RAFT Blog, News, and Events

RAFT’s AI Chatbot: A Smarter Way to Support Hands-On Learning

March 4, 2026

At RAFT, we’re always exploring new ways to help educators bring hands-on STEAM learning into the classroom. With support from the Cisco Foundation, RAFT launched an AI-enabled chatbot designed to help teachers confidently implement STEAM lessons and provide more personalized learning support for students. This tool acts like a digital teaching assistant, helping educators adapt…

A Legacy of Learning: The Guidry Foundation and RAFT’s Endowment Fund

January 26, 2026

For over three decades, RAFT has been fortunate to be supported by partners who believe deeply in the power of hands-on learning. Among them is The Mark & Carolyn Guidry Foundation, longtime champions of education, creativity, and opportunity for all students. Founded in 1994, the Guidry Foundation was established by Mark and Carolyn Guidry to…

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…

Beyond the Traditional Math

Oct 28, 2015 |

By Courtney Hunter, Resource Specialist As Common Core is being integrated in every classroom amongst all grade levels, it is leaving some parents and children feeling baffled, perplexed, and many times, lost. With the new California Common Core methods students have yet to learn…

RAFT Reaches 3 Million Cubic Feet of Donated Materials

Oct 15, 2015 | Comments Off

NetApp donates 700 cubic feet of material to RAFT, helping the non-profit reach 3 million cubic feet of donations to date. Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) reaches 3 million cubic feet of donated material in part thanks to FORTUNE 500 storage and data management company…

2015 IMD Cohort Visits RAFT

Oct 13, 2015 |

By Greg Brown, Director of Education Iniatives, RAFT Each year, the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) executive MBA program makes a visit to Silicon Valley to see innovative companies, including RAFT. Participants of the program are executives from around the world who are…

Girl Scouts Installs Drought Friendly Plants at RAFT

Oct 1, 2015 | Comments Off

September 30 – Girl Scouts troop #61010 returned to Resource Area for Teaching(RAFT) to plant a drought-friendly butterfly garden. The garden will be displayed in front of the organization’s office entrance in San Jose, California. The Girl Scout Organization promotes community service at all age…

It’s Okay to Make Mistakes!

Sep 28, 2015 |

By Jeanne Lazzarini, Math Master Educator/R&D Specialist, RAFT I have often shared with my students that I make mistakes, and I have learned so much because of them! Sometimes I even purposefully made a mistake in a math lesson to see if students take…

RAFT Hosts Code.org Professional Development Workshops

Sep 16, 2015 | Comments Off

RAFT teams up with Code.org to offer free workshops to assist in teaching computer science. Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) is offering free technology classes designed by Code.org, who will cover all workshop costs. The workshops will be open to everyone, though slots…