OST Practitioner Guide
Promoting inclusion and engagement in STEM learning. A practical guide for out-of-school-time professionals.
A reflection on “What it truly means to provide STEM education for all learners”
This guide is designed to provide practical strategies and guidance for OST professionals, including educators, program directors, administrators, curriculum developers, professional learning providers, and education researchers who provide STEM learning activities to youth outside of a formal classroom setting.
This OST learning may occur before or after school, on weekends, or during intersession breaks through programming provided by camps, afterschool clubs, or community organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs.
New in the 2026 second edition: Examples from PLANETS call-out boxes throughout the guide show how each promising practice is enacted in the PLANETS curriculum units. New appendices expand on these examples with instructional details and unit snapshots. Key citations have also been updated.
This guide reflects the collaborative work of WestEd and Northern Arizona University (NAU) through the Planetary Learning that Advances the Nexus of Engineering, Technology, and Science (PLANETS) program, with support from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (#NNX16AC53A).
