RESET
Classroom Adventures in Hands-On Science & Math
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The need for competency in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills is critically important today. It drives innovation, provides greater workforce opportunities, and allows Americans of all backgrounds to navigate the modern world and contribute to decisions that inform public policy. For 30 years, RESET has offered hands-on, inquiry-based classroom exercises and experiments that allow children to analyze, reason, and act like scientists. By interacting with professional scientists and engineers who talk to them about how science has solved real world problems, these students discover new educational and career paths. Research has shown that an early interest in STEM careers is a strong predictor of who will go on to pursue such careers. RESET makes an effort to provide ALL students with engaging early STEM experiences. We also expose children to a wide range of STEM professionals who are diverse in race, gender, and background.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
RESET In-School Program
RESET’s In-School Volunteer Program (Mon–Fri) operates in numerous PreKindergarten and elementary schools throughout the Washington, DC area, and serves many low-income and linguistically and culturally diverse students.
RESET Out-of-School-Time (After-School) Program
RESET's after-school programming is delivered after regular school hours to schools and learning centers throughout the Washington, DC metro area. This includes summer and weekend programs.
Where we work
Awards
Featured 'Best Local Charity' 2012
Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington
Featured 'Best Local Charity' 2016
Catalogue for Philanthropy - Greater DC
'Top-Rated Nonprofit 2017
Great Nonprofits
External reviews
Photos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
1. To improve student attitudes, motivation, and literacy in Science-Technology-Engineering-Math (STEM) subjects.
2. To provide expert and educationally valuable inquiry-based STEM programming to underserved children, with a particular emphasis on children who are low income and/or culturally/linguistically diverse.
3. To establish connections between students and STEM professionals, providing children with role models and examples of career pathways.
4. To improve the classroom teaching of science to PreK, elementary, and middle school students in the Washington, DC metro area, including Northern Virginia and Maryland.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
RESET provides students with enriching, positive, and motivational learning opportunities with science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Each RESET volunteer or team of volunteers establishes a partnership with a teacher in one of the 36 schools or community service organizations it serves. Volunteers lead students in six classroom sessions where they present STEM learning through hands-on, inquiry-based exercises and experiments.
These experiments reinforce and enhance the classroom teaching of STEM subjects and are developed in collaboration with teachers and in consultation with existing volunteers. Because many students, especially those in under-resourced communities, have limited exposure to STEM professionals, RESET volunteers also share what inspired them to pursue a STEM career and some of the things they get to do in their work.
Whenever possible, RESET volunteers follow up their six classroom sessions with a field trip to a science laboratory or museum.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
• A 30-year history as a successful nonprofit in the Washington, DC area, with established best practices in program delivery, branding, volunteer recruitment, and nonprofit management.
• RESET has grown substantially in recent years, using new approaches to recruit working professionals, expanding to out-of-school-time (after-school) offerings, developing partnerships with non-traditional organizations, and upgrading its volunteer training program.
• RESET is supported by a stable of community, family, and corporate foundations, an individual donor program, online giving platforms, fundraisers, charitable giving campaigns, and a planned giving program.
• RESET's innovative teaching model is based on the premise that children must enjoy engaging and meaningful experiences with STEM subjects as early as possible to sustain interest, motivation and performance in these subjects throughout their educational career.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
• RESET is a featured nonprofit in the 2016/17 Catalogue for Philanthropy. Selected from nearly 200 applicants in a rigorous vetting process, RESET was designated “one of the best small charities in the Greater DC area." RESET has been a partner with the Catalogue for Philanthropy since 2012.
• RESET is a 2017 “Top Rated" nonprofit by Great Nonprofits.com, a stakeholder review site that rates national nonprofits.
• RESET has reached more than 15,000 students with hands-on science programs.
• More than 1,000 scientists and engineers have volunteered with RESET.
• In school year 2017/18, RESET placed 159 volunteers in 36 schools and community service organizations in DC, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Vermont, providing hands-on science programs to 2,108 students.
• RESET has partnerships with 31 schools and 5 community service organizations, presenting 80 school-day programs and 26 out-of-school-time (OST) programs in school year 2017/18.
What's Next? RESET has initiated a highly successful computer science and coding program, which is being expanded. RESET has also begun to explore replication of the program on a national level.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
RESET
Board of directorsas of 04/29/2019
Lew Mendelson
Consultant
Term: 2017 - 2018
David Adler
Retired, System and Financial Analysit
Claudia Austin
Teacher, Montgomery County Schools
Susan Hesser
Commercial Real Estate Agent
John Meagher
RESET Executive Director
Lewis Mendelson
International Capital Market Consultant
Adeoye Owolewa
Pharmacist
Oscar Wiygul
Nuclear Reactor Operator
Juan Valentin
Education Program Advisor, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
Marya Sabir
NIH Researcher