4-H Youth Development & 4-H Science, Engineering, and Technology Initiative

June 18, 2013, REC Directors Meeting

Steven Worker, 4-H SET CoordinatorShannon Dogan, Associate Director

Andrea Ambrose, Major Gifts Officer

4-H Youth Development Program

“The University of California 4-H Youth

Development Program engages youth in reaching

their fullest potential while advancing the

field of youth development.”

About 4-H • Nonformal educational program• Delivered in a positive youth development

context • Learning through hands-on, project based

work • Targeted to youth aged 5 to 19 • Programming through camp, clubs,

afterschool, school enrichment, special interest and short term.

• Volunteers as extenders of knowledge

4-H Mission Mandates

• Science, Engineering and Technology

• Healthy Living

• Citizenship“California’s youth will need new and enhanced

opportunities for engagement.” – UC ANR Strategic Vision

What type of 4-H activities are youth involved in?

Consumer and Family Science 10843Biological Sciences 7348Technology and Engineering 8641Physical Sciences 73Environmental Education / Earth Sciences 19731Ag in the Classroom 7503Animal Science 30198Plant Science 5190

Total Science, Engineering, &

Technology89527

Civic Engagement 753Community / Volunteer Service 2509Leadership and Personal Development 9577Communications and Expressive Arts 11490

Total Citizenship 24329

Health 9902Personal Safety 287

Total Healthy Lifestyles 10189

Outcomes of 4-H Participation2X more likely to get better grades in

school2X more likely to plan to go to college

Girls are 2X more likely to pursue science careers

2X more likely to exercise and be physically active

3X more likely to actively contribute to their communities

Results are from the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development a longitudinal study that began in 2002, surveying more than 7,000 adolescents from diverse backgrounds across 44 U.S. states. http://www.4-h.org/about/youth-development-research/positive-youth-development-study/

4-H Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET)

The U.S. and Science EducationStagnant and declining levels of scientific literacy.

– The 2005 and 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for 4th, 8th, and 12th graders revealed poor science achievement at all three grade levels (Grigg, Lauko, and Brockway 2006; NCES 2011).

Trends are not distributed equally across the population:

– Caucasian and Asian American outperformed African Americans & Latinos.

– Youth from high-income households scored higher than their peers from low-income households.

Overall, California students scored below national averages on the NAEP assessments, ranking 48th and/or 49th among all states.National Center for Education Statistics (2011). The nation’s report card: Science 2009. (NCES 2011-451). Washington, D.C.: Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.

Grigg, W. S., Lauko, M. A., and Brockway, D. M. (2006). The nation’s report card: Science 2005. Washington, D. C.: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.

Science Education in Out-of-School Time (OST)Growing recognition of the role that informal/nonformal education plays in youth science learning.

Key reports highlight the need for experiential and inquiry-based science education out-of-school.

– National Research Council. (2009). Learning science in informal environments: People, places, and pursuits. Washington D.C.: The National Academies Press.

– Falk, J. and Dierking, L. (2010). The 95 percent solution: School is not where most Americans learn most of their science. American Scientist, 98(6), 486-493.

“out-of-school science-learning experiences are fundamental to supporting

and facilitating lifelong science learning” (p. 492)

Time youth spend in and out of classrooms

National Research Council. (2009). Learning science in informal environments: People, places, and pursuits. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

UC ANR’s Role in Science Education and the

Healthy Families & Communities Strategic InitiativeResearch Questions

• What are the impacts of participation in community-based (non-formal) youth development programs on the science knowledge, science process skills, and attitudes toward science among K-12 youth?

• What are the impacts of professional development in science on the pedagogical and content knowledge and skills of non formal and pre-service science educators?

Links between Initiatives and 4-HPotential for connection between all of the initiatives and scientific literacy.ANR Initiative 4-H Thematic Area

Water Quality, Quantity, and Security Water EducationSustainable Food Systems Agriculture & GardeningScience Literacy Science & Engineering EducationSustainable Natural Ecosystems Environmental Stewardship & Natural

Res.Enhance the Health of Californian’s and CA’s Ag Economy NutritionHealthy Families and Communities Youth Development / ThriveEnsure Safe and Secure Food Supplies Bio-security, Pre-harvest Food SafetyEndemic and Invasive Pests and Diseases Bio-securityGreen Technologies Renewable Energy

4-H Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) Initiative

• 4-H has been doing science education for 100 years.

• Renewed commitment in 2008 with the formation of the SET Initiative

4-H SET Leadership TeamAndrea Ambrose

Corporate and Foundation Major Gifts Officer, California 4-H FoundationShannon Dogan

Associate Director of 4-H Program and Policy, YFCLatonya Harris

4-H Evaluation Coordinator, YFCLynn Schmitt-McQuitty

County Director San Benito County & 4-H Youth Development AdvisorMartin Smith

Associate CE Specialist, Youth Curriculum Development, UCDSteven Worker

4-H Science, Engineering, and Technology Coordinator, YFC

Former Member: Richard Mahacek, 4-H Advisor, Merced County

4-H SET Initiative Plan of ActionGoal #1: Improve youth science literacy in, and attitudes for, agriculture, natural resources, and nutrition through educational programming that use:1. High quality curricula identified and developed based on UC ANR

initiatives2. Staff, volunteer, teen, and other educators prepared using research-based

professional development strategies 3. Strategies designed to meet the needs of youth audiences 4. Partners to strengthen programming

Goal #2: Advance the research-base of youth nonformal science education through:5. Developing and implementing new 4-H SET programs6. Evaluating existing and new 4-H SET programming7. Conducting new applied research8. Sharing outcomes

Goal #3: Support the first two goals through effective resource development.

Foundation of 4-H Science ProgramsEducational Practices• Project-based learning• Experiential education• Inquiry-based teaching• Collaborative learning• Service learning

Youth Development Practices• Safety• Relationship building• Youth engagement (youth-adult

partnerships)• Community involvement• Skill building

http://www.ca4h.org/files/146514.pdf

Ongoing Projects 2008-20131. Program Development2. Preparing Educators (training)3. Developing curricula4. Conducting research and evaluation5. Raising funds6. Stewarding partnerships

Current Projects (2013-2014)– Position paper to define scientific literacy in

the context of Cooperative Extension / ANR.– Conducting a statewide needs assessment of 4-

H science programming.– Developing PD modules based on each

component of the 4-H Program Framework.– Longitudinal 4-H Science Evaluation through

the Online Record Book– Several ANR Competitive Grants

Fund Developmenthttp://ca4hfoundation.org/

Programmatic Partnerships within the Strategic Initiatives

Partnerships to maximize resources, share expertise, expand our reach and visibility, leverage funding opportunities, and create new knowledge through evaluation.

• Western Water Project - Multi-state collaborative for youth water education,

• scientific literacy, and positive youth development

• Elkus Ranch – youth environmental education program (for ages 5-18 ) and summery discovery camp (for ages 6-11).

• Examples of existing youth outreach at REC’s– Desert REC: Farm Smart Program– Hansen REC: Student Farm Project– South Coast REC: Open house and 4-H centennial celebration

Discussion

• What types of youth education and outreach has been successful at your REC?

• What possibilities and opportunities might be explored for closer partnerships with 4-H?