Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM

The Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM (TIES) focuses on strengthening STEM education by equipping teachers with practical tools, research-based strategies, and a supportive network found in their local STEM Learning Ecosystem. By fostering collaboration among teachers and industry partners and emphasizing real-world problem solving, TIES aims to increase student achievement, close opportunity gaps, and build a more diverse and prepared STEM workforce.

Programs

STEM-on-the-Go Mobile Digital Fabrication Fleet (TIES)

Kids stand in front of the STEM-on-the-Go van

Over the past several years, I’ve seen our scholars get really excited about the STEM topics introduced during the STEM-one-the-Go Van visits to our school. These engaging, hands-on activities have significantly enhanced their learning and fostered a deeper interest in exploring science and mathematics. - Educator

Participant Data

Students

3,567 total student participants

Student Grade Level

Military-Connected Students

Category	Count	%
Military-connected	750	21%
Not Military-connected Student	2,817	79%

Educators

400 total educator participants

Educator Type

Category	Count	%
District Administrator or Staff	21	5.3%
School Administrator	16	4%
Teacher	363	90.8%

Educator Grade Levels

Category	Count	%
Educator Elementary	117	29.3%
Educator Middle	15	3.8%
Educator High	16	4%
Educator 2-Year and/or Tech College Undergraduate	3	0.8%
Educator Undergrad	4	1%
Educator Grade Not Listed	245	61.3%

Military-Connected Educators

Category	Count	%
Military-connected	32	8%
Not Military-connected Educator	368	92%

Geographic Reach

Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM (TIES) programming took place in the mid-Atlantic region, Midwest and San Diego, California.

Connectivity

Network Connectivity 

The following network map, known as a sociogram, displays the frequency of the partner’s interactions over a 6-month period (August 2025 to January 2026). Thicker lines represent interactions in which the partner interacted daily or weekly. Thinner lines represent interactions in which partners interacted monthly, twice per month, or quarterly or less. Colored circles represent STEM education partners (blue) and hub leads (green). The accompanying bar chart shows the distribution of the partner’s connections across interaction frequencies. 

TIES reported interacting with 22 other partners.

Most of TIES’ reported interactions with other partners occurred either monthly or quarterly or less.   