Communities: Informal Education Organization Resources

Education Development Center Inc. EDC - http://main.edc.org/theme/communities.asp
EDC projects strengthen the ties between schools and parents; they build relationships between corporations and community services. Our projects extend learning opportunities after school and off-campus, reach out to adults with literacy projects, and make information and communications technology available to underserved communities.

Informal Science - http://www.informalscience.org
The purpose of the informal science website is to promote and advance the field of informal learning in science and other domains. This site is a place to share knowledge and support a community of learners to inform informal science learning standards and practices. It is being developed by the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Learning in Out of School Environments (UPCLOSE) at the Learning Research and Development Center.

Knowledge Exchange Center of Rhode Island - www.kecri.org
The Knowledge Exchange Center of Rhode Island brings together social and human service professionals, community leaders, policy makers, educators and researchers to work together in a knowledge-sharing environment to forge community links. It is a comprehensive, interactive resource for both the human service and public service community to share knowledge, build relationships, and shape the future of Rhode Island's communities.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) - Origins - http://origins.stsci.edu/informal/
This NASA website offers Origins products to captivate any audience, whether the setting is a museum, planetarium, science center, or other special venue. The site helps in finding materials for your programs; obtaining exhibits and educational materials; preparing for hot topics; participating in workshops and other training and research opportunities; partnering with scientists; and locating funding opportunities.

National Council for Community and Education Partnerships
http://www.edpartners.org
The mission of the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP) is to develop and strengthen broadbased partnerships throughout the education continuum, from early childhood through postsecondary education. The NCCEP seeks to help improve public K-16 education by: creating education/community partnerships, linking schools and communities, developing new research-based college access programs, and supporting the implementation of proven educational strategies.

Sloan Career Cornerstone Center - http://www.careercornerstone.org/
The Sloan Career Cornerstone Center is an ever-expanding resource center for anyone interested in exploring career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, computing, and medicine. Almost everything on this site is also downloadable in PDF and PowerPoint formats. Explore degree fields, comprehensive education, networking, job hunting, career planning resources, and personal interviews with hundreds of people who offer candid insight into their own diverse careers.  

Technical Education Research Center (TERC) -http://www.terc.edu/ourwork/afterschool.html
TERC brings 40 years of experience in education and an attention to sound learning goals to the creation of tools, games, and programs for out-of-school learning environments. These programs support academic enrichment while engendering an enthusiasm for science and math learning that overflows into the regular classroom and into the students' everyday lives. TERC's work strives to stimulate excitement about, and engagement with, the math and science all around us.

University of Pittsburgh's Center for Learning in Out-of-School Environments (UPCLOSE)
http://upclose.lrdc.pitt.edu
The University of Pittsburgh's Center for Learning in Out-of-School Environments is a project of the Learning Research and Development Center. UPCLOSE conceptualizes, develops, and studies informal learning. UPCLOSE explores what it means to learn and change as a result of experiences in everyday environments including museums, commercial and community settings, on the web, and at home. UPCLOSE connects academic theory and real world practice. Its research focuses on relationships between learners, mediators, environments, and experiences.

United States Department of Education -http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml
Links to reports on all aspects of the work of the United States Department of Education, including student aid, legislation, statistics, school locator, and many others.

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