Building MeterHero for AP Environmental Science and Equity

In general our thinking about focusing on AP Environmental Science has come down to a few key points:

1. We see a rapidly expanding participation in Advanced Placement courses, with a national emphasis on making them more equitable

2. Anecdotally, APES is seen by science teachers as a more accessible course when compared to other AP STEM offerings such as AP Calculus or AP Physics. With an increased focus on environmental racism and environmental justice, AP Environmental Science is seen as a relevant course to offer in lower income and communities of color. 

3. It is often the case that a large percentage of students enroll in the AP Environmental Science course but to not take the exam. One of the first AP teachers who helped develop the MeterHero curriculum was excited for it as a capstone project because so many students of his were not taking the exam. Another APES teacher at a title one school reported that consistently around half of his students take the AP exam. This finding from an individual teacher seems to match the findings in the report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum: many enrolled students are not taking the exam. MeterHero is used by all students whether they take the exam or not. Perhaps more importantly, MeterHero seeks to encourage more students in APES to take the exam — and do well on it — because APES teachers have helped design the curriculum to prepare students for the exam. MeterHero’s built in practice Free Response Question (FRQ) is the perfect example because it gives students practice and confidence that they can analyze data in a similar way to how they will be tasked during the exam.

4. MeterHero sees APES not as the exclusive course in which it can be used, but as the best initial class in which teachers can pilot the program, because of the unique need for a project in the weeks after the AP exam. Most APES teachers will also teach non-AP science courses. Many of them have asked if they can use MeterHero in those "general" classes. The answer is absolutely. 

5. MeterHero's real-world inquiry not only aligns well with the Science Practices and analysis questions that students need practice with in order to feel prepared for the exam, but it also relates to their personal lives (home utility data) which is key to building a sense of why the course material matters to their families. Such a sense of self efficacy and relevance was echoed as important in research published by professors at Marquette and Loyola Chicago on MeterHero, as well as what the Policy Forum found:

We were so interested to confirm that we were reaching students of color when thinking about targeting APES classrooms, that Melissa Ruther helped us connect with Stephanie Eidt, a Graduate Student at UW Stevens Point to author a research analysis of MeterHero's demographic reach.  That report is available here. I have highlighted some of the key findings. 

Mirroring some of Stephanie's findings, we believe that the best strategy to reach students of color would be to make an extra effort to do outreach to schools within districts that serve large populations of students of color. Below is the list of those top ten districts identified in the report:

Relatedly, we wrote about our commitment to equity in this letter to teachers, developed a curriculum extension specifically devoted to equity, worked to integrate role models of color into the curriculum and presented our efforts at conferences. In addition, we have worked from the beginning to ensure students in non-owner and non-single family housing can participate. 

We sincerely appreciate you highlighting this important topic and wish to continue partnering to improve upon our service of communities of color. 

Leadership from our AP Environmental Science Students is Needed Now More Than Ever.

in 2023 Teachers Can Empower Them.

Dear fellow teachers,

After students take their APES exam teachers should reward them with real empowerment to immediately and meaningfully apply their learning to achieve results—because they deserve it and it’s needed more than ever.

Teachers no doubt already have plans for students post-test, but perhaps because of changes during Covid there is a new opportunity—and a necessity—to empower students to be actual doers of environmental improvements before we hit summer. 

Over their time with you, students have learned:

• the scientific practices of inquiry, experimentation and data analysis

• the impacts of land, water, and resource use

• the principles of sustainability and conservation

Let students leverage this knowledge to help ease their family's economic burden.

The utility cost burden is up for families, especially black families.

The pandemic is worsening the burden many families feel in trying to pay their utility bills. According to Google’s Nest Power Project, before the pandemic, one in four American families struggled to pay their electricity bills. 

According to the Electric Power Research Institute, consumers with children schooling at home reported the highest incidence of higher bills and increased energy use; 31 percent of these consumers indicate higher energy bills. The California Energy Commission residential energy use by customers increased by 8.9% to 12.4% for 2020 year-to-date compared to the same time period last year.

According to a 2019 report by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), this burden disproportionately affects the students we know are already low-resource or at-risk: "24% of all American families carry a high energy burden—defined as spending more than 6% of household income on their energy bills—and that proportion is higher still among low income, African American, and elderly households. The reality behind this statistic is that 24% of Americans are living in dangerously warm or cold homes every day, and making tough choices about whether to pay their energy bills or buy food for their families. High energy burdens have also been linked to respiratory health problems, increased stress, and utility disconnections" (ACEEE, 2019).

The findings by ACEEE are backed by a just-released working paper out of the Energy Institute at the UC Berkeley Haas Business School. The author, Eva Lyubich, writes in her paper The Race Gap in Residential Energy Expenditures that even when controlling for household size, city of residence and income, a persistent inequity exists in which black households pay more for energy.   

Paying more for energy while earning less means that black families are nearly twice as likely as white families (56% vs. 27%) to report that they have faced challenges in paying their energy bills or keeping their home at a livable temperature, according to the Energy Information Administration.   

And its not just energy bills. The Alliance for Water Efficiency recently released a report on affordability, using data from Detroit, demonstrating not only the high burden of water costs for residents, but importantly the role water conservation can play to address this burden.

Your AP Environmental Science students are uniquely equipped to lead in this effort — if we empower them.

Water and energy professionals need knowledgeable, committed resource users.

Many utilities are acting to assist families who in these times are, no doubt, facing additional challenges paying their water and energy bills. However, traditional outreach methods have been canceled. Heading into summer, when water usage spikes (think lawn watering) and energy use rises (think air conditioning), community educators would normally be at farmers markets and garden shows educating the public about the need for wise use of natural resources. Challenged by a social distancing world, they are hustling to reach residents digitally or through bill inserts.

According to the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council, energy efficiency has been hit the hardest among all other sectors of clean energy, with about 70,000 unemployed workers. That’s two-thirds of clean energy unemployment filings. In other words, in a time of pandemic, there is an increasing need for families to make basic efficiency upgrades themselves because installation programs in which hired workers come into the home have been scaled back.  

As utility and clean energy professionals work hard to meet families where they are, our students can begin to fill in the gap, putting the knowledge they have gained in their AP Environmental Science classrooms—virtual or not—to work.

In times of social distancing, students can improve their homes when others can’t.

Our water-and-energy-literate students can make efficiency upgrades, often at low up-front cost, in their homes to achieve long-term savings. This isn’t simply a feel-good, pat-on-the-back type of exercise for students. They will likely find ways to significantly reduce their home's water and energy consumption, saving resources and dollars, and gain practical experience for future employment as investments in the efficiency economy grow. Current estimates show that water leaks account for an average of 14% of water used in homes. Finding them is a real-world investigation that students can do, and fixing them often does not require a professional.

Build efficiency and empowerment into post-test learning. 

STEMhero allows students to immediately apply course content and scientific practices, especially data analysis, in a relevant and personally helpful way. Both the flexible format and content are an ideal fit for the weeks following the AP test next year (it’s also available over the summer, and in the fall too!).

STEMhero is not more computer study guide work. It is... 

• Hands-on (sure, it’s a buzzword, but it’s accurate in this case): Students will gather and analyze their own water or energy usage data while implementing actions or technologies to decrease consumption.

• Accessible: Students don't need any extra tools because they are using the technology already at their home or apartment building—their utility meters. And, the curriculum is accessible and ready-to-go for distance learning.

• Customizable: The curriculum can be tailored to fill 2 weeks to 4 weeks and includes multiple final assessment options. Students can communicate their final findings in a lab-report style written piece or an auditory/video presentation.

For teachers who want it, STEMhero will work with local utility partners to fund the program across the district. STEMhero also works with local utility partners to directly link families with assistance rebates and advanced online leak detection portals that can enhance students’ efficiency actions and data collection. 

Students need to put this year’s knowledge to work. Their families need their cost burden lifted. Utility and energy professionals need knowledgeable representatives in every home. With STEMhero, your students can meet these needs and achieve true empowerment during uncertain times.

How to Play a Positive Role During School Shutdowns

With the onset of COVID-19 and the evolving policies from city and state officials, students and teachers are having to adjust to a new reality for the rest of the school year. Online education is the new normal, and STEMHero is uniquely qualified to help out during these changing times. 

Our curriculum is catered to remote learning and can be an asset to teachers looking for a solution during this adjustment period. At STEMHero, we are happy to provide our curriculum at no cost to students and teachers directly impacted by this situation.

To get you started with your transition to online education, there are a few aspects of this change to keep in mind and to utilize to your advantage. 

Fix A Leak Week

In case you didn’t hear, we’re in Fix A Leak Week (March 16th-March 22nd), created by the EPA to bring awareness to how common water leaks are in the home. On Twitter, you can look for the hashtag #fixaleak or #fixaleakweek to see posts from local and regional utility companies and the water resource conscious. There are lots of tips and activities you can do from home.

For example, you can do a toilet test to assess for leaks in the bathroom:

1. Encourage students to place a few drops of food coloring (whichever color they like best!) into their toilet tank.

2. Allow the food coloring to sit for 15 minutes.

3. If students notice any food coloring in the toilet bowl, they likely have a leak.

4. Make sure students flush to avoid staining of the toilet bowl. 

5. Guide students to search for the source of the leak; toilet flappers are a common one!

Remember, Fix A Leak Week doesn’t have to be one week out of 52; teach students to keep regular tabs on the water resources in their homes and use our data-driven technology to document changes in usage and readings. If they notice any large fluctuations, especially when their families are not showering, running laundry, or watering the lawn, it could indicate a leak in the system.

Help your students do their part to conserve resources every week of the year.  

An Alternative To Virus-Based Learning 

You may be inundated with online education catered to tracking the spread of the virus or other topics related to COVID-19. STEMHero takes a different approach and provides a break from education that parallels the news cycle. 

Teachers can use our technology to help students experience their time at home in a different way. The curriculum is designed to use resources available in most students’ homes:

Water meters

Gas meters

Electricity meters

STEMhero provides students with diverse education and real-life concepts that are applicable to their home environment.   

Sustainability During A Pandemic  

Teachers can help students learn about sustainability during an extended period of online learning. 

Students may be part of or overhear family discussions about resource management during this time. STEMHero provides them with hands-on activities and data-tracking capabilities to act as stewards of their communities as they learn from home. 

While students engage in online learning, sustainability weaves school and home life together. Empower students to track the impact of their actions and note changes that result from adjustments they make, like taking shorter showers or identifying and fixing a leak. 

Share Leak Fixes Online 

As part of STEMHero’s drive to support online education, we will be giving away two Flume Smart Home Water Monitors to students who participate on Twitter and Facebook by sharing photos, videos, or stories documenting a leak fix in their own homes.

Here’s how students can participate:

1. Read their meters and note data that indicates a leak.

2. Identify the source of the leak.

3. Get guidance from their teacher and assistance from a parent or guardian to fix the leak.

4. Be sure to document the process of fixing the leak. Students can take notes, record videos of the process, or have a family member take pictures of them while they repair.

5. Students should post their documentation on Twitter and Facebook, using the hashtag #fixaleak and #STEMhero. 

Between now and April 2nd, we’ll be monitoring the hashtag, #fixaleak and watching for students’ success stories. Students can provide evidence of their efforts with photos, videos, or a brief description of what they did. Each week on Thursday, our panel of teachers and water professionals will select a student to be awarded a Flume system. 

We will direct message the selected student to arrange for them to receive the Flume System.

STEMhero is Here to Help

At STEMHero, we appreciate how the needs of students and teachers have changed in the last few weeks and we are glad to be of service. If you’re interested in using our curriculum or want to discuss how to incorporate sustainability into your online curriculum, get in touch with us at support@STEMhero.com.