Labels

What is the STEM School Label?

The STEM School Label was a joint initiative of European Schoolnet, Ciencia Viva (Portugal), Maison pour la Science d'Alsace (France), the Center for the Promotion of Science (Serbia) and the Education Development Center (Lithuania) launched in 2017 as an Erasmus+ project. As of 2021, all STEM School Label activities continue under Scientix with funding by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

Its aim is to provide European schools with:

  • a European-wide accreditation and support service, as well as
  • an online environment for teachers, heads of schools, and school staff to exchange about their STEM strategy at the school level.

Why apply for a STEM School Label?

There are a number of reasons why a school should apply for the STEM School Label:

STEM School Ecosystem

1. High visibility at national and European level through concerted communication and dissemination activities on the European STEM School Label portal 2. Recognition as a school willing to improve its level of STEM education and to share its expertise 3. Possibility to show the STEM School Label in all the school’s promotional and information materials 4. Membership in a European network of STEM schools to inspire the development of STEM strategies at school level

The STEM School Label offers the ideal space for these participants to interact, exchange best practices, ask for advice and share difficult cases and how they were solved.

The STEM School accreditation system allows users to assess their school’s STEM strategy against a set of criteria to determine areas of strength and weakness in seven key areas (STEM School Key Elements.

How does it work?

If you are new to the STEM School Label, feel free to explore the public portal, read the latest news, discover the resources and find out why the STEM School Label is relevant for your school. Once you are ready, register to join the Community, start reading the forums, get involved and begin the accreditation process to get your label!

In order to obtain a STEM School Label, you first need to register. In very broad lines, you will participate by sharing your knowledge and expertise through resources and cases studies. After preparing your self-assessment process based on the STEM School Label checklists, you can finally fill in and submit your assessment questionnaire.

Once you get a label, it is valid for 18 months and after 12 months you can re-do the assessment process.

What exactly are STEM School Labels?

Based on your school’s STEM strategy and other factors evaluated through the assessment process, you can get one of the following labels:

  • Competent: minimal practice of STEM School strategy

  • Proficient: more advanced approach to a STEM School strategy

  • Expert: outstanding practice for all criteria of a STEM School strategy

Are you ready to get involved and support the development of a STEM strategy in your school? Read about STEM Schools and how to exchange with other STEM Schools.