MindSET Interactive Chapter Exchange

This is a summary of the 2009 TBP National Convention MindSET Interactive Chapter Exchange (MICE), which was a brainstorm session dealing with varous challenges encountered when starting a K-12 program.

The set of brainstormed challenges was grouped into three categories of somewhat-related challenges. Each category was discussed by a separate group and then presented to the whole MICE group.

• Differences in curricula between different districts
• Data tracking
• Meeting space/venue/transportation
• Selecting dates

• Finding interested teachers
• Credibility
• Number of participants
• Background checks
• Motivating parents
• Advertising

• Funding
• Number of volunteers/motivating
• Continuity
• Game plan
• Expenses
• Lunch/snacks
• Other programs/redundancy/partnering
• Presentation of materials

• Differences in curricula
  • To determine the benchmark for 8th grade, aim for 12th grade calculus and backtrack.
• Selecting dates
  • Fall/Spring preferred since TBP chapters are typically not as active in summer
  • Focus on weekends/evenings (depends on target age group)
  • Morning - avoid needing food (e.g. 9am-noon)
  • Avoid holiday weekends
• Meeting space/venue/transportation
  • After-school ⇒ hold it at the target school
  • Weekend ⇒ college campus (credibility, ease for TBP), better if serving multiple schools
• Data tracking
  • Get base data from state websites; stick to local districts
  • Choose target school(s)
  • Contact schools/district
    • Get a short history of data to see trends
    • Determine per-class bell curves or get other useful anonymized data
  • Get parental releases for individual tracking
    • Privacy/storage is an issue
    • Could avoid storing private information; instead, TBP advisor could visit the school (say, yearly) look at that data over-the-shoulder to look for progress.

• MindSET website for teachers
• Parent/Teacher info night
  • Have HQ or alumni speaker
  • K-12 teachers with engineering background
• News coverage - TV/paper
• Teacher welcome packet (data, results, etc)
• Student incentives
  • Extra credit, prizes, certificates
  • List on website
• Fun + exciting modules
  • National committee to refine + adapt modules
• Talk with school district to find out about Background Check Requirements

• Funding
  • Corporate sponsors - send letters
    • ask for specific amount of $
    • don't ask for more than you need
    • check with HQ
  • Alumni - ask your alumni center
  • Deans
  • Make a budget
  • Smaller companies
  • Offer to advertise
• Motivation/number of volunteers
  • Start small
  • Use your friends
  • Freshmen
  • Team building within your chapter
  • Crosslink with other groups
  • Electees
• Redundancy
  • Find out what other groups are doing
  • Teaching programs
    • connections w/ schools
  • Maybe use a K12 chair who is going to be there for a while