Our Impact

At Scientists in School, we feel it is imperative for every child in Canada regardless of gender, race, achievement in school, or socioeconomic background to be actively engaged in the seeing, doing and understanding of science.

A longitudinal research study by Western University, conducted from 2013 to 2019, followed a cohort of 2,000 students. The study confirmed that experiencing our workshops in elementary school has an impact that lasts through high school. In open-ended survey questions and interviews, 289 Grade 10 to 12 students recalled the activities in various workshop topics experienced in their Grades 6, 7 and 8 years. This study, focused on students from high-needs communities, demonstrated the lasting difference that our innovative workshops have for youth STEM success.

87%

of Grade 11 and 12 students strongly agreed or agreed with the statement: “Scientists in School workshops in elementary school were an important part of learning about STEM.” The consistent reasons they gave were that workshops were an interesting and/or fun hands-on experience that increased their interest in STEM, understanding of STEM concepts, and awareness of careers.

90%

of Grade 11 students who had six workshops in elementary school and 55% of Grade 12 students who had four workshops in elementary school responded that the workshops taught them skills that they were able to use in high school.

We Use a Measurement Approach to Understand and Maximize Impact

Our 2020-2021 post-workshop survey completed by over 2,500 Kindergarten to Grade 8 teachers from 36% of the classrooms that we visited across Canada, showed that:

98%

of teachers said Scientists in School was very to extremely effective in encouraging students to make discoveries.

95%

of teachers said Scientists in School was very to extremely effective in enhancing students’ interest in STEM.

93%

of teachers said Scientists in School was very to extremely effective in enhancing students’ understanding of scientific principles.

10 Million Young Scientists Inspired Since 1989

Impact Story : Nicholas, Engineering Science student at the University of Toronto

“In all of these investigations, I felt a sense of wonder instilled in me by the program. I was always excited going into Scientists in School, as I knew I would learn so much more about what I had observed on my own in the outside world. From analyzing the construction of insects to the physics of simple machines, my curiosity was always reinforced by the omnipresent sense of wonder I felt while completing that day’s experiments and activities.”

Our Impact

700,000+

Children and youth inspired through workshops annually

25,000+

Investigative workshops delivered annually

250,000+

Of the children we reach live in communities where they face barriers to educational enrichment, including low-income, Indigenous, rural, remote and newcomer communities.

10,000,000+

Young scientists inspired since 1989

Testimonials