ISP hosts summer institutes to grow mySci educator leader opportunities

As the Institute for School Partnership’s innovative mySci curriculum program nears the 15 year mark, the ISP has started developing and supporting distinct leadership pathways for its mySci educators. Currently, districts and schools who partner with mySci are offered an ample array of professional learning opportunities. They vary from foundational learning opportunities to deeper learning […]

Educators learn to meld science and literature at Washington University conference

More than 30 educators from across Missouri and Illinois gathered at Washington University in St. Louis to learn how to use STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) to bring literature to life, during a two-day Novel Engineering conference June 13-14. Designed by educators and researchers from the Tufts University Center for Engineering Education and Outreach […]

Spirits soar, sink at annual glider competition at Washington University

Two days before the Boeing Engineering Challenge on April 27 at Washington University, the unthinkable befell the Hawk Eye team from Lincoln Middle School in Edwardsville, Illinois.During a flight practice their wood balsa glider hit the gym floor and shattered. It was broken beyond repair. The team of sixth-graders had 48 hours to build a […]

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. […]

What Makes a Rainbow?

Activity: Using a CD, a flashlight and a piece of white paper create your own rainbow reflec-tion. Start in a dark room and place the CD on the floor blank side of the CD up. Place the white paper on the wall and secure with a bit of tape. Aim the flashlight at the CD […]

What Can We Plant? What Makes It Grow?

Activity: Save a few seeds from some fresh fruits and veggies or use a packet of flower, fruit, or vegetable seeds. Place a few seeds inside a lightly damp paper towel until roots appear. Then move the sprouted seed to a sunny place and bury it just beneath the surface of the soil. Keep watering […]

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 […]

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 […]

New book explores history of ISP’s innovative mySci program

Think back to your elementary and middle school science experiences. What were you taught? How were you taught? Chances are, you may not remember much about science in your elementary school. In middle school, you might remember your textbook and taking turns reading the textbook out loud in class. Maybe you remember the occasional egg-drop […]