Category: STEM

ISP Associate Director Rachel Ruggirello receives national recognition for significant contributions to STEM education in the St. Louis region

Rachel Ruggirello, associate director of the Institute for School Partnership at Washington University in St. Louis, is the 2022 recipient of the Outstanding Administrative Support Award by the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA). The award is given annually to honor one educator who is working outside the classroom at school, district and city/county levels […]

Partnership lays foundation for continuous improvement in SLPS STEM

Last summer, four organizations came together to launch a new program in 17 St. Louis Public elementary schools. The Institute for School Partnership (ISP), The Little Bit Foundation (TLBF), and St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS), with funding from the Bayer Fund, developed a pilot program to increase capacity for STEM teaching and learning in SLPS. […]

Edutopia: Human-Centered Strategies to Remote Science Learning

Kids learn by doing. So what does that mean for science instruction in the age of Covid-19, when many schools are closed and children are learning from home? It’s embracing the uncertainties, shifting mindsets and expectations, and finding a new learning landscape. The shift to at-home learning should not mean skipping core content. While disruptive, the […]

Washington Magazine Spotlights Teacher Residency Program and ISP Role

By Diane Toroian Keaggy  October 12, 2020 The clock is ticking.  KIPP: St. Louis algebra teacher Josh Humphrey has 45 minutes to deliver his lesson on geometric sequences to his ninth-grade class — what they are, why they matter and how they differ from their mathematical cousin, the arithmetic sequence.  He moves methodically, first telling  students the […]

ISP launches middle school COVID-19 curriculum

The Institute for School Partnership (ISP) at Washington University in St. Louis has launched a comprehensive COVID-19 curriculum. The free unit boasts both synchronous and asynchronous elements and helps students understand the history of infectious disease, the nature of COVID-19, the power and limitations of modeling and the importance of scientific literacy. “This unit gives educators […]

Fox 2 spotlights ISP STEM initiative

The Institute for School Partnership introduced STEM Challenges in May to keep STEM learning going for the tens of thousands of homebound students in the St. Louis area. These are fun, easy STEM activities kids can do using typical household items. Cognizant of the digital divide in the region, the ISP partnered with The Little Bit […]

Pivoting & Partnering: ISP’s response to help educators in the face of COVID-19

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. […]

STEMpact highlighted in Connected Science Learning journal

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 […]

St. Louis Public Radio highlights Math314 program

What is there to say about the number 7? It’s odd, it’s prime. It can be reached by adding 3 + 4, 5 + 2 and 6 + 1. That may be how a teacher has a “math conversation” with young students under a new approach to math education piloted by Washington University’s Institute for […]