RAFT Blog, News, and Events

Annual Fundraiser Recap: RAFT to the Future of STEAM Education

September 25, 2025

On Wednesday, September 17, 2025, RAFT hosted its annual fundraising event: RAFT to the Future. Over 130 supporters were present at RAFT, which was transformed into a beautiful space for the special event for the night. That evening, we honored the individuals and organizations that have made a profound impact on RAFT and the education…

STEAM Dream Summer Camp 2025: A Season of Innovation, Discovery, and Fun

August 19, 2025

This August marks the exciting wrap-up of RAFT’s 2025 STEAM Dream Summer Camp and DreamBox season-our biggest yet! Over the course of eight action-packed weeks, we delivered more than 180 hours of hands-on STEAM programming, engaging TK-8 students from across the Bay Area in engineering challenges, storytelling adventures, and STEAM experimentation. With programs running across…

🏆 RAFT Wins Double Gold in Bay Area Parent’s 2025 Best of the Best Awards!

July 29, 2025

RAFT is proud to announce that our STEAM Dream Summer Camp has been awarded Gold in two categories in Bay Area Parent Magazine’s 2025 Best of the Best Awards: 🥇 Best Day Camp – Silicon Valley 🥇 Best Science & Technology Camp – Silicon Valley This exciting recognition reflects the strength and impact of RAFT’s…

STEAM in Action: RAFT Joins Synaptics for Bring Your Kids to Work Day

July 25, 2025

RAFT kicked off July with a hands-on, minds-on celebration of innovation by partnering with Synaptics for their Bring Your Kids to Work Day at the company’s San Jose campus. Synaptics employees brought their children to learn more about what their parents do and how STEM and STEAM skills power the technology all around us. RAFT…

Closing the Content Knowledge Gap

Jan 19, 2016 |

By Elisha Burns, RAFT Fellow Let me be one of the first to say there is an elephant in the room of education and it is called content knowledge. As a teacher that has spent a few years teaching I can honestly say that…

RAFT Hosts Public Review of the New California Science Curriculum on January 13th

Jan 11, 2016 | Comments Off

RAFT will host a public review of the new California Science Curriculum at their San Jose location co-sponsored by the California Science Teachers’ Association On January 13, 2016, Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) will hold a public review of the CA Science Curriculum at…

Over 200 Cisco Employees Volunteer at RAFT During the Holiday Season

Jan 4, 2016 | Comments Off

Cisco employees donated time and money to RAFT during the holiday season to help support hands-on learning. Bay Area tech company Cisco volunteered by the masses during this holiday season at Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT). Seven groups led by department heads participated in…

RAFT Unveils Four New Hands-On Idea Sheets

Dec 15, 2015 | Comments Off

Four new Idea Sheets were introduced by the RAFT team to help reinforce deeper levels of hands-on learning. December 15, 2015 – Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) added four new Ideas Sheets aligned to national curriculum standards to their library of over 700 free, downloadable Idea…

Learning the Art of Engagment

Dec 8, 2015 |

By Earlene Coleman B.A.,M.Ed It can be a little unsettling when you think you’re teaching the perfect lesson and actually very few students are paying attention. Teaching has often been called a “noble profession,” one requiring diligence, patience, and a great sense of…

RAFT Honors Michelle Steever with Teacher of the Year Award

Nov 30, 2015 | Comments Off

Michelle Steever, Physics teacher at Pioneer High School, earns the Robert Brownlee Award from RAFT. Each year Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) selects a leader in hands-on science education to receive the Robert Brownlee Teacher of the Year award. This year, the award…