At A Glance

ACRES is a free nationally acclaimed coaching program that builds knowledge and skills so afterschool educators, librarians and anyone who works with youth in out-of-school settings can confidently facilitate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) experiences for youth.

Educators who participate in the program will:

  • Have fun meeting peers in a relaxed atmosphere.
  • Gain exposure to current research surrounding STEM education for youth.
  • Access new ways of interacting with youth and teaching STEM skills.
  • Develop mastery in using technology to learn new skills.
  • Build relationships with peers who are doing similar work.
  • Experience personalized professional development to deepen skills.
  • Earn contact hours and a certificate of participation.
If you invest your time, MMSA and the National Science Foundation will invest in you and cover the expenses of your professional development.

Watch the national award winning videos to Learn More About ACRES

2020 STEM for all Video Showcase​

Learning from Research and Practice, May 5-12

2021 STEM for all Video Showcase​

COVID, Equity & Social Justice, May 11-18

ACRES is a way to improve your stem programming by really allowing the students to be immersed in their own learning and to make it more interesting and accessible.
LINDA FRAZEEBrazoria County Library System
I thought it would be like a lot of webinars where I would have to turn off my video because I’m sleeping. But we had so much fun! There was so much interaction - it was a whole new experience - and I am so excited to use what I have learned.
ACRES PARTICIPANT
A lot of times it's not about the project that you use, it's about the questions that you ask. And that's what I loved about ACRES-it was about meaningful and purposeful questions.
ABIGAIL CRAIGWoodland Public Library
I would say that it was a hands on training with amazing documents that we continue to use to this day. It was great for staff to get together in a format with someone besides me, explaining how to work with STEM projects with students.
TRACI PETERSONPleasanton Unified School District - Kids Club
It was a hands-on easy, interactive experience. Even for a technophobe, like myself recording a video was possible...I would recommend it.
MARY HURLEYMineola Memorial Library

What We Offer

Coaching for Afterschool Educators

The heart of the ACRES model involves afterschool educators coming together virtually to share videos of their own interactions with youth. Groups of 4-8 educators meet virtually for workshops, then record their own work with youth, which will be discussed during the next workshop with their peers and an experienced coach.  The model recognizes that educators learn best by watching themselves and each other as they practice new skills in a safe setting with a skilled coach.

Training for Coaches

ACRES is currently partnering with three State Hubs in Missouri, New York, and Illinois to build coaching capacity. The ACRES team brings together experienced ACRES educators and afterschool leaders in each state hub to learn how to effectively coach their afterschool educators and adapt ACRES to effectively meet the needs of their community. These coaches receive professional development in a community of peer coaches, under the leadership of a mentor STEM coach. They apply their learning by supporting afterschool educators in their state as they improve their STEM offerings. ACRES state hub coaches gather regularly to reflect on their own practice as coaches.
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Project Funders

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants No. DRL 17131341 and DRL 2115229, as well as the Noyce Foundation, the STEM Next Opportunity Fund, and the Davis Family Foundation.

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funders listed above.

stem next opportunity fund
noyce-foundation logo

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    Terms of Use

    Except where otherwise noted, ACRES modules and resources are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

    This means, you are free to share and adapt the ACRES resources, under the following terms:

    • Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.

    • NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.

    • ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.

    ACRES is a project of:

    Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance
    343 Water Street, Augusta, ME 04330

    This material is based upon work supported by the Noyce Foundation, STEM Next, the Davis Family Foundation, and the National Science Foundation under Grants No. DRL 17131341 and DRL 2115229. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funders listed above.
    noyce-foundation logo
    stem next opportunity fund