500 girls explore STEM careers at Washington University
About 500 seventh-grade girls from across the state visited Washington University in St. Louis to learn about careers in STEM. Barbara Schaal, dean of the faculty of Arts & Sciences, told students that STEM careers are as diverse as they are rewarding: “What STEM education does is give you a cafeteria of options and opportunities.”
Thinking like scientists: Innovative MySci curriculum delivers
Pattonville School District elementary students made statistically significant gains in science after completing the innovative MySci curriculum developed by the Institute for School Partnership. The data confirm what ISP Executive Director Victoria May has observed for years in MySci classrooms across the region — hands-on inquiry paired with teacher development and smart assessment tools can boost student success.
Closing the STEM skills gap in St. Louis
St. Louis’ leading employers, school districts and Washington University’s Institute for School Partnership have united to form STEMpact, an organization dedicated to improving improve science, technology, engineering and math education when it matters most — elementary school.
Helping educate the next generation of female leaders
Washington University students, faculty and alumni are leading summer STEM labs and workshops for 14 talented African-American high school girls through the Girls Inc. Eureka! program. The students are thriving. “They are more than a cohort, they are a sisterhood,” Brown student Tasha Jordan said.
Transforming K-12 science education
The Institute for School Partnership has introduced its MySci curriculum to every elementary classroom in the Jennings School District. The result: prepared educators, inspired students.
ISP joins national network to increase STEM teaching force
The Institute for School Partnership at Washington University in St. Louis has been accepted as a partner for 100Kin10, a 10-year national coordinated effort to train and retain 100,000 excellent science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) teachers in schools by 2021.
Washington University students support next generation of brain scientists
Members of Synapse, Washington University’s neuroscience club, are helping local high school students prepare for the annual St. Louis Area Brain Bee, Saturday, Feb. 13, at McDonnell Hall. “The Brain Bee is a competition but it’s not about being competitive. It’s about getting more people excited about this fast-growing field,” says junior Smruti Rath.
Supporting evolution educators
Evolution educators continue to face resistance from parents, lawmakers and school boards. And a recent Pew Research Center survey on science and society shows that one-third of the population denies evolution. The Institute of School Partnership, through Darwin Day and other programs, help K-12 teachers bring this core concept to their classrooms.
Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls, region’s first all-girls charter school, launches with help from Washington University
Launching this month, Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls will offer sixth and seventh-grade girls a rigorous education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Washington University in St. Louis is both Hawthorn’s sponsor and its partner. Educators with the university’s Institute for School Partnership have been working closely with Hawthorn leaders for more than a year to develop the school’s project-based curriculum and real-world philosophy.
Taking flight
Students from Eureka High School prepare their plane for launch during the Boeing Design Challenge at the Washington University Field House April 29. They were among 110 area high school students from six school districts on 26 teams who designed and hand-launched balsa wood gliders in different competitions, learning concepts of physics and engineering. The teams were assisted by engineers from Boeing Co.
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