Lauren Church joked it was going to be a photo finish. Her baby’s due date was May 15, and the recognition ceremony for her master’s in biology degree was May 16. The baby was born May 9 and seven days later Church walked across a stage at Washington University in St. Louis after earning a […]
Growing up, Andrea Woods was the person everybody in her family turned to for technology issues – whether it was setting up the VCR to record or finding her grandmother’s favorite radio station in the car. That early problem solving experience laid the foundation for what has become her life’s passion – educational technology or […]
This past summer nearly 160 educators from 13 school districts and two charter schools kicked off a yearlong professional development program called STEM Teacher Quality Initiative (STEM TQ). Launched in 2011, STEM TQ has graduated some 500 teachers. The regional community effort aims to develop exemplary teachers who can provide quality learning in STEM, so […]
Great strides are being made in education research. Despite those great efforts by great people challenges persist. In particular, effectively scaling up or replicating successful educational programs proves difficult. The solution to bridging the gap between research and practice is Design-Based Implementation Research (DBIR). William Penuel, a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder and […]
If the St. Louis region is to close the gap between what its workers know, and what its businesses need, it must play the long game. That’s why St. Louis’ leading employers, school districts and Washington University in St. Louis united to form STEMpact, an organization dedicated to improving science, technology, engineering and math education […]
There comes a time for many individuals when returning to school becomes a natural next step on a career path. However for teachers, the high demands of the school year and their unique work schedule can make finding the right program difficult. For Nhan Pham, a biology teacher at St. Louis University High School, the […]
The first time a parent told Elizabeth Petersen not to teach evolution, she caved. No, she did not skip Charles Darwin’s concept altogether. But she avoided the “E word,†opting instead for phrases such as “natural selection†and “adaptation.†“That parent intimidated me,†said Petersen, who taught seventh grade science. “I was so shocked, I […]
The Institute for School Partnership (ISP) at Washington University in St. Louis commits to advancing the goals of recruiting, preparing, and retaining 100,000 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers by 2021. New York, New York, February, 2016 —100Kin10, a national network coordinating and accelerating efforts to bring 100,000 new excellent science, technology, engineering, and […]
On the morning of December 4th, students from schools across St. Louis filed into the Edison Theater at Washington University in St. Louis to see Washington University Dance Theatre: Shadows & Light. This is not the first time local schools have been invited to see the work of WashU’s Performing Arts Department (PAD). In fact, the […]
Pencils scribble furiously as teacher Kathleen Dwyer asks for smiles of confidence once each student has finished solving the problem. Once each face is grinning ear-to-ear, Dwyer announces the correct answer to her students with the energy and enthusiasm of a sportscaster. However, the members of today’s class look a little bit different than her normal audience […]