Our Approach
The problem demanded a new way of working
The problem demanded a new way of working
We’ve known for decades that we need more great STEM teachers. 100Kin10’s success was not in discovering the problem but in developing a networked-driven way to address it.
96%
of partners believe that the benefits of being in the network were worth the time invested
THREE INTERRELATED PARTS
We honed three mutually reinforcing strategies for catalyzing change.
We cultivated a network of likely and unlikely allies, committed to a shared, multi-year goal.
We focused the network on tackling the highest-leverage causes of the STEM teacher shortage.
We enabled partners to come together to solve their most pressing problems and accomplish more than they could on their own.
"The way 100Kin10 has approached its work has inspired folks in my state to model or build or continue to believe that collaborative work is worthwhile and can lead to better outcomes.
"- Jessica Sawko, Executive Director, California STEM Network
Improving how we work is at the heart of everything we do
Improving how we work is at the heart of everything we do
We are far from having it all figured out, and we invite you to join us as we continue to grapple with where we stumbled in the past ten years and with the questions that will guide us into the next.
We are far from having it all figured out, and we invite you to join us as we continue to grapple with where we stumbled in the past ten years and with the questions that will guide us into the next.
Standing for Racial Equity as a Path to Greater Inclusion and Belonging
Even with the successes of the past decade, we have learned that ending the STEM teacher shortage demands shedding our color-blind approach. Inspired by the words of Heather McGee, the work of the next decade requires removing the blinders that have blocked a shared understanding of our nation’s history and reality. In doing so, we aspire to nurture common ground, develop meaningful solutions, and contribute to sustainable change for all students, especially the Black, Latinx, and Native American students who, because of systemic racism, have been most excluded from STEM opportunity. Our next moonshot is grounded in the stories of all students who want a fuller shot at participating in our American economy and democracy, centering the experiences of Black, Latinx, and Native American students. We are committed to shifting our strategies and programs to ensure that our ultimate impact leads to more and better STEM teachers for all those who have been excluded, especially for Black, Latinx, and Native American youth.
Building a Shared Knowledge Base
At 100Kin10, we believe that the expertise is in the network -- not on the proverbial stage. In a world where being kingmaker is highly sought-after, we discovered that it’s paramount for network leaders to refuse the temptation to make declarations about what is good or bad, effective or ineffective, top priority or trivial. And yet, as a field, we know that some practices are indeed more effective than others, especially in specific contexts. In our next ten years, we are exploring how a network can together build, maintain, and foster a knowledge base that reflects and increases our shared pool of understanding and accelerates improvement for everyone.
Taking the Network Local
For ten years, likely and unlikely allies that often sat on opposite sides of the negotiating table came together under the banner of 100Kin10, inspired by the concept that each of us is necessary but insufficient. The network distributed leadership and autonomy, regardless of typical power dynamics, bringing together practitioners and teachers with policymakers and funders to collaboratively solve problems. We are curiously exploring how to push this idea from our national network to a regional one. Education is inherently a local issue in our country: how might we enable this kind of diverse, fruitful, and impact collaboration in cities and states to drive deeper and more direct impact?
