Through STEMpact program, City of St. Charles School District develops successful STEM Academy

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 […]

mySci program spotlighted on educational podcast

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. […]

Audio: ISP efforts spotlighted on 'St. Louis on the Air'

Washington University Chancellor Mark Wrighton spotlighted the work of the Institute for School Partnership during a recent appearance on “St. Louis on the Air” on St. Louis Public Radio. When asked by St. Louis Public Radio editor Maria Altman what WashU is doing to engage the wider St. Louis community, Chancellor Wrighton highlighted the work […]

mySci Unit 21 earns highest award in science curriculum rating system

“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 […]

HEC-TV spotlights ISP's mySci Do program

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 […]

Record turnout for WashU's Brain Bee competition

A swarm of competitors from across the St. Louis region tested their brain power at Washington University’s 9th annual St. Louis Area Brain Bee, held Feb. 16 on the Danforth Campus. This year’s neuroscience competition consisted of 58 students – making it the largest turnout ever. Twenty-nine high schools were represented in the competition. The […]

ISP celebrates Darwin Day, names new Kirk Teacher Fellow

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 […]

Like a spelling bee, but for neuroscience: WashU Brain Bee set for Feb. 16

Erik Herzog was starting to get concerned. He was deep into the oral portion of the 2018 St. Louis Area Brain Bee and the unthinkable was on the horizon: He was running out of questions. “The contestants had never performed so well in the past,” said Herzog, professor of biology in Arts & Sciences at […]

mySci Do program brings science to life for St. Louis students

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 […]

ISP addresses region's shortage of computer science teachers

You don’t need to be a great coder to teach computer science. You only need to be a great teacher. That is the experience of Jaime Gilligan of Washington University in St. Louis’ Institute for School Partnership (ISP). Through the Code.org professional learning program, Gilligan and other ISP instructional specialists are teaching local middle and […]