Dr. Gloria Bonilla-Santiago is working as a Fulbright Specialist with the Universidad Nacional de Asunción (UNA) in Paraguay to conduct workshops and training around professional development and educational pipelines. As part of the early planning and design activities Dr. Santiago will work with university liaisons on the following:
- Visiting schools, meeting with teachers and school leaders to strategize on best alternatives and programs, including teacher training.
- Learning about the specific needs through meetings, interviews, observations and focus groups with stakeholders including community members, NGO’s and school stakeholders.
- Initiating a strategic planning effort guided by the best practices of LEAP by which a participatory approach is set in motion to develop a strategic plan that can guide upscaling of an educational improvement strategy.
- Identifying a core group of faculty stakeholders, as well as community partners that can provide resources and support, domestically and abroad.
- Working with University of Asunción faculty and local industry in developing a set of opportunities for promoting STEM focused careers and experiential learning for students, including developing a Fabrication Laboratory (Maker’s Space) that can serve as the zone of practice for engaging teachers and students on STEM applied learning.
- Meeting and presenting the model to critical stakeholders that can provide resources, including local university, business leaders, NGO’s and governmental leaders.