Transforming stem

education together

Our Vision

Portland Metro STEM Partnership envisions all students following their passions and interests into productive and rewarding careers, creative endeavors, and civic and community engagement. We see a future where there are no gates or barriers to student pursuit of interests and participation in STEM programs and careers, as each student is provided high quality and engaging education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We believe education should be a place where curiosity, creativity, and innovation meets learning.

Our Mission

Our mission centers on supporting educators and communities in providing the highest quality STEM programming to students positioned furthest from STEM opportunities. We deliver this support through professional development, in-and-out of school programming support, educator coaching, and technology and equipment resources. This comprehensive approach provides students the experiences they need to thrive in an increasingly complex, data-driven, evidence-based world, whatever their chosen career or life direction.

FAQs

What exactly is the Portland Metro STEM Partnership (PMSP)?

PMSP is one of 13 STEM Hubs in the State of Oregon.

The Hubs are set up to be bridges and liaisons between districts, schools, educators, out-of-school organizations, community based organizations, and industry. Our partner school districts include: Banks, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Forest Grove, and Portland. We offer a wide variety of supports to our partners, including, but not limited to: Free STEM Consultation, paid Professional Development, curriculum, curriculum support, course support, STEAM programming support, STEAM program evaluation support, and much more.

How is PMSP Funded?

PMSP is funded via a variety of grants from the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), community foundations, and industry. It is also funded through sponsorships and donations from, individuals, STEAM Industry and foundations.

Do you offer direct student programming?

Not exactly. We do not offer camps or children’s events. However, we do offer STEAM Playgrounds in-schools when we are cooperating directly with educators or an educator from a school. At these events we provide student hands-on learning experiences and teacher exposure to STEAM tools and equipment for increase STEAM learning.

I heard PMSP Pays Educators for participating in professional development, is that true?

A flaw of our education system is that educators are often expected to use their own personal time or funds to expand their learning, maintain their licensure, and support their learning spaces. For this reason PMSP seeks to remedy this issue by providing free PD and compensating in-and-out of school educators for their time.

PMSP offers paid professional development when grant funds are available. Watch for those offerings under our Newsletters and the News and Events section of our site. PMSP also offers non-paid events and activities like STEAM Power Hour (networking events), STEAM Playgrounds (In-school or on-contract) programming and learning, and on the job STEAM instructional coaching and mentoring.

Is there a limit to how much an educator can earn in stipends?

Yes. Each program has a limit in the amount of stipend that will be offered for participating in professional development. This is determined by program and will be defined upon registration. Additionally, earning over $600 in stipends in a year, is considered income and, will result in receiving a 1099 for federal and state taxes.

How does PMSP Prioritize service to organizations and schools?

PMSP serves a large and diverse region, and our resources must be directed where they can have the greatest impact. In alignment with our Vision and Mission, we prioritize youth, and the educators who serve them, who are furthest from STEAM educational opportunities. While every school and organization in our region serves students who meet some of these criteria, our goal is to expand access where systemic barriers are most persistent.

To be direct, PMSP prioritizes groups historically underserved or excluded from STEAM programs and opportunities. This includes, but is not limited to, youth who identify as any of the following:

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)
Experiencing poverty or economic hardship
Girls
Non‑binary, gender‑expansive, and gender‑nonconforming youth
Multilingual students (English learners)
Neurodivergent
Disabled

In addition, we focus our resources on schools serving a majority of students who have not yet demonstrated proficiency as measured by the Oregon State Assessments.

Our commitment is to ensure that high‑quality STEAM learning experiences reach students who have historically had fewer opportunities to engage, explore, and thrive in these fields.

I see you have a Lending Library. Can anyone check out items?

No. The Lending Library is limited to partner educators and organizations from within our region. Additionally, we typically check out to public schools only and active partner organizations. If you are interested in checking out something from the Library and are not sure if you are eligible, please reach out to info@pdxstem.org