Q&A with Missouri biology teacher of the year

Ryan Lacson, a 2013 graduate of the Master of Science in Biology for Science Teachers program at Washington University in St. Louis, has been named the 2017 Missouri Outstanding Biology Teacher of the Year by the National Association of Biology Teachers. Lacson is a science teacher at Galena High School in Galena, Missouri. He also sponsors Galena High School’s Beta […]

Undergrads teach, inspire high school students

Out front of Lopata House at Washington University in St. Louis, an elaborate game of tag is underway. A group of high school students are zig-zagging through their peers to grab candy from a designated area without getting stuck with a Post-it note. Inside the building, students in classrooms are creating marshmallow towers and playing […]

Challenging stereotypes, changing lives

Located at the southernmost tip of Texas, the Rio Grande Valley is at some points less than a mile from Mexico’s border. While it is home to some of the poorest counties in the country, it’s one of the fastest growing regions in the United States. That growth amounts to more than 340,000 students enrolled […]

mySci program doubles in size 2 years in a row

Twelve years after its launch, the innovative mySci curriculum program developed by Washington University’s Institute for School Partnership (ISP) and local teacher leaders is seeing incredible growth, doubling in size two years in a row. This school year, St. Louis Public Schools will introduce mySci in all of its 45 elementary schools. The district joins 150 […]

ISP partners with foundation to support makerspace kits in classrooms

When packing for college, most students take bed sheets, maybe a shower caddy and a laptop. Josh Seidel packed a tool box – an obvious choice for an aspiring engineer. Also, a fortuitous decision as it immediately came in handy on his first day at the University of Missouri. “The first interaction I had with […]

K-12 Ambassador Spotlight: Aysswarya Manoharan

K-12 Connections is a partnership of the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement, the Institute for School Partnership, and the Office of Government and Community Relations. It connects the Washington University community with volunteer opportunities involving high-needs urban school districts in the St. Louis area, primarily through classroom field trips to campus for enrichment experiences and exposure to college […]

Hawthorn teacher named PBS Digital Innovator

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 […]

Going the distance: Student gliders soar at Washington University

“We’ve got a lot of bragging rights,” a jubilant Zack Hurley said. The senior from Calhoun High School in Hardin, Illinois, was part of a quartet that went the distance at the final flight of the Boeing Engineering Design Challenge, held May 3 in the Washington University Field House. Their glider, dubbed No Pain, No […]

mySci program: Empowering students, instilling confidence in teachers

In the big picture, Jennifer Besowshek is a Twitter newbie. She only joined the social media network in November 2016. But in that short amount of time this second-grade teacher at Prairie View Elementary School in the Wentzville School District has become an active user and one of her favorite subjects is mySci – the […]

500 girls explore STEAM careers at Washington University

The science is clear: girls think boys are better at science. That’s wrong, of course. Still, subtle and not-so-subtle messages from parents, teachers and the media lead girls to doubt their abilities. The result: enormous gender gaps in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. “By the time they reach middle school, many girls […]