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About Washington State STEM Education Foundation
About the Foundation
The Washington State STEM Education Foundation (WSSEF) is a non-profit educational organization incorporated in Washington State in 2009 and located in the Tri-Cities area (Kennewick, Pasco, Richland). An innovative curriculum in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) helps develop students into the next generation of American leaders who understand and solve global challenges. The Foundation maintains and operates an Educational Endowment Fund to support the mission and goals of the organization. Delta High School, opened in August 2009 in Richland WA, is the first school created by the Foundation.
WSSEF supports a view that STEM literacy is a foundational skill that matters for all careers, not just the technology workforce. STEM builds critical thinking abilities because it addresses how we view and experience the world around us. Especially at a time when global challenges in water, climate, and energy require broad and comprehensive solutions across policy and technology, proficiency in english, mathematics, technology, and science, as well as literature, history, and the arts will be essential. Our future workforce must be comfortable with ideas and abstractions, analysis and synthesis. Gaining a STEM proficiency provides the foundation for these skills, and also helps build the flexibility to adapt quickly to frequent changes in the labor market that are expected as global shifts in the economy become faster.
What is STEM Education?
Real World
Real-world STEM experiences excite students to pursue careers in STEM related fields throughout the Northwest.
Personal
Personalized education promotes student engagement and increases graduation rates and college and career readiness.
Think Differently
Critical thinking skills are developed in an environment of creativity and curiosity to prepare them for success in post-secondary education, careers, and citizenship.
Together
Novel partnerships and collaborations reinforce our community image as a science and technology innovator and contributor to regional economic development.
Open Boundaries
The STEM school culture of possibility connects academic learning to the world beyond the classroom.