Background
In the summer and fall of 2020, a Core Planning Team of 40 community members came together to learn the Appreciative Inquiry Process, create inquiry questions, and conduct 120 interviews throughout the Ingenuity and Baltimore STEM community at large. Ingenuity students, alumni, and families, especially those historically marginalized in our schools and systems, played the largest roles in the process. In the fall of 2020, group listening sessions were also held with alumni from many generations of the program.
This Community Commitment and Action Plan is a five-year learning plan – gathering feedback and adapting to discoveries along the way will be essential. It is a community plan because it will take coordination with and commitment from our community of students, families, alumni, teachers, school leaders, staff, and board members.
Our Vision
To educate and support a cohort of Baltimore City students for seven years (grade 6-12) through an advanced, socially responsible STEM curriculum and leadership program that cultivates a passion for excellence, deep sense of curiosity, and strong desire to innovate and change systems for the greater good. Through an affirmative and inclusive culture in and out of Ingenuity math and science classrooms, our students will build the integrity, self-reflection, resilience, and cultural competency necessary to listen, exchange ideas, and collaborate with diverse groups of people now and as STEM leaders in the future. A future fueled by socially responsible STEM leaders will not only improve each fields’ ability to innovate, but will create solutions designed to advance the diverse needs of our global society. Future success and satisfaction as a STEM leader is not determined only by a test score or report card grade, but also the extent to which leaders live by a set of values and passionately pursue their interests and talents in STEM.
Our Core Values for Next Generation STEM Leaders
 These Core Values are the cornerstones of our work with and expectations of students, teachers, families, and partners. These values shape our programs’ culture, policies, curriculum, and instruction in order to better cultivate the next diverse generation of STEM leaders. | |
| PASSION FOR EXCELLENCE Future STEM leaders strive for excellence, not perfection. This requires integrity, self-reflection, and resilience. Success looks different for every leader, and there are many ways to achieve desired goals. | INNOVATION Future STEM leaders take risks, learn from failures, and desire to change systems and create new possibilities.
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| SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Future STEM leaders use math, science, technology, and engineering responsibly and ethically to benefit society, our environment, and the greater good. | COLLABORATION Future STEM leaders collaborate across diverse groups by listening, exchanging ideas, sharing power, and developing the skills of others. |
| CURIOSITY Future STEM leaders pose meaningful questions to complex problems. They seek out and value multiple perspectives, promote open dialogue, and embrace new opportunities. | INCLUSIVITY Future STEM leaders cultivate meaningful relationships with people from different cultures and backgrounds. They affirm and honor others’ interests and perspectives, checking implicit bias and building personal cultural competency. |
Our Community Commitments
| Over the next five years, we will be committed to the following objectives in collaboration with our community. | |
| STUDENT LEADERSHIP Our students will have real-world experiences to become STEM leaders. | CURRICULUM Our curriculum will be advanced and promote social responsibility in STEM. |
| CLASSROOMS Our classrooms will be inclusive and affirming of all students. | RESOURCES Our resources will be allocated to cultivate equity and access. |
What’s Next and How Can You Get Involved?
During the school year, there will be opportunities to engage with staff and educational experts on these topics. We are planning a Town Hall in early 2022. If you would like to help, please contact us at information@ingenuityproject.org.
