The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council at the Department of Education announced the College Community School District as one of the 31 school districts to receive the 2026-27 STEM BEST® (Businesses Engaging Students and Teachers) Program award. The STEM BEST® Program brings schools and businesses together to provide students with real workplace experiences, introduce businesses and career opportunities in Iowa and gain career-ready skills.
The STEM BEST Program encourages teachers and industry professionals to work side-by-side to develop a work-based learning model that incorporates STEM subjects like mathematics and science with experiential learning opportunities to emphasize future focused skills for the workplace. The STEM Council’s investment of up to $50,000 for professional and financial support can be used for curriculum development and coordination, educator training and development in workplace-classroom integration and preparing work-based learning environments.
Prairie’s STEM BEST program supports our Manufacturing Pathway by giving students hands-on, real-world experience with welding and advanced manufacturing. Previous awards allowed us to add junior-level welding and advanced manufacturing courses, upgrade our shop with industry-standard equipment, and offer students the opportunity to earn recognized welding certifications. This proposal builds on that work by bringing back the Prairie Manufacturing capstone and turning it into a project-based class where students design and build real products using equipment we plan on purchasing, such as a CNC plasma table, laser cutter, and manual lathe. By working with the business department and local partners, students will also learn how products are planned, produced, and sold, helping them develop practical skills that prepare them for post-secondary education and careers in manufacturing and skilled trades.
“STEM education is important because it lets students take what they learn in school and actually use it,” said Josh Eaton, Prairie High School Industrial Technology teacher. “In the real world, problems don’t come with answer keys, and figuring out solutions is often messy. The business owners I talk to want students who have a good attitude and can stick with a problem until it’s solved. With support from the Iowa STEM BEST program, we hope to give students more chances to tackle real manufacturing challenges. We also want to do more cross-curricular work with our business department so students can combine hands-on skills with design, marketing, and basic business know-how.”
Click here for the list of the 2026-27 STEM BEST® Program Awardees
To be considered for a STEM BEST® Program award, applicants were required to submit a comprehensive proposal that incorporates rigorous and relevant STEM curriculum, includes valuable partnerships with community businesses or organizations, aligns with STEM goals, addresses sustainability of the model program and evaluates the program’s effectiveness. For more information on the STEM BEST® Program, please visit educate.iowa.gov/STEM/BEST.