RAFT Blog, News, and Events

RAFT is Bay Area Parent’s Best of the Best (Again!)

September 5, 2023

RAFT is pleased to have been selected as a Bay Area Parent Magazine 2023 Best of the Best Tutoring or Education Support Program. This is the fourth consecutive year RAFT has finished at the top of the list thanks to our comprehensive in-person and online educational offerings, including STEAM Project Kits, Maker Mobile van visits, makerspace builds, tailored educator workshops and more.

From Camper to Camp Counselor: Yiesha R.’s STEAM Dream Story

May 24, 2023

For brand new campers, the first day of camp is filled with curiosity, a few stomach butterflies and a ton of anticipation for the exciting adventures to come. But what about the first day of camp for a new camp counselor? And what if that camp counselor used to be a camper herself? We caught…

RAFT STEAM Teachers of the Year 2022

May 31, 2022

Congratulations to our 2022 STEAM Teachers of the Year! RAFT’s STEAM Teacher of the Year Awards recognize outstanding pre-K-12 teachers in the Bay Area who incorporate effective hands-on learning and/or maker education into their curriculum. Each awardee demonstrates excellence in teaching in at least one of the following areas: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, or Math. RAFT…

Happy International Day of Education from RAFT!

January 24, 2022

Today the world celebrates International Day of Education! Not only do we recognize the contributions of teachers, the personal development of students, and the hard work of everyone in the education field, but we also take today to recognize the role of education for the world. Education can unlock every individual’s potential and pave the…

Putting the E in STEAM

Jun 30, 2016 |

By Amanda Amburgey M.A, Maker Science Teacher, Bulldog Tech What is going on in this classroom? There are kids everywhere excitedly making, testing, remaking, retesting, hot gluing, hammering, there is so much duct tape! This is what engineering looks like in a middle school…

RAFT Helps Educators Prevent Summer Learning Loss with Over 700 Idea Sheets

Jun 29, 2016 | Comments Off

RAFT provides educators with engaging and affordable learning activities for summer. On average, students lose two months of academic skills over the summer, and studies show that teachers spend large amounts of time re-teaching material once students go back to school. To curb this…

Geometry Comes Alive with Cultural Explorations

Jun 22, 2016 |

By Jeanne Lazzarini, RAFT Math Educator/R&D Specialist – Published in CMC ComMuniCator, Volume 40, Number 4

RAFT Celebrates National Week of Making (June 17-23)

Jun 21, 2016 | Comments Off

In 2015, President Barack Obama proclaimed the National Week of Making to help fortify a country of makers inspired to pursue their passions of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). This year, Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) supports the National Week of Making by…

Assistive Technology for all Learners

Jun 15, 2016 |

By Courtney Hunter, Resource Specialist Three percent of students in every classroom need some accommodations or assistance to achieve proficiency in academic subject areas. Not only are students not getting accommodations, many aren’t making significant progress either. Using minor technology devices in the classroom…

RAFT’s Summer of Fun Includes Camps for Teachers & Kids!

Jun 2, 2016 |

Want to stoke the creative innovator in you and your students? Ever wonder what it takes to design an engaging project or design challenge? Interested in generating your own project based learning experiences but don’t know where to start? What does it mean to…