Not only is Daylene Long a STEM education subject expert, and she's also warm and generous in conversation. As the founder of Catapult X, a STEM education industry market and product development company, Daylene shares her thoughts on current STEM trends, student confidence, equity in teaching, and the future of STEM education. Below are some of the highlights of this chat.
The Next 10-20 Years Will See Changes In How We Teach STEM.
Daylene's deep background in EdTech development helps her understand current trends in STEM education, particularly those surfaced by educator responses to the pandemic.
"The access to broadband so that more students can learn asynchronously has been one of the shining stars that came out of it. And that has fundamentally changed our market."
Now that in-person instruction is returning, Daylene sees the future of STEM emerging from these trends in how EdTech products are being used.
"There's going to be more choices for educators, because they're being asked to differentiate instruction for all the kids in their class. I think the future of STEM education is just having more research-based ways to teach students so that we can reach all students."
She notes that the industry can be slow in adapting to immediate needs, and it's her hope that educators will be able to get their hands on easy-to-implement tools a lot sooner, "because we know teacher time is critical, and we want them working with students and using their time that way."
EdTech Brands Must Listen To Educators.
Daylene believes that EdTech companies can uplift education (and strengthen their brand) by listening to educators and identifying the problems they need to solve.
"And it needs to be dedicated time with your product and market development in mind, as opposed to 'I listen to them when I'm at a conference.' If you don't have a budget for in-depth interviews or qualitative research, social media is a great listening channel."
She also recommends including school and district administrators, who usually make the purchasing decisions.
"Really think about: what are they saying their problems are? How can you provide a service that fits that? What are they saying about competitive products? What are they saying about things that work that get them all excited?"
Tuning into that excitement on social media is critical for EdTech developers.
"When educators get emotional about something, they're telling you exactly what they think, because they're talking to their peers, and it's a great way to just listen."
Educational Equity Requires Educator Flexibility.
Another outcome of the pandemic is reflected in this surprising statistic from Catapult X: 76% of educators say that their district is prioritizing equitable access to high-quality instruction for the 2022-2023 school year. What does equitable access look like?
"Equal access means they all get to do this same lab. Equitable access means that let's say that you've got a kid in the classroom, she's got bad eyesight, and she needs a bigger font or more time. Maybe there's a student who is on an IEP or a 504 plan, and they need a location where they won't have as many distractions. The key for EdTech providers is working in as much flexibility, and as many features that allow teachers to save time and customize for different students."
Daylene adds that, while many product developers are aware of this need, their marketing doesn't always effectively communicate this awareness.
"You are better off having your products look like they could fit into the Chicago Public Schools district, the school district in Montana, one in Miami. You're going to have broader reach if you do that, because representation does matter. And it matters to students that scientists and engineers, and just successful people are represented that look like them."
What We Talked About
Use this to jump to parts of the conversation you want to listen to more closely.
[00:41] Introducing Daylene Long
[06:25] STEM concepts and developments that currently excite Daylene
"[Computer science is] a new literacy that's developing that the students of today are going to need in the jobs of tomorrow. And it should be integrated as a literacy within that framework."
"Students of today need to know how to gather evidence, how to interpret data, how to draw meaning from data, and how to see when something's not good data."
[14:21] How the pandemic focused on STEM education as an equity issue
"There's this other layer that has been added, where simulations or video-based learning or augmented reality is something that is addressed, a fundamental need. So what came out of the pandemic is more choices for teachers, which is good."
[24:41] Daylene's predictions for the future of STEM education
[27:25] Student confidence in their ability to learn STEM subjects
"[My teacher] managed to shift that for me by just acknowledging that I'd moved around a lot, and math is a scaffolded subject. So if you miss certain rungs on the ladder, it makes it more difficult. So there are those just fabulous teachers out there that take that time to change a kid's life."
"One of the top skills that STEM teaches us about life is that you have to be willing to fail and try again and try again until you get to where you want to be."
[32:57] Covering the science standards while keeping students engaged
"What I think is just amazing is this big shift towards phenomenon-based learning, and it's equity based. It is really about getting students who might not have been interested in science in thinking about the world and why things are happening the way they are."
[38:11] Daylene's advice for EdTech companies
“If you don't have a budget, curate your social media so that you are following people that you want to listen to, and then really think about, what are they saying their problems are? How can you provide a service that fits that?"
[45:28] EdTech's shift toward prioritizing equitable access
"When we create products, we have to keep in mind that teachers have to customize everything."
[52:56] Things that keep Daylene inspired
[56:52] How people can get in touch with Daylene
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Equity
Equity in Education, an infographic showing Catapult X's recent survey data on equity as a district priority
Position Statement on Equity and Access to Science Education, a 3/14/18 explanation by the Council of State Science Supervisors (of which Daylene is an affiliate member) about what equity and access to science education means
How to Build on the Range of Student Thinking in Instruction, Daylene provides this overview from ACESSE (Advancing Coherent and Equitable Systems of Science Education) about seeing students as resources for their own learning
Next Generation Science Standards, the k-12 science content standards
Recommended Reading
Forces of Nature: The Women Who Changed Science, by Anna Reser and Leila McNeill; Daylene finds this book inspiring
People
Essential EdTech Lessons Learned During the Pandemic: A Conversation With Monica Burns, Elana refers to this All Things Marketing and Education podcast when discussing the issues faced by teachers returning to in-person teaching
Artificial Intelligence in Post-COVID Education: A Conversation With Rachelle Dené Poth, Elana refers to this All Things Marketing and Education podcast when discussing the issues faced by teachers returning to in-person teaching
Ernest Crim III, a Black history educator whose work inspires Daylene
Companies
Amplify Science, a STEM resource and one of Daylene's clients
Bio-Rad, a STEM resource and one of Daylene's clients
FET (Further Education and Training), Daylene recommends this free STEM resource
Gizmos, a STEM resource that Daylene recommends for phenomenon-based learning
MindLabs, a STEM resource and one of Daylene's clients
PhET, a STEM resource and one of Daylene's clients
Smithsonian Science for the Classroom, a STEM resource and one of Daylene's clients
STEM Connect, Daylene recommends this STEM resource by Discovery Education
Vernier Software & Technology, a STEM resource and a company where Daylene spent almost 15 years as Chief Marketing Officer
Useful Terms
A Framework for K-12 Science Education, Daylene refers to this as an important milestone in STEM education
Growth mindset, Elana refers to this education-positive orientation toward challenges and setbacks
All Things Daylene Long
Catapult X, Daylene's market and product development company consulting with STEM education industry companies to catapult growth using data-informed insights
Educators Pick Best of STEM Awards, Daylene developed this program to increase brand awareness for EdTech companies
Council of State Science Supervisors, Daylene is an affiliate member of this organization
Elana Leoni, Host
Elana Leoni has dedicated the majority of her career to improving K-12 education. Prior to founding LCG, she spent eight years leading the marketing and community strategy for the George Lucas Educational Foundation where she grew Edutopia’s social media presence exponentially to reach over 20 million education change-makers every month.
Daylene Long, Guest
Daylene Long is the founder of Catapult X, a market and product development company that consults with STEM education industry partners (such as IRIS Consortium, Pivot Interactives, Smithsonian Science in the Classroom, Amplify, Bio-Rad, and MindLabs) to catapult growth using data-informed insights. She served as CMO and co-owner of Vernier Software & Technology for 15 years, developing the company's first marketing, public relations, and educator outreach departments. Under her marketing leadership, the company grew from 20M in revenue to over 50M. Most recently, she developed the Educators' Pick Best of STEM awards, working with approximately 100 organizations, both big and small, to increase their brand awareness by reaching 260,000 science and STEM educators. Daylene specializes in data-informed product development — calculating total available market (TAM), brand equity, competitive analyses, market trends, conjoint analysis, and market mappings. Clients count on her to provide up-to-the-minute insights about the EdTech market to create transformative educational technology. She's an affiliate member of the Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS), a member of the National Science Educators Leadership Association (NSELA), and a 20-year member of the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA). In her personal life, Daylene identifies as an equity advocate, momma geek, swimmer, and literary non-fiction writer.
About All Things Marketing and Education
What if marketing was judged solely by the level of value it brings to its audience? Welcome to All Things Marketing and Education, a podcast that lives at the intersection of marketing and you guessed it, education. Each week, Elana Leoni, CEO of Leoni Consulting Group, highlights innovative social media marketing, community-building, and content marketing strategies that can significantly increase reach, relationships, and revenue.
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