The new initiative aims to expand STEM learning opportunities for students from kindergarten through community college, with a focus on math, hands-on learning, and the constructive use of AI.

MIT has launched MIT for America, a new strategic initiative focused on strengthening STEM education across the United States and expanding access to high quality learning opportunities for students and educators from kindergarten through community college.

We’re excited to see the work of the Scheller Teacher Education Program (STEP) represented in this new Institute wide effort. Our director, Eric Klopfer, will serve as a faculty co-director of MIT for America, alongside Professor Cynthia Breazeal.

MIT for America builds on MIT’s longstanding commitment to national service and aims to expand existing programs while creating new opportunities for students, teachers, and communities across the country. The initiative will focus on three areas: mathematical thinking and problem solving, learning and working with artificial intelligence, and design, making, and innovation.

These areas closely connect to the work we do at STEP. For years, our lab has developed programs and resources that help educators bring engaging, hands-on STEM learning into their classrooms. From educational games and simulations to AI education and teacher professional development, our work is grounded in the belief that students learn best when they have opportunities to explore, create, experiment, and solve problems.

As Eric explained in MIT News, MIT for America is focused on developing programs that are both scalable and high-touch, combining the reach needed to make an impact across the country with meaningful, direct engagement with learners and educators.

“All our programs take advantage of things we are well-positioned to do at MIT, and can be distributed around the country. That’s our guiding light.”

The initiative also reflects a central idea that has long guided STEP: learning by doing. MIT for America will support opportunities for students to engage in hands-on design, fabrication, experimentation, and real-world problem solving, while also helping educators develop the tools and resources to bring these experiences into their schools.

The initiative’s focus on AI education is another area where STEP’s work is already making an impact. Through programs including MIT RAISE and Day of AI, educators and students are gaining opportunities to understand how AI works, explore its possibilities, and think critically about how it can be used in learning and in society.

MIT for America will ultimately bring together and expand efforts across MIT with the goal of reaching learners and educators throughout the country.

We’re proud to see STEP’s work and leadership recognized as part of this important new MIT initiative, and we’re excited about the opportunity to help extend the reach of innovative STEM education beyond the MIT campus.

As President Sally Kornbluth wrote in announcing MIT for America, the initiative is grounded in MIT’s belief in “the transformative power of learning by doing and in the open sharing of knowledge.”

Find more information about MIT for America here: https://foramerica.mit.edu/