Our Commitment to Creating and Sustaining Equity Statement
As an organization, NextWaveSTEM® focuses on educational equity and ensuring all students—especially the most marginalized—have access to innovative educational experiences and STEM opportunities in order to prepare them for success after high school and throughout their careers.
We Are Committed To:
1. Building Sustainable Equity Within Our Team
In areas that our “We Teach” model services, we will put a greater emphasis on hiring mentors/ instructors from within the respective school’s community, and then broaden if needed. We will work to keep our leadership team diverse in gender and race. We will recognize culture and differences on our teams as assets.
NWS is an MBE Certified company and our team is made up of 64% from minority races.
We are 44% female and 56% male.
2. Improving Educational Opportunities
We created a $100,000 grant to serve equitable needs, helping close the racial equity gaps in STEM education. This starts with making sure minority or under-served students have access to our innovative educational opportunities early on in their education. Apply for our Equity in Education Grant.. Or, join us in our mission if you are a corporation.
3. Forming More Diverse Partnerships
We will form more diverse partnerships that help us provide more opportunities, and also connect clients with partners that can provide tools or resources outside of our services. We will seek out and partner with companies that give grants to communities of color and build corporate partnerships to help specifically with equitable services such as subsidizing program costs, and providing tools or resources for under-resourced/funded schools. If you are a company and would like to join in our mission, please contact us.
4. Developing Relevant Products for Change
We will continue to develop culturally relevant curriculum, using examples that make connections for diverse student populations and teach to recognize culture and differences within communities as assets. We will seek and request feedback from school partners, mentors, students and on-site contacts via surveys to better understand their needs to inform improvement efforts, and how culture, differences, and lived experiences can be used as assets.
5. Prioritizing Perspectives and Voices of Those Underrepresented
We will highlight teachers, students and communities of color to showcase their stories via distribution channels such as our website, social and public relations.
“NextWaveSTEM® prepares children for the future. My child had a blast in their fun and educational, hands-on programs.”
— Joseph Greer, Parent