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In June 2022, ABC CREATE received a PAsmart Advancing Grant dubbed ABC CREATE L.E.A.D.S. (Leveraging Education to Accelerate Diversity & Success).
Designed to amplify and accelerate ABC CREATE’s ongoing efforts, ABC CREATE L.E.A.D.S. will increase support for elementary CS/STEAM classroom integration to reach ALL learners; will extend CS/STEAM learning into communities to enhance access for underrepresented population; will develop and enhance community, education, and workforce relationships to strengthen CS/STEAM offerings and applicability; and will expand CS/STEAM across the region and state by sharing the pathways and actions that lead to the initiative’s successes.

An in-depth exploration of the transformative work made possible by its PAsmart Advancing Grant: ABC CREATE L.E.A.D.S. (Leveraging Education to Accelerate Diversity and Success).

This year’s annual report—crafted by external assessment consultants—delves into the two-year L.E.A.D.S. initiative (June 2022–June 2024). The report synthesizes a wide range of professional development, events, and achievements into a comprehensive narrative highlighting how ABC CREATE, with the influx of additional funding support, intensified its focus in five key areas important to the ABC CREATE districts:
  • Increasing support for elementary CS/STEAM classroom integration to reach ALL learners
  • Extending CS/STEAM learning into communities to enhance access for underrepresented populations
  • Developing and enhanced community, education, and workforce relationships
  • Expanding CS/STEAM across the region and state by sharing the pathways and actions that lead to the initiative’s successes

“Through the consolidation and interpretation of the data and information gathered for the report, the impacts of the L.E.A.D.S. initiative are clear: providing the right mix of training, exposure to new tech tools, community partnerships, and network-building can build confidence and enthusiasm in otherwise technology-hesitant educators. ABC CREATE’s work has evolved into a virtuous cycle with its members, as educators who participated in L.E.A.D.S. training and events went on to become STEAM experts within their schools and among their peers.”

L.E.A.D.S Insights
ABC CREATE Collection of Lessons Learned Published in the Six Quarterlies

While ABC CREATE is a teaching organization, it’s just as important that it learns from its own activities. During the L.E.A.D.S. initiative, organizers compiled the following lessons based on their interactions with teachers, students, and colleagues. These were originally published in the quarterly L.E.A.D.S. newsletters, and are compiled here for your benefit.

Quarterlies
Excerpts from the L.E.A.D.S Impact Report

View ABC CREATE MAY QUARTERTLY

ABCCREATE_QuarterlyUpdateVol06.pdf
File Size: 11351 kb
File Type: pdf
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View ABC CREATE MARCH QUARTERTLY

ABCCREATE_QuarterlyUpdateVol05.pdf
File Size: 27959 kb
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View ABC CREATE DECEMBER QUARTERTLY

ABCCREATE_QuarterlyUpdateVol04.pdf
File Size: 35720 kb
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View ABC CREATE SEPTEMBER QUARTERTLY

ABCCREATE_QuarterlyUpdateVol03.pdf
File Size: 14566 kb
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View ABC CREATE MAY QUARTERTLY

ABCCREATE_QuarterlyUpdateVol2.pdf
File Size: 17295 kb
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View ABC CREATE MARCH QUARTERTLY 

ABCCREATE_QuarterlyUpdateVol01.pdf
File Size: 5200 kb
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Salvation Army STEAM Camp 2021
With the goal of increasing support for elementary CS/STEAM classroom integration to reach ALL learners, the ABC CREATE L.E.A.D.S Elementary CS/STEAM initiative will provide a series of scaffolded  professional development opportunities led by CodeJoy; a hands-on K-2 CS/STEAM playground which will allow teachers to explore tech tools and interact with tech experts; CS4All Script training to assist districts with the development of a comprehensive, district-wide plan for CS integration; a wrap-around coaching model to support educators who are  newly acquiring skills and confidence in the integration of CS/STEAM technologies; and a CS project map of “mini-pathway” lessons and projects that can be easily adapted for use in any elementary classroom.
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ABC CREATE Fall Convening 2018 - with Nextovation Launch
ABC CREATE L.E.A.D.S. is working with the Consortium of Public Education to convene and engage stakeholders in professional development explicitly designed to address school-business-community partnerships. This L.E.A.D.S. initiative will provide school districts with three, CPE-led professional development opportunities: School-Business Partnerships Training, Project Based-Learning (PBL) training, and Educator in the Workforce training.
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ABC CREATE Connecting Classrooms and Communities 2019
ABC CREATE L.E.A.D.S. aims to surround learners of all ages (and particularly those who are historically underrepresented in STEAM) with opportunities to explore a range of STEAM-based skills.

With our partners, ABC CREATE will create community-based events designed to engage families and community members along with school-aged learners in hands-on CS/STEAM/future-ready activities.
ABC CREATE L.E.A.D.S. will actively and intentionally develop, assess, and capture successful models for expanding CS/STEAM in elementary, for engaging families, communities, and maximizing benefits of collective impact of community, education, and workforce partners. L.E.A.D.S. will share best practices in an effort to expand the efficacy of the CS/STEAM ecosystems.

ABC CREATE L.E.A.D.S. PAsmart Grant 2022

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Dave Keibler, Leechburg, thrilled with the prospects of the PAsmart funding.
ABC CREATE’s mission is to work collaboratively to connect ABC CREATE teachers with professional learning communities, tools, and best practices to develop competent and technologically-fluent students. The 2020 PAsmart funds will enable ABC CREATE to accelerate and advance work that is underway within ABC CREATE and work that has posed a specific challenge and has needed additional support to move forward. 
We plan to address five key areas:
  1. Increasing the skills and confidence of ABC CREATE district teachers in using text-based programming languages to help students to transition from introductory block-based programming to text-based programming languages used in the workforce.
  2. Accelerating the development of the K-12 Learning Pathways (STEAM-based modules) that will provide teachers with easy access to innovative lessons focusing on skills students need for today and tomorrow.
  3. Developing further strategies for addressing equity and access concerns within and across the 14 ABC CREATE school districts to be sure that all students are prepared for their futures.
  4. Engaging educators with business and industry to prepare students with 21st Century Skills needed in the workplace for Industry 4.0.
  5. Providing support to facilitate and manage approaches and logistics for this project.

Connect with us:

 Melinda Spampinato
ABC CREATE Educational Consultant
​[email protected]
Penn State New Kensington
3550 7th Street Road
New Kensignton, PA 15068