CREST: Community for Rural Education Stewardship and Technology
A Three-Year Grant from the National Science Foundation
What?
A three-year, $1.2 million grant to the Island Institute from the National Science Foundation
(NSF), a U.S. government agency. The grant has been made under NSF’s “ITEST” (Information Technology Experiences for Students & Teachers) program. The project that has been funded is called “CREST” (Community for Rural Education Stewardship and Technology), and in addition to the Island Institute, involves 11 island and coastal high schools and middle schools, a number of academic institutions, and another national nonprofit, the Rural School and Community Trust. Island communities will benefit from this grant in the form of technology equipment and stipends for students and teachers to attend CREST career fairs, college campus visits, and summer institutes.
Why?
The goal of this project is to create excitement among teachers and students in Maine’s island
and coastal communities about technology-related careers. We believe that by building knowledge (using ethnographic and oral history skills) of their own place and learning to use new technologies, students and teachers will better understand the importance and potential of island and coastal communities, and will be better prepared to understand and steward island environments and contribute to diversifying island and coastal economies.
Who?
Principal partners are Island Institute (virtually the entire Programs staff), Bowdoin College, the
University of Maine Machias, the Rural School and Community Trust, and 11 schools.
Advisory partners include: 1) a teacher advisory board that includes teachers from North Haven, Islesboro and Machias; 2) an academic advisory board of professors from MIT, the University of Wisconsin Madison, and the University of Maine; 3) a management advisory board that includes representatives of the Bigelow Lab and retired NSF program officer Orrin Shane.
How?
We will teach teams of students and teachers (a total of 44 teachers and 55 students) from each
of the 11 participating schools to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology, develop web sites, and learn ethnography/oral history collecting skills. We will conduct summer training institutes each year to help students and teachers refine these skills and build leadership experience to carry back to others in their island and coastal communities. We will involve students in visits to college campuses and the opportunity to be mentored by college students. We will sponsor career fairs for island students in each year of the grant to help build awareness of technology-related career opportunities. The expectation is that participating student/teacher teams will become leaders in their schools, thereby bringing the benefits of the program to their entire school populations—an estimated 3,000 students.
Background:
This project builds on the Island Institute’s strong and longstanding partnership with
island schools on place-based education programs, student aspirations work, and GIS technology. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Maine’s strong island schools, teachers, and communities, without whose involvement and support this grant would not have been possible.
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is the NSF ITEST Program?
The Information Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program was established by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in direct response to the concern about shortages of information technology workers in the United States. The ITEST program funds projects that provide opportunities for both school-age children and teachers to build the skills and knowledge needed to advance their study and to function and contribute in a technologically rich society. The ITEST program also funds a National Learning Resource Center to support, synthesize and disseminate the learning from the program to a wider audience.What is a Sustainable Learning Community?
Sustainable Learning Communities (SLCs) are groups of teachers, students, and community members who gather regularly to engage in an ongoing cycle of inquiry, gathering data, examining student and professional work, and giving and receiving meaningful feedback. A core skill taught throughout the project is facilitative leadership, in order to facilitate discussions that allow ideas to develop into action. The CREST Sustainable Learning Communities will organize participating educators, students, researchers, and local professionals to offer support and critique as teachers and students work to implement local fishery projects and forge links to the job market in Maine.My school is extremely small and I do not have four teachers, can my school still join CREST?
YES! This project is targeted specifically at some of the smallest schools in the State of Maine. If your school cannot commit four teachers, you may substitute local professionals and community members who would like to support the school throughout the CREST project. For example, a local fisherman, a technology professional, or a retired professional would make a wonderful addition to your school’s Sustainable Learning Community (SLC).
