Listening tours in Ohio communities
What are your community’s greatest STEM needs and aspirations?
What positions do you predict will be in high demand and difficult to fill in the next 5 years? 10 years?
STEM Sail Menu
TIES, Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM, works with cities, regions and states to create STEM Ecosystems that unlock the full potential of regional partnerships to expand STEM.
TIES serves as the backbone organization for the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice, a global initiative made up of 100 Ecosystems operating across the world. TIES, an educational consulting firm based in Cleveland, is also the co-founder of the initiative, which was launched in 2015.
How does your district/institution connect with PK-12, higher ed, business and industry, employers, and other community organizations to support STEM opportunities for students, both in and out of school?
These are among the dozens of questions posed to community leaders during a series of listening tours planned for 2023 throughout the state. Listening tours were intentionally held in a variety of public and accessible locations including libraries, civic centers, art centers, cultural centers, universities and more.
The listening tours are intended to surface baseline information about a community’s STEM needs and aspirations.
We are listening – Interested? Let us hear from you!
Schedule of Ohio’s Listening Tours
| Community | Date and time of Listening Tour | Location of Listening Tour |
| Guernsey | Oct 26, 2022 8:00-12:00 | Pritchard Civic Center
7033 Glenn Hwy, Cambridge, OH 43725 |
| Mahoning Valley | March 15, 1:30 – 3:30 | Community Literacy Workforce and Cultural Center
436 Struthers Coitsville Rd Lowellville, OH |
| Wayne | March 22, 9:00-11:00 | STEAM Playlab
258 N. Kurzen Road Dalton, Ohio 44618 |
| Ashtabula | April 3, 9:00-11:00 | Ashtabula Arts Center
2928 W 13th St. Ashtabula, OH 44004 |
| Defiance | May 9, 1:30-3:30 | Ohio State University Extension Defiance County
06879 Evansport Road, Suite B, Defiance, OH 43512 |
| Shelby | May 16, 9:30-11:30 | Amos Memorial Public Library
203 E. North Street Sidney, OH 45365 |
| Ross County | May 25, 2023 | Northside Branch Library
550 Buckeye St, Chillicothe, OH 45601 |
| Central Ohio Regional STEM Convening
Invite only, limited capacity |
June 1, 2023 | PAST Foundation
1003 Kinnear Road Columbus, OH 43212 |
| Northwest Ohio Regional STEM Convening
Invite only, limited capacity |
June 13, 2023 | University of Findlay STEAM Education Center
1000 N Main St, Findlay, OH 45840 |
| Southwest OH & Dayton Regional STEM Convening
Invite only, limited capacity |
June 15, 2023 | Butler Tech
3603 Hamilton Middletown Rd, Fairfield Township, OH 45011 |
| Northeast Ohio & Akron Regional STEM Convening
Invite only, limited capacity |
June 26, 2023,
9:00 -12:00 |
Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center
3675 Oak Hill Rd, Peninsula, OH 44264 |
| Southeast Regional STEM Convening
Invite only, limited capacity |
October 16, 2023,
10:00-12:30 |
Collins Career Technical Center
11627 State Route 243 Chesapeake OH 45619 |
Many attendees shared similar ideas for what they believe needs to happen in their communities to improve STEM learning opportunities for all.
Additionally, attendees shared:
- The desire to promote collaboration among STEM providers.
- Providing students with skills and pathways to land meaningful jobs that will allow them to stay in their hometowns.
- Creating hope for students and families.
- The desire to continue networking with others from their region and across the state to strengthen work.
- A stronger understanding for how to locate funding to support STEM work from various sources, including governmental organizations as well as philanthropies.
- A deeper knowledge of various resources to support and strengthen their work.
- A hope to be able to spark students’ engagement with STEM careers in an effort to fuel Ohio’s economy.
Attendees:
Attendees include representatives from K-12, higher education, business and industry, foundations, out-of- school time providers, STEM-rich institutions, state and local government, including the Ohio Department of Education.
For more information about any of the listening tours, please reach out to Christa Krohn – ChristaKrohn@TiesTeach.org