Resource Center

•By Stephanie García, Ph.D. • IDRA Newsletter • October 2025 •

Resource from the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA), a nonprofit advancing education equity.

Through IDRA’s summer educator externship, 10 teachers gained insights to support their students in STEM. This immersive experience helps teachers engage students in future workforce skills and increase career-connected learning.

IDRA designed the externship program to support educators serving students from high-need communities to impact them both academically and emotionally positively. High-quality professional development experiences such as this have a substantial impact on teachers’ self-efficacy in the classroom and their ability to create authentic learning experiences for their students (Bowen, 2016).

Research shows that industry-based externships for teachers are an effective model for professional development that renders first-hand knowledge of how industries are using 21st-century skills and then targeting these in their respective classrooms (Bowen et al., 2021; Bowen, 2016).

For example, externship experiences can increase teachers’ “understanding of engaging students in future workforce skills, such as problem-solving, collaboration and communication” (Bowen et al., 2021).

Overall, externships have the potential to increase teachers’ commitment to evolving their classroom practices, embedding more focused learning activities that connect to the content and skills acquired, and developing these transferable skills through active learning and real-world contexts (Bowen, et al., 2018, 2020, 2021).

Through IDRA’s train-the-trainer model, each of our externs returned to their school community equipped to lead activities that promote awareness of STEM resources, workforce pathways and interdisciplinary connections. This ripple effect extends the program’s impact beyond the initial externs, reaching additional teachers and students across school communities.

With IDRA’s leadership, and in partnership with the Alamo STEM Ecosystem, this program brings together educators, community leaders and industry partners to expand opportunities for public school students.

“I was able to get a first-hand experience of what someone in the career field of architecture does for a job…I am able to bring back a lot of what I learned into my classroom.”

– Víctor Jiménez, IDRA teacher extern, on his externship experience

Our Approach

Among the over 220 applicants for our second summer of this program, the 10 selected educators engaged in 30 hours of field-based externships with local industry partners. Each extern also completed capstone project lesson plans, translating their industry-based learning into practical classroom applications that strengthen STEM education and broaden student access to future career opportunities. Following are highlights from this summer’s externship cycle.

Meet Our 2025 Externs

Dr. Archie Harville – Army Education Outreach Program and UTSA

Dr. Archie Harville teaches high school computer science principles and cyber Internetworking in Northside ISD. During his externship, he collaborated with the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS) staff to develop and support a community cybersecurity program. For his capstone project, he developed a lesson on password authentication and attacks.

“My favorite part about this externship… was watching the students work on the ‘capture the flag’ project,” he said. “Seeing them use the different [computer] commands they learned and collaborating with each other shows them cybersecurity is a team sport.”

Raeven Batt – Cox Manufacturing

Raeven Batt teaches 10th and 11th grade geometry and Algebra 2 in Southwest ISD. This summer, he worked with professionals to learn about engineering and precision machining.  He created a lesson for students to learn geometry through a project that involved transforming 2D designs into 3D models to engineer medical-grade screws using Swiss CNC machines (automated manufacturing tools that use pre-programmed software).

“This experience was phenomenal,” he said. “It was eye-opening to gain so much insight into geometric real-world problems that I never had considered before. It was exciting to see the engineering team go from silently working independently but then turning around and having an explosion of collaboration as they drew out and discussed problems, finding the solutions or the steps together.”

Angélica Ramos – Elevate Systems

Angélica Ramos teaches high school Engineering Design I & II, engineering math, and engineering design and problem-solving in Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD In her externship, she worked alongside industry professionals to learn engineering applications that support product development. Through her capstone project, students will reverse-engineer an object in their house with at least four parts to be assembled.

“I learned so much from Elevate Systems,” she said. “I loved my experience! [I] highly recommend this program for everyone. It was an honor to participate.”

DeeDee Haralson, Angélica Hernández, Víctor Jiménez, Taylor Rey – LPA Design Studios

Four externs were placed at LPA Design Studios to learn about engineering, architecture and sustainable design.

DeeDee Haralson teaches sixth and seventh grade math and science in Judson ISD. She developed a lesson plan for students to apply the  engineering design process (EDP) and use math to create a model of a small schoolhouse.

Angélica Hernández teaches fifth grade math, science, reading and social studies in San Antonio ISD. In her capstone project lesson, students explore careers in architecture, construction and engineering.

Víctor Jiménez teaches middle school robotics and introduction to engineering in Harlandale ISD. His lesson plan will have students apply the EDP to a client-focused project, developing a biodegradable product.

Taylor Rey teaches seventh grade math in Judson ISD. Through her capstone project, students design a scale drawing, digital scale model, vision board and video presentation of an abandoned space in San Antonio. They then repurpose their abandoned space to better the community.

Angélica added, “The professionals at our site were amazing and very invested in helping us and our scholars thrive this year and in the foreseeable future.”

Victor said: “My overall experience with the externship program was not only satisfactory but amazing. I was able to get a first-hand experience of what someone in the career field of architecture does for a job, one of the many available out there. This was beneficial as one of the disciplines I teach in my introduction to engineering class is architectural engineering, so I am able to bring back a lot of what I learned into my classroom.”

Amber Graham, Kelly O’Connor – San Antonio River Authority

Two externs worked at the San Antonio River Authority alongside STEM industry professionals and learn about environmental systems and collaborative teamwork.

Amber Graham teaches ninth grade biology in Harlandale ISD. Her capstone project is titled, “Apple Snail Invasion: How Do Ecological Relationships Influence Ecosystem Stability?” It involves students learning to explore and explain how ecological relationships influence ecosystem stability.

Kelly O’Connor teaches high school biology in San Antonio ISD. Kelly’s capstone project was a lesson on the invasive apple snail species, focusing on how organisms interact within ecosystems to affect stability and biodiversity.

Amber said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my externship. I loved going out into the field and collecting invasive species as well as water quality data. Going into the lab and analyzing the water we collected for E. coli was really cool. Getting to know all the processes in the lab was also an informative experience.”

Kelly said, “This is a Top 3 best teacher moments of my career.”

Alvin (Paul) Schraer – Southwest Research Institute

Alvin (Paul) Schraer teaches high school engineering in Northside ISD. He worked alongside professionals to learn about engineering and space design. His capstone project, “Exploring Careers Through Problem-Solving: A Real-World Vocational Challenge,” has students identify real-world problems connected to local industries.

“I love that [the externship] is building a network of STEM teachers with industry to help build for the future,” he said.

This IDRA program is funded by the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC), which launched in 2023 and named San Antonio as one of only four STEM Education Hubs in the nation. Contact Dr. Stephanie Garcia to learn more or to partner with us in San Antonio.

Resources

Bowen, B. (June 2016). Educators in Industry: Using Teacher Externships as a Professional Development Models in STEM Education. Paper presented at 2016 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, New Orleans.

Bowen, B., & Shume, T. (2018). Educators in Industry: An Exploratory Study to Determine how Teacher Externships Influence K-12 Classroom Practices. Journal of STEM Education, 19(1).

Bowen, B., & Shume, T. (2020). Developing Workforce Skills in K-12 Classrooms: How Teacher Externships Increase Awareness of the Critical Role of Effective Communication. Journal of STEM Education Innovations and Research, 21(1).

Bowen, B., & Shume, T. (November 2021). Educators in Industry: How Teacher Externships Influence K-12 Classroom Practices. The 107th Mississippi Valley Technology Teacher Education Conference, Nashville.

Stephanie García, Ph.D., is IDRA’s STEM education specialist and directs the IDRA VisionCoders and DSEC programs (stephanie.garcia@idra.org).

[© 2025, IDRA. This article originally appeared in the October edition of the IDRA Newsletter. Permission to reproduce this article is granted provided the article is reprinted in its entirety and proper credit is given to IDRA and the author.]

FAQs

What is IDRA’s educator externship program?
A summer professional development initiative where teachers gain hands-on STEM experience with local industry partners and apply it in their classrooms.

How does the externship support educators?
Teachers participate in field-based learning, collaborate with professionals and develop lesson plans that connect STEM concepts to real-world applications.

Who participates in the program?
Ten educators from San Antonio-area school districts were selected from over 220 applicants to complete 30 hours of externship experience.

What do externs gain from this experience?
They deepen understanding of problem-solving, collaboration and communication –skills that help students prepare for STEM careers.

Which partners support the program?
IDRA partners include the Alamo STEM Ecosystem, the Defense STEM Education Consortium, and local industry sites, such as the San Antonio River Authority and Southwest Research Institute.

What is the long-term goal of the program?
To strengthen STEM instruction, expand workforce pathways, and build sustainable networks connecting educators, communities, and industries.