The "Building an Alliance for New Careers in STEM (KC-BANCS): A Collaborative Model for the Inclusion of Youth and Veterans with Disabilities" is a project that will increase the participation and success of high school and college students with disabilities within the Kansas City region in STEM education pathways. The result will be an increase in veterans and other students who complete associate and undergraduate degrees and ultimately enter the STEM workforce. The KC-BANKS Alliance's lead institution, the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), will partner with two associate degree granting institutions: Metropolitan Community College (MCC) and Kansas City Kansas CC (KCCC). The project will work with Project Lead the Way and Project UpLink to access secondary students from 42 Kansas City high schools. Additionally, collaborations with Veterans Upward Bound and local Veteran Services Offices will provide partnering for veteran student recruitment. The following objectives will be addressed by the KC-BANCS Alliance:
1) To increase the number of students and veterans with disabilities who enter STEM post-secondary academic programs (pre-college pipeline experiences);
2) To increase the number of students and veterans with disabilities who complete two-year and four year degrees in STEM fields (support and retention in post-secondary experiences);
3) To increase the number of STEM students with disabilities who enter the workforce in STEM related careers; and
4) To develop an Alliance Partnership Model that engages STEM educators, community organizations, and youth/veterans with disabilities as equal partners and collaborators.
An evaluation team from the Resource Development Institute (RDI) will work with the KC-BANCS Alliance team to conduct formative and summative evaluation. During the initial phase of the project the RDI team will work with KC-BANKS and contact people at UMKC and each of the partnering organizations to identify key personnel who can supply data on students with disabilities currently attending the educational institutions. RDI evaluators will work with these designated personnel to establish procedures by which each institution will supply disaggregated baseline data on the number of students with disabilities to include type of disability, race/ethnicity, gender, and STEM major for those students with disabilities; as well as data on those completing STEM associate, baccalaureate and graduate degrees.
