Hundreds of Idaho teachers are taking part in the statewide i-STEM Summer Institute this week, with North Idaho College serving as one of six host campuses running the four-day program simultaneously beginning June 19, 2026. The institute draws educators who teach everything from pre-kindergarten through high school, giving them structured time to build classroom skills in science, technology, engineering, and math during the summer break.
The other five host sites — College of Southern Idaho, Boise State University, College of Eastern Idaho, Idaho State University, and Lewis-Clark State College — are running parallel sessions, spreading the professional development opportunity across nearly every major region of the state. Taken together, the six locations are putting hundreds of instructors through the same concentrated curriculum in the same week.
Immersive Format Sets the Program Apart
Unlike traditional conference-style training, the i-STEM model keeps participants active and engaged throughout the week. Topics woven into the schedule include engineering design, computational thinking, project-based learning, artificial intelligence concepts, and career-connected approaches to STEM instruction. Teachers who complete the program leave with physical kits of classroom materials — tangible resources ready for use when students return in the fall.
Troy Wassink works as a regional science coach for the Idaho Department of Education, where his primary responsibility is delivering research-grounded professional development to science educators across the state. He described the persistent challenge many classroom teachers face: “The job of teaching is so hard. You’re teaching on an island so often.” The collaborative setting of the institute is designed to break down that isolation and give educators a chance to share strategies with colleagues who understand their daily reality.
Dr. Sherawn Reberry, who leads Education and Careers at the Idaho Workforce Development Council, emphasized that the program’s practical orientation is central to its value. “i-STEM continues to empower Idaho educators with meaningful, hands-on learning experiences that inspire innovation in the classroom,” Reberry said in connection with this year’s institute.
Teachers from Every Background Welcome
One detail from the North Idaho College session underscores how broadly the program casts its net. Jenny Meline, a sixth-grade teacher at North Idaho Christian School, would describe her professional home as English and language arts — not math or science. Yet on Tuesday morning she found herself working through a session on how to bring core math and science skills into instruction at the same time, exploring how different subject areas can reinforce one another rather than operate in separate silos.
Meline’s presence at a STEM-focused training reflects a broader shift in how Idaho educators are being asked to think about their work. As computational reasoning and scientific inquiry become more embedded across the curriculum, teachers whose expertise lies outside the traditional STEM disciplines are increasingly being brought into the conversation. The institute is structured to make that transition approachable rather than overwhelming.
What This Means for North Idaho Classrooms
Having a host site at North Idaho College is a practical advantage for teachers from Bonner County, Kootenai County, and surrounding communities throughout the northern Panhandle. Smaller districts in the region often face tight travel budgets and limited substitute teacher availability, making local access to quality professional development especially valuable.
The career-connected STEM strand also aligns with North Idaho’s economic direction. As the region grows and demand rises for workers in technical fields, schools that invest in building stronger STEM foundations are better positioned to prepare students for local apprenticeships, workforce programs, and post-secondary opportunities.
What Comes Next
The i-STEM Summer Institute at North Idaho College continues through the end of this week. Participants will return to their schools in the fall with both new instructional materials and strategies drawn from the week’s engineering design, artificial intelligence, and project-based learning content. The Idaho Department of Education and the Idaho Workforce Development Council are expected to assess outcomes from all six host campuses as the state prepares for the 2026–2027 school year and continues refining how it delivers professional development to Idaho’s teaching workforce.