Empowering Girls in STEAM

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Enhance Identity Development with Social-Emotional Learning

Scholastic has partnered with a unique group of STEAM mentors to curate a collection of stories that shatter misconceptions about girls and women as leaders in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. These texts provide students and educators with an opportunity to celebrate inspiring stories of critical thinking and innovation. Aligned to the CASEL framework, the books and teaching materials build a strong classroom community that enables deep discussions about social justice, inclusivity, and empathy for others.

Our Commitments

Students can dream bigger than they ever thought possible when we commit to the following goals:

Positive Representation

We will elevate school communities with engaging authentic books that are representative of the multifaceted identities of all students.

Culturally Responsive Instruction

We will equip teachers with the tools to implement robust literacy instruction combined with supports to increase cultural competency.

Unifying Students

We will guide the development of students' social-emotional skills so they learn empathy and understanding while broadening their world.

Meet the STEAM Mentors!

Scholastic has partnered with a unique group of STEAM mentors to curate a collection of stories that shatter misconceptions about girls and women as leaders in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and math. These texts provide students and educators with an opportunity to celebrate inspiring stories of critical thinking and innovation.

Tatyana Ali

Tatyana Ali is an actress, singer, producer, and writer. After rigorous and magical childhood apprenticeships in the dramatic arts in both NYC and LA, she went on to receive her BA in Government from Harvard University. She has won five NAACP Image Awards. For Ali, being an artist is being a humanitarian. She frequently speaks at schools across the country, is actively involved in Black Girls Rock!, and serves as a celebrity council advocate for the March of Dimes.

Dr. Duriya Aziz

An English language specialist by training, Dr. Aziz has spent almost 20 years developing curriculum programs based on Singapore mathematics pedagogical principles and practices for more than 20 countries. As Senior Vice President and Publisher for Scholastic International, she oversees Scholastic’s global education business and the research and development of all education product, technology and print.

Estephanie Mosquera-Ortiz

Estephanie Mosquera-Ortiz is the founder of Beaut&Beast Co., a lifestyle and education company dedicated to teaching women and children self-sufficiency and awareness. When she is not promoting these ideals with Beaut&Beast Co., she is teaching them in the classroom. As a teacher, she actively promotes the importance of inclusion and cultural diversity in her instruction.

Dr. Ronke Olabisi

Dr. Olabisi has earned degrees in mechanical, aeronautical, and biomedical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Michigan, and the University of Wisconsin. She recently joined the UCI Biomedical Engineering Department at Rutgers University, where she is an assistant professor with an appointment in Biomedical Engineering and an affiliation with the Institute of Advanced Materials, Devices, and Nanotechnology.

Dr. Oneeka Williams

Dr. Williams is a Harvard-trained urologic surgeon and the award-winning author of the Dr. Dee Dee Dynamo book series. As a Positivity Catalyst, her vision is that all girls, especially girls of color, can be inspired to dream big through the power of story and believe that they can live a life without limits.

The Rising Voices Framework

The books in this library have been curated with these five themes in mind:

 

  1. Creative Problem-Solving
    How does creativity help people understand a problem and figure out a solution?
  2. Curiosity
    How do the people you read about show their curiosity by asking questions and searching for answers?
  3. Leadership and Collaboration
    What can we learn from reading about what makes someone a good leader? What can we discover from our reading about teamwork?
  4. Persistence
    What qualities help people keep trying when they face challenges?
  5. Vision
    How does observing carefully help people understand the world? How can people use what they observe and their imaginations to visualize a better future?

Collections That Promote Literacy Skills, Inclusion,
and Social-Emotional Learning

The Rising Voices Libraries include authentic books written by diverse authors, research-based instruction to empower students to discover and express themselves, and multiple tools to help families support their children’s academic and personal journeys.

Celebrating Black and Latino Boys

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