Expertise of Washington University faculty, staff, tapped by Ritenour School District to co-develop science courses

A two-year collaboration between teachers at the Ritenour School District and faculty and staff from Washington University in St. Louis culminates this year with four completely new high school science courses.  Instructional specialists with WashU’s Institute for School Partnership (ISP) and Michael Wysession, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences and an expert on the Next […]

ISP’s Nikki Doughty talks educational challenges, opportunities in podcast

In a two-part podcast, ISP Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives Nikki Doughty spoke with Terrell Carter, the President and Executive Director of Rise, for the podcast series entitled Communities Forward. They discussed the challenges and opportunities related to education in the St. Louis region. In particular, Doughty touched on the ISP’s work to develop stronger […]

Local partnerships re-envision math instruction

Successful completion of algebra 1 is the gatekeeper to higher-level math and is required for virtually any education beyond high school. That makes math education an equity issue. A  2019 article in the Journal for Research and Mathematics Education states, “It’s well documented that Black and Hispanic students are underrepresented in eighth-grade algebra courses. As […]

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. […]

ISP partnership brings agriculture into Missouri classrooms

How do plants grow? Where does food come from? Who grows your food? Agriculture is the No. 1 industry in Missouri. The state is home to 95,000 farms, according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture, covering two-thirds of the state’s total land acreage, with the top commodities being soybeans, corn, cattle, hogs, and turkeys. But despite […]

Institute for School Partnership finds new ways to be ‘in St. Louis, for St. Louis’

The Institute for School Partnership (ISP) at Washington University in St. Louis is developing a new strategic plan to support the university’s mission to be “In St. Louis, for St. Louis.”   To that end, the institute has hired Nikki Doughty, head of school at City Academy and a regional leader in urban education, to serve as […]

ISP Spotlights COVID Response Efforts at International Symposium

For 30 years, Washington University’s Institute for School Partnership has spearheaded efforts to provide high-quality STEM learning and teaching in the St. Louis region. As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded across the globe, disrupting schools, the ISP worked quickly to adapt, design, and implement resources to support the continuation of teaching and learning locally.   This past […]

Disrupt to Rebuild: TLI and SLPS Redefining Traditional Models of Leadership and Accountability

The Transformational Leadership Initiative has partnered with two Saint Louis Public elementary schools, Ashland and Meramec, to challenge traditional educational models of top-down leadership. More common in schools serving low-income and minority communities, these long-standing models enforce rigid, test-focused leadership which makes them less able to cope with day-to-day stressors and pushes educators away from […]

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 […]