Technology Firm ‘Crocus’ Launches to Grow Social Impact in Education

Crocus, a technology firm guiding social impact in education, today announced its formation as a result of UPD Consulting spinning off its Tech Group. Crocus works with state departments of education, K-12 school districts, colleges, universities, and educator preparation programs, as well as nonprofit organizations, to build resilience and capacity for change in how they use data to improve equitable outcomes.

As a Latina-owned technology firm, they prioritize making employment and subcontracting opportunities available to women and minorities. They remain committed to equity and social justice as leaders in the Ed-Fi, IMS Global and CEDS data standards communities and across the education interoperability movement.

“We’re the same group of professionals continuing work with our existing clients. We are centered on data use for social impact in education. We leverage our deep expertise in data, data use and technical solutions that build resilience into our clients’ ability to adapt to the rapidly changing conditions for teaching and learning,” said Ana Quintana, President & CEO of Crocus. “Crocus is a flower that embodies resilience—it blossoms in every season and it’s the first to emerge, regardless of circumstances. In this way, Crocus prepares our clients to persist and to flourish in whatever season lies ahead.”…Read More

4 keys to building an equitable STEM program

This year in schools across the nation, approximately 136,000 students took advanced placement (AP) computer science, a 31 percent increase from last year. This group included a record number of female and minority students, but girls still only accounted for 28 percent of students taking AP computer science exams, while underrepresented minorities accounted for 21 percent. Meanwhile, the increase in STEM jobs shows no sign of slowing down, and only 33 percent of workers ages 25 and older have a degree in a STEM field.

What does this all mean? It means we can’t afford to leave anyone out. We need to find ways to immerse all students of all ages, races, genders, and types (not just the “talented and gifted” kids) in rich STEM learning. Educators need to do whatever they can to engage all students in a way that appeals to their interests across all STEM subjects. In working with hundreds of school districts across the country, here are four steps I’ve seen educators take to effectively build and nurture an equitable STEM program.

1. Provide STEM professional development (PD) to elementary teachers.
One of the challenges educators face is that there are limited opportunities for STEM-specific PD designed for elementary teachers. To promote STEM equity, schools first need to help more teachers figure out how to integrate STEM into their curriculum.…Read More

Bringing Women and Minorities to IT

Women earn 57 percent of all undergraduate degrees in the country, and 52 percent of all math and science undergraduate degrees, Government Technology reports. But in computer and information science, women represent only 18 percent of all undergraduate degrees. And the trend starts early: Females constitute 56 percent of all high school Advanced Placement (AP) test-takers, but represent only 19 percent of AP computer science test-takers. There’s growing evidence that this gender gap is hurting the nation’s economy. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that between 2010 and 2020, there will be more than 1.4 million computing-related job openings nationally, but at current graduation rates, only 30 percent of those positions can be filled…

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