The putnam museum in davenport, iowa, will provide in-person and virtual versions of its week-long stem residency program for K-6 students, which is free for title I students and their teachers

The Putnam Museum and Science Center in Davenport, Iowa will provide in-person and virtual versions of its week-long STEM residency program for K-6 students free of charge to Title I students and teachers, as well as family workshops, passes, memberships, and an afterschool/weekend year-round academy for grades 4-6, through a $128k Project Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

The museum will use the grant funding under the IMLS' National Leadership Grants program to help at-risk and struggling students gain knowledge and improve parents' opportunities to engage in their children's learning. The year-long project from November 2021 through October 2022 aims to support students recovering from learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic by discovering passions and preparing for high school career academies. Evaluation tools will assess the museum's impact on knowledge gains and family participation.

The center also will provide a program for english language learner students' household members, who will take part in family workshops, free passes and memberships, and an afterschool/weekend year-round academy for students in grades 4-6 focused on helping them gain new knowledge, make up for learning time and vocabulary development lost to the covid-19 pandemic, discover their passions, and prep for high school career academies. Tools such as likert scales and pre-/post-tests will help assess the museum's ability to help at-risk and struggling students gain knowledge and improve parents' opportunities to take part in their children's learning.