Beyond the Grant: What It Really Takes to Make a STEM Program Successful

Grants can open doors for schools. But securing funding is only the beginning.

The real work starts when schools turn new resources into meaningful learning for students. That takes more than the right tools. It takes school leaders who support their teachers, educators who are willing to learn, and professional development that gives everyone the confidence to try something new.

This November, we saw those pieces come together as MindLabs began implementation at three elementary schools in Indiana's Tippecanoe School Corporation (TSC): Mintonye, Dayton, and Burnett Creek. Made possible by a grant from the Arconic Foundation, the initiative is preparing 15 teachers to bring MindLabs into their classrooms. MindLabs combines hands-on materials with augmented reality, so students investigate, experiment, and solve problems together through interactive STEM challenges.

What impressed us most in these first weeks wasn't the technology. It was the commitment of the people preparing to use it.

Leadership That Makes Room for Learning

New technology asks a lot of teachers who already have full plates. They need time to learn how it works, think through how they'll introduce it to students, and feel comfortable when questions come up.

At Mintonye, Dayton, and Burnett Creek, principals welcomed the MindLabs team for multiple in-person training sessions. Because the sessions took place before school, each visit was short. Rather than expecting teachers to absorb everything at once, school leaders built in repeated opportunities to learn.

That choice matters. A 2026 U.S. Government Accountability Office report, drawing on RAND survey data, found that about 67% of teachers said collaborative professional learning improved their teaching or their students' learning to a moderate or large extent, compared with about 43% for workshops or training sessions. Questions often surface after the training, once teachers start picturing a new program with their own students. Ongoing support means they don't have to figure it out alone.

Teachers Who Chose to Keep Learning

Administrative support is only half the equation. Throughout our sessions, TSC teachers came with questions, a willingness to try something unfamiliar, and genuine interest in what MindLabs could offer their students.

What stood out most happened after the scheduled training. Teachers voluntarily joined additional MindLabs office hours to ask follow-up questions and work through challenges. They didn't have to take that extra step. They chose to.

Curiosity, persistence, and comfort asking questions are exactly the habits we want students to build through STEM learning. When teachers model them, learning becomes an ongoing process for everyone in the classroom.

Questions to Ask Before You Launch

Buying new educational resources is not the same as implementing them successfully.  The Learning Policy Institute reviewed 35 rigorous studies of effective teacher professional development and identified seven common characteristics, including active learning, collaboration, expert support, feedback, and sustained opportunities to learn. For schools considering a new STEM initiative, these point to questions that deserve attention from the start, not after a program is underway:

• Will teachers have enough time to learn the program?
• Will they receive practical, relevant professional development?
• Will school leaders actively support the implementation?
• Will teachers have someone to turn to when questions arise?

At TSC, school leaders and teachers have answered those questions with real commitment.

Looking Ahead

We're still early, and the real measure of success will come as teachers begin using MindLabs with students. As they do, we'll keep learning from their experiences and supporting them along the way.

We're grateful to the Arconic Foundation for making this initiative possible, to the Tippecanoe School Corporation and its principals for prioritizing teacher preparation, and especially to the educators who have welcomed us into their schools with such enthusiasm.

Because the real value of an investment in STEM education isn't what schools can purchase. It's what teachers and students can do with it.

Research and Sources

• Learning Policy Institute (2017). Effective Teacher Professional Development.
• U.S. Government Accountability Office (2026). K–12 Education: Research on Effectiveness of Professional Development Is Mixed, but Teachers Find Collaborative Learning Most Useful.