Click IMAGE to see STEAM curricula & Work Samples

Click IMAGE to see STEAM curricula & Work Samples

FOR SCHOOLS

  • STEAM makes STEM subjects relevant for today's job market

  • For Arts Organizations

  • STEAM brings new funding to the arts

Zoot has developed programs for five school districts and won state and county awards for STEAM.

STEAM EDUCATION DESIGN

In the 1990s, the US was falling behind most industrialized countries in Science and Math education. This was compounded by the need for technology education for future jobs in the age of communication. Thanks to National Science Education Standards and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, STEM was born in 2001. By 2009, it became obvious that design and technology would go together. The US Department of Labor theorized that 65% of the jobs our students would do after college haven't been invented yet. But with arts missing as a required curriculum from many schools since 1990, are we really preparing students for the future and these jobs? Arts & Design jobs are the 2nd highest employer in California and among the top US exports. STEAM is a way to incorporate arts and design into STEM subjects and prepare our students for these jobs. 

Zoot created the first STEAM education programs in Orange County in 2011 as CEO of the Muckenthaler Cultural Center. By 2016 these programs had evolved from a single program to a suite of a dozen programs being produced at 45 sites in 11 cities and 4 school districts bringing in over $600,000/year. These programs helped the organization double capacity each year for 6 years straight; won several regional awards including an award from the Orange County Superintendent of Schools; and won the California Superintendent of School's award in 2016 for Museum Excellence. 

Now Zoot works to bring STEAM to schools and cultural institutions everywhere.