The work of the PK-12 Education team at the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts focuses on developing the next generation of problem solvers and engineers. The team creates science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curricula for Pre-K through eighth grade students, prepares educators to teach STEM, and conducts rigorous research to inform K-12 engineering education. The team offers educators of all kinds—in- and out-of-school—access to its Youth Engineering Solutions (YES) curricula and provides families with a suite of resources to lead engineering and computer science activities at home.
In SY 2024-25, over 784,000 students accessed YES engineering and computer science units, a 68 percent year-over-year increase. This was primarily fueled by educator demand for high-quality, engaging engineering curricular materials for in-school and out-of-school time programs.
While YES curriculum has been adopted nationwide, the Museum of Science continues to play an important role in creating access to high-quality STEM learning experiences in its home city as well. It has embarked on a major renovation project to create a new Public Science Common convening space at the Museum in Boston, helping the institution become a community resource and demonstrating its continued commitment to serving children wherever they learn: at school, after school, at home, or at the museum.
An Overdeck Family Foundation grantee since 2018, the Museum of Science has used grant funding to scale its curricula and adapt its foundational principles (creative problem-solving; collaboration; and authentic, real-world challenges) to create engaging learning activities for children and their families to do at home. To support this work, we’ve provided capacity building to inform growth planning and supplement the Museum’s research and evaluation capacity.
