PAST Microschools integrate personalized, community-focused learning environments, tailored to address STEM education challenges. Partnering with community, academic, and industry stakeholders, we customize programs to meet student needs. The PAST Foundation Innovation Lab is integral to each Microschool’s framework, operating for over a decade and impacting hundreds of students from underrepresented backgrounds. Through this lab, students have immersive, hands-on learning experiences, personalized mentorship, and invaluable exposure to real-world applications in STEM. Microschools Powered by PAST Early IT Microschool The Early IT Microschool powered by the PAST Foundation and in collaboration with the University of Cincinnati offers a pioneering educational pathway for students in grades 9–12. This program is specifically designed to empower economically disadvantaged, traditionally underserved, and first-generation college-bound students with a strong interest in STEM, particularly in information technology (IT) and related fields.

 Since its inception in 2018, the Early IT program has graduated over 20 students with a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from the University of Cincinnati. These graduates have gone on to pursue successful careers in IT and related fields, equipped with both academic credentials and practical experience gained through the program's unique educational model. Learn More Calendar Our District Partners: Corporate Partner: Microschools are innovative educational environments rooted in personalized learning and close teacher-student relationships. At the PAST Foundation, we leverage this model to revolutionize STEM education, particularly for students in underserved communities. Our approach integrates anthropology and STEM to deliver culturally relevant educational experiences. PAST Foundation is transforming STEM Education through Microschools Interested in bringing a Microschool to your district or school? Our program prioritizes inclusivity and equity, bridging STEM opportunity gaps. We collaborate closely with districts to recruit and support participants, offering summer boot camps to prepare students for Microschool coursework. Work with us to implement your own Microschool! Contact Us

Awards and Grants PAST Foundation Awards and Grants 2022 2021 Farm to School Grant from USDA for working with Zanesville City Schools to develop Hydroponic Gardens and Curriculum. Teen STEM Grant from The City of Columbus Department of Psychology. Maker Mania Grant from Honda of North America to continue to innovate Applied STEM and Maker opportunities for Central Ohio Students. Solarize Grant from AEP Foundation to promote and encourage interest in and innovation in renewable power in our Central Ohio Communities. Garbology 2.0 Grant from SWACO to renovate and expand PAST’s existing garbology coursework. STEM Fellows Grant from Ohio State Legislature to encourage 2020 Youth Pathway Grant from Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation including I Know I Can and the Ohio State Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering as partners. Battelle Grant – “Innovation in Teaching” Fellowship Program (2019-2020) Compass Award Honoree selected by Ohio Treasurer, Robert Sprague for The Ohio Scholastic Esports League Collaborative (“OSELD”) created with partners ESPORTS OHIO, the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF) and the Samueli Foundation. Future 50 Class of 2020 for Dr. Annalies Corbin by Columbus CEO Magazine. Honda R&D Americas proud sponsor of PAST’s family-oriented Maker Manias. American Electric Power Foundation – three-year grant to support Solarized the next project phase in PAST’s energy workforce development project. 2019 Division of Liquor Control Award for Public Alcohol Safety and Awareness Education grant. Battelle & KIPP Columbus – STEM Summer Camps Grant YMCA of Central Ohio Partnership with KIPP Columbus Early Learning Center at the Battelle Environmental Center. Honda R&D Americas proud sponsor of PAST’s family-oriented Maker Manias. 2018 Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation and Computer Aided Technology sponsorship . Most admired executive in Central Ohio – David Blum, PAST Board Member, selected by Columbus Business First. Columbus Business First BizTech Outstanding Technology Team Award , to PAST Foundation and JadeTrack for their work in creating the Energy4Learning Program PAST CFO – 40 Under 40 – David Kaplan, Honoree. 2017 Columbus Business First BizTech Outstanding Non-Profit Service Award , in recognition of contributions made to a culture of technology leadership and innovation. 2016 Smart Business Magazine Smart 50 in Ohio , Names PAST Foundation and Annalies Corbin for excellence in innovation. Carol V. Ruppe’ Distinguished Service Award , to honor her record of sustained and outstanding service to both the Society of Historical Archaeology and The Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology. White House Summit on High School Redesign , recognized PAST Foundation innovative approaches in high school design. STEM 2026 , PAST Foundation recognized for excellence in Innovation by the U.S. Department of Education. 2015 Clinton Global Initiative 2015 , PAST Foundation honored before the Redefining Rural and Native America Education roundtable. 2013 The Women’s Book Magazine Profile , Highlighted as a leading Columbus area STEM education non-profit CEO. 2012 100 Women Leaders in STEM Profile, Acknowledged for work in a leading STEM organization 2006 National Oceanic Partnership Program Excellence in Partnering Award , presented for “The Archaeological and Biological Analysis of World War II Shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico” project. 2005 Cooperative Conservation Award, U. S. Department of the Interior , for outstanding achievements attained through collaboration and partnership on the DeepWrecks Project, Gulf of Mexico. 2004 The John L. Cotter Award in Historical Archaeology , the Society for Historical Archaeology, award to be given at the Society’s Annual Conference in St. Louis, MO, January 2004. 2003 The John Cotter Award for Excellence in National Park Service Archeology , with William J. Hunt, for the “Marshall/Firehole Hotel Underwater Archaeology Project, Yellowstone National Park.”

PAST FOUNDATION, 1003 Kinnear Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212 IRB NO: 2017.11.0016ETH: The Amplification and Acceleration of Design Thinking on the STEM Landscape IRB APPROVAL DATE: 11.2.17 Study Title: Exploration of STEM Agricultural Careers through Student Programming Researchers: Lane Fargher Navarro, Ph.D. Research Organization: PAST Foundation, Columbus, Ohio Sponsor: Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation This is a parental permission form for research participation. It contains important information about this study and what to expect if you permit your minor to participate. Your minor’s participation is voluntary. Please consider the information carefully. Feel free to discuss the study with your friends and family and to ask questions before making your decision whether or not to permit your minor to participate. If you permit your minor to participate, you will be asked to sign this form and will receive a copy of the form. Purpose: This project is intended to provide an understanding of the impact of STEM agricultural education on student learning . The study will explore the experience of those engaged in STEM agricultural education, in terms in terms of programmatic challenges, achievements, perceived barriers and unperceived barriers. This project will combine the expertise of a team of anthropological ethnographers and educators to ensure that variable components of the study are included. The information generated by this study will inform future STEM education studies and will help identify key factors associated with academic excellence, as well as critical information for policy makers and educators engaged in creating new STEM based educational opportunities . Procedures/Tasks: The study will involve several methods to gain information about your child’s experience as a student enrolled in a STEM agricultural education program. The research may include group discussions, questionnaires, surveys, and observations of school activities. Ethnographic Research Team members conducting group discussions or observations will record these activities by audio recording and/or hand-written or word-processed notes. Your minor may be asked to complete a written questionnaire or survey as part of the study. Access to study documents will be limited to the Ethnographic Research Team. The information gathered for this study will not be utilized for any purpose other than to contribute to the completion of this research project. Duration: The study will be conducted from May 2023 through December 2028 . Your minor may elect to leave the study at any time. If you or your minor decides to stop participation in the study, there will be no penalty, and neither you nor your minor will lose any benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. Your decision will not affect your future relationship with the school district. Risks and Benefits: There are no risks to participation for any individual minor. The benefit may derive from increased understanding of student experiences of STEM education programs from the perspective of the student. Confidentiality: Your minor’s study-related information will remain confidential. However, there may be circumstances where this information must be released. For example, personal information regarding your minor’s participation in this study may be disclosed if required by state law. Also, your minor’s records may be reviewed by the following groups (as applicable to the research): Office for Human Research Protections or other federal, state, or international regulatory agencies; The PAST Foundation Institutional Review Board; The sponsor, if any, or agency (including the State Department of Education or federal agency such as the Department of Education or the National Science Foundation) that may be supporting the study. All study records will be maintained by the PAST Foundation Ethnographic Research Team in a secure location, and access to research files will be strictly limited to the Ethnographic Research Team. All data provided to the Project will be coded utilizing a system that will assure anonymity of minor participants and will not carry identifying information including the names of individual minors participating in the study. While the results of the research may be presented at conferences and/or in published papers, all individual responses will remain confidential. Following completion of the study, all original hard copies of study records will be destroyed. A single copy of all study materials will be maintained in electronic format by the PAST Foundation. If at any time there is a request to utilize this data as part of a following study, or as part of a larger research project to compare STEM education implementation activities with other projects, you will be contacted and asked to give specific permission for use associated with the data request at that time. Incentives: No payment is offered for participation in the study. Participation is strictly on a voluntary basis. Participant Rights: You or your minor may refuse to participate in this study without penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled. If you or your minor is a student or employee at Ohio Farm Bureau, your decision will not affect their participation or employment status. If you and your minor choose to participate in the study, you may discontinue participation at any time without penalty or loss of benefits. By signing this form, you do not give up any personal legal rights your minor may have as a participant in this study. An Institutional Review Board responsible for human subject research at the PAST Foundation reviewed this research project and found it to be acceptable, according to applicable state and federal regulations and policies designed to protect the rights and welfare of participants in research. Contacts and Questions: For questions about your minor’s rights as a participant in this study or to discuss other study-related concerns or complaints with someone who is not part of the research team, you may contact the Human Subjects Institutional Review Board at the PAST Foundation at 614-340-1208 and the appropriate person will respond to your questions and/or concerns. If your minor is injured as a result of participating in this study or for questions about a study-related injury, you may contact the Director of Research at PAST Foundation or the Ohio Farm Bureau. PAST Foundation and ExploreAg Program Consent to Participate in Research

Amber Humm Patnode has spent over a decade researching the root causes of chronic absenteeism and how to address them effectively. She joins us today to explain what the data shows. Amber is the Acting Director of the Proving Ground program, part of Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research. She helps school districts assess the data they have related to chronic absenteeism, analyze it, and come up with timely solutions. In today’s episode, we talk about the three main categories of root causes– physical, aversion, and disengagement– and what educators can do about them. To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org We unbox: The physical barriers leading to absenteeism: illness, transportation, suspensions, etc. The “aversion” reasons for absenteeism: perception of safety, social-emotion difficulties. etc. The “disengagement” root cause of absenteeism: When students or families don’t see how attendance is going to help students reach their goals. Resources: Learn more about Proving Ground Learn more about Attendance Works  Transcript Produced by NOVA Media #LearningUnboxed,  #ShowNotes, #STEM, #STEMforteachers, #Students, #Teachers, #TeachingStrategies, #ProvingGround, #ChronicAbsenteeism, #EvidenceBased

What if instead of pushing every high schooler into Algebra 2, we let them choose a math route that focused more on data science and computers? That’s what Chris Orban and the Math Pathways project are working to make happen in the state of Ohio. On the show today, Chris describes how he’s helping increase access to computer science education for kids across the state through math course offerings. He walks us through what those courses can look like, including a project on the Nintendo64 Mario game. Chris gives an excellent, deep-in-the-weeds perspective of what it takes to make this kind of systemic change. To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org We unbox: How a course can serve as both a math class and a computer science class What systems change looks like from an in-the-weeds perspective How community members can be impactful in education policy change  Resources: Learn more about the Math Pathways project Transcript Produced by NOVA #LearningUnboxed,  #ShowNotes, #STEM, #STEMforteachers, #Students, #Teachers, #TeachingStrategies, #MathPathways, #DiscreteMath, #DataScience, #ComputerScience

Kasondra Wilson was a first generation college student and now works at one of the top consulting firms in the world, Deloitte. She knows firsthand what boost students need in order to thrive in the professional environment. Kasondra is one of our industry partners here at the PAST foundation, and we’re thrilled to have her on the show today. Kasondra walks our listeners through how to attract and retain industry partners in the education and youth development space. If you’ve been hesitant about reaching out to local industry partners for your own organization, you’ll definitely feel more confident after tuning in to this episode.   We are so proud of our partnership with Kasondra and Deloitte. Thank you to all our industry partners out there! To learn more, visit: pastfoundation.org We unbox: How to look through an corporate org chart to identify potential partners What collaboration looks like between educators and industry professionals How industry partners can identify what they have to offer students Resources: Learn more about Deloitte’s Skill-Based Volunteering Transcript Produced by NOVA #LearningUnboxed,  #ShowNotes, #STEM, #STEMforteachers, #Students, #Teachers, #TeachingStrategies, #WorkforceDevelopment, #HumanCenteredDesign, #IndustryPartners

The PAST Foundation presents a dynamic professional development series designed to support educators in implementing student agency and engagement within their practice. You can expect 6 hours (3 two hour sessions) of live virtual workshop time and two additional 1 hour virtual check-ins with our staff for this course. There is an option to add an onsite visit from our staff at an additional cost. Please contact Alyssa Reder for more information | Email: areder@pastfoundation.org 6 hours of advisory system exploration: - Strategies for Fostering Student Agency - Empowering Student Voice and Choice - Guidance with Student Autonomy - Facilitating Real-World Learning Experiences - Leveraging Industry and Community Partnerships

Students will bring their ideas to life as they learn design and rapid prototyping skills. Students will visualize abstract concepts and structures, enhance problem-solving and critical thinking skills while gaining practical experience in digital design, prototyping, and manufacturing.