There was a lot to be excited about. A trip to partner with teachers in Uganda. Promoting an upcoming speaker series. Planning a water workshop. Prepping for professional development sessions. But in mid-March, with fears growing over the coronavirus, the pause button was pressed on normal life, halting everyday activities, shuttering offices and closing schools. […]
By 2022, employment in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) in the St. Louis region is projected to grow by 12.4%, according to the most recent State of St. Louis Workforce report focused on STEM. But St. Louis employers are struggling to fill these positions. In 2018, 41% of St. Louis companies cited a […]
To the 80,000 parents — um, make that students — who will compete in the upcoming St. Louis Science Fair, Washington University in St. Louis senior Sam Martorana offers this advice: Follow your passion, not the rubric.“Science fair projects can be stressful for the entire family,” said Martorana, who has led multiple workshops for parents […]
The Institute for School Partnership’s mySci curriculum program is being used by students in nearly 250 schools in the Greater St. Louis region. Recently, we caught up with fourth-grade teacher Allison Webster, who was named the 2019 teacher of the year at Confluence Academy – South City. She’s been using mySci in her classroom for two years. Find […]
Teachers in the City of St. Charles School District have built a blueprint for successful STEM learning that could soon be replicated in districts across the St. Louis region. The winning formula is a three-year, multi-level STEM Leadership Academy developed as part of the STEMpact Integration Quality program or STEM IQ. The matching grant program […]
Rachel Ruggirello, associate director of the Institute for School Partnership and Jeanne Norris, K-8 curriculum coordinator for the ISP, recently joined The Rotten Apples Podcast and talked to host Amy Peach about the innovative mySci program that provides K-8 teachers across the St. Louis region a comprehensive science curriculum and the materials to conduct hands-on experiments. […]
“It’s like winning a Best Picture Oscar in science curriculum instruction!” That’s how Jeanne Norris, curriculum coordinator for the Institute School Partnership at Washington University, describes a recent accolade for one of the mySci elementary curriculum units. mySci Unit 21: From Sun to Food, has earned the Next Generation Science Standards Design Badge from Achieve […]
By Suzanne Vanderhoef For far too many local kids, school supplies aren’t just notebooks and pencils. For them, a warm coat, a pair of socks, or even a toothbrush might be the difference that allows them to go to school ready to learn. That’s where The Little Bit Foundation comes in. Founded in 2001, the […]
There was cake, balloons and a rousing singalong of Happy Birthday. The man himself – Charles Darwin – stood off in a corner ready to pose for selfies. A birthday hat sitting atop his head. OK, it wasn’t the real Darwin, but a life-size cutout. However, the celebratory feel was real as 60 educators and […]
A collaboration of Washington University’s Institute for School Partnership, The Little Bit Foundation and other community partners is seeking to provide more equitable access to 21st century STEM in underserved schools. The mySci Do program engages students in learning through making, computing and designing, using tangible materials such as legos, robotics and electric circuits. Modeled after mySci – a […]