The ITEST (Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers) program, now in its sixth year of funding through the National Science Foundation (NSF), is pleased to present Preparing Tomorrow’s STEM Workforce through Exploration, Equity, & Engagement. A product of the ITEST Learning Resource Center (LRC), this series of six articles highlights key themes and lessons learned in the first five years of ITEST. During these years, the LRC—funded by NSF to serve as a central point of coordination and communication across all funded projects—had a unique vantage point from which to observe the pioneering efforts of the projects. In each of the series’ articles, ITEST LRC Principal Investigators (PIs) or key staff members reflect on the program’s progress and outcomes as viewed through the lens of six central themes:
• “ITEST and Workforce Development,” authored by ITEST LRC PI Joyce Malyn-Smith
• “Equity and Diversity,” authored by ITEST LRC co-PI Sarita Nair-Pillai
• “Informal Learning,” authored by ITEST LRC co-PI Tony Streit and Wendy Rivenburgh
• “ITEST Teacher Professional Development: Distinctive Implementation of Best Practices,” authored by ITEST team member Caroline Parker, with Cathlyn Stylinski, Carla McAuliffe, Marjorie Darrah, Preeti Gupta, and Bercem Akbayin
• “ITEST Evaluation: It’s About Building Capacity,” authored by ITEST team member Leslie Goodyear
• “The ITEST Community of Practice: Lessons and Implications,” authored by ITEST Project Director Siobhan Bredin, with Ardice Hartry

As described in this last article “The ITEST Community of Practice: Lessons and Implications,” one of the greatest strengths of the ITEST program has been the burgeoning and vibrant ITEST community. This community includes the LRC, NSF program officers, PIs and staff of funded projects, and other key stakeholders. As this community expands, the knowledge sharing, collaboration, and synthesis of ideas also grows. The LRC has witnessed kernels of ideas begun in “working groups” become collaborative research projects; we have shepherded the ability of emeritus PIs to mentor new PIs; and we have created unique opportunities for researchers to collaborate and learn from each other.

In the spirit of this collaboration, the LRC is introducing Preparing Tomorrow’s STEM Workforce through Exploration, Equity, & Engagement as a primarily electronic, Web-based “2.0 version” that is attached below. On June 8th, we will enable online dialog and invite ITEST PIs, program staff, and others in the ITEST community of practice to comment on the series. We hope that encouraging ITEST stakeholders to share their thoughts will provide us with an even richer array of project examples, research-based strategies, and other program-related content. Stakeholders’ contributions will strengthen the articles and make the series a collaborative “lessons learned” that reflects the voices and experiences of all members of the community.