledge.
• Only 34% of Grade 4 students achieved a score of "At or Above Proficient" on the science portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
• Only 40% of Grade 4 students achieved a score of "At or Above Proficient" on the mathematics portion of the NAEP.

• Children are active and engaged
• Goals are clear and shared by all
• Curriculum is evidence-based
• Valued content is learned through investigation, play, and focused, intentional teaching
• Curriculum builds on prior learning and experiences
• Curriculum is comprehensive
• Professional standards validate the curriculum's subject-matter content
• Research and other evidence indicates that the curriculum, if implemented as intended, will likely have beneficial effects

• "What does STEM look like in Pre-School?" Includes idea for STEM play, being intentional about incorporating STEM into classrooms, and furthering student curiosity.
• "STEM education and activities for Pre-Schoolers" The Bright Horizons website includes suggestions for summer nature walks,; building ramp tests to test speed for marbles, cars, and balls; and water play such as water balloon fishing.
• One suggestion from Bright Horizon's for a nature walk was to have a "Wanted Dead or Alive" walk and during that walk to search for dead and alive insects, fish, animals, and plants. You could even collect specimens of both dead and alive things and include items like rocks and sand. 

Kits:

• Hatch Resources Complete Guides/Curricula
• "STEM Family Activities Workbook"
• "Implementation Guide"

• "Building Blocks" is a software that teaches math by incorporating a variety of other disciplines.
• "Peep and the Big Wide World" is a show that highlights science and experimentation. Their website contains games, videos, activities, and handouts.
• "Scratch" is a free software that allows kids to learn how to code and create their own stories, games, and animations, and "ScratchJR" is the variation for younger children.
• "Tools of the Mind" is a yearlong play based curriculum which builds a variety of skills.