S.T.E.M. as An Early Start for Students, Parents and Teachers Using Educational Leadership

This book is designed to give a visual STEM framework to individuals, families, and organizations within local, state, or national entities, to guide them with academic program design or individual participation involving students as early as Pre-K all the way through twelfth grade. The content was tested and designed in a charter and a public school sector. Exercising this design proved that early STEM involvement has been proven to allow younger students to begin with confidence when performing through learning science, technology, engineering, and math. This read should target parents, teachers, and students and show them the importance of federal, state, and local collaboration. The benefits of this read will also reveal organizational information for independent application to local schools, students, and businesses. Finally, when reading this book, a sense of independent research is promoted outside the walls of schools using research technology, emails, or simply by picking up your cell phone and contact any STEM or government agency to begin your knowledge-base of STEMology.

About the Author

Dr. Mary J. Ferguson, Ed. D. is a Bennettsville, South Carolina native and forty-year experienced educator. She earned her doctorate in educational leadership (2009). Much of her graduate and postgraduate education was acquired nationally and internationally as former a U.S. Army spouse. She is noted most for her work as a K - 12 professional educator, an author, adjunct assistant professor, school administrator, and English teacher. Mary has studied at Clio High School (SC), 71st High School (NC), Winston Salem State University (NC), University of Alaska (Anchorage), University of San Diego (CA), St. Mary University (KS), Nova Southeastern University (FL & Panama Central America), and Fayetteville State University (NC). She is the owner and primary operator of a non-profit (Ferguson Education and Consultant Services), a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the American Association of University Women, and a local community activist. Dr. Ferguson has published six books of various researched genres: The Hebron Cross (2019, STEM and Cyber Culture (2017), Just Thinking (2010, 2014), and Twenty-First Century College Commentaries (2012).

Dr. Anne Weiss is the Education Professional Development Specialist at Langley Research Center, which serves Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Dr. Weiss originally trained as a neuroscientist, which included a research assignment in genetics at the U.S. Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory. Since 1998, she has taught Earth science, chemistry, biochemistry, physical science, human anatomy, physiology, and general biology at the K - 12 and higher education levels. As a graduate assistant, Dr. Weiss served as Community Manager of the NASA Educators Online Network (NEON), the subject of her dissertation on online teacher professional development for the NASA Aerospace Education Services Project (AESP). She earned a B.S. in vertebrate physiology (with a history minor) from Pennsylvania State University, a M.S. in physiology from the Arizona State University, and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Pennsylvania State University.