Pizitz Middle School, located in a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, committed to raise enough money to build a well in Uganda. Working with a local nonprofit, school leaders kicked off the project during the first week of school in 2017 and spent the year connecting classroom instruction to this service goal. "We needed to raise […]
Students at Clarksville-Montgomery County School System can win a brand-new Toyota Yaris, Hyundai Accent or Kia Rio—or other prizes, such as gift cards—if they score a 3 or higher on exams. Editor's Note: Nuts and Bolts delves into how a school or district developed an innovative program. Each year, the number of high school students in […]
Not long ago, 3D printers were the hot new edtech tool. Costing thousands of dollars, they were prized possessions that only teachers in specialties such as art and engineering knew how to use. Today, they have become necessary devices in ever-evolving, increasingly sophisticated classrooms in all subjects. And out in the workplace, students who have […]
How do you ensure students who excel at math remain engaged? Heidi Williams intended to solve that challenge by starting an after-school coding club while she was a gifted-and-talented teacher at Bayside Middle School near Milwaukee. Instead of using pen and paper, her students created an interactive children's book on Scratch, the MIT Media Lab […]
Guy Barmoha, director of the secondary learning department for Broward County Public Schools in Florida, wanted to challenge high-achieving, middle school mathematics students beyond what acceleration can offer. Elements of Mathematics: Foundations, a curriculum by the Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science, provided the solution. EMF is an online self-study curriculum that teaches pre-algebra through […]
In the U.S., the majority of adults who both do and don't work in STEM-related field say they like science and math, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center. More STEM workers (66 percent) have said they like these subjects, however, than non-STEM workers (45 percent). Link to main story: Sounds of […]
Mechanics can make at least $60,000 per year. That's why schools have started fine-tuning their automotive tech programs to make them ideal vehicles for STEM instruction. Using automobiles to teach science and math principles was the original STEM, says Trish Serratore, president of the ASE Education Foundation, which works to prepare the auto service workforce. […]
Editor's Note: Nuts and Bolts delves into the development of an innovative program. District leaders of Piscataway Township Schools five years ago decided they needed to more effectively serve its large—and rapidly growing—population of English language learners. A combination of grants and community outreach allowed the New Jersey district to adopt a "cradle to career" […]
We pretty much understand rocket science, says Doug Green. That is, we understand the complex math and physics that propel objects into space. "The human brain, however, which is the learning playground for students and teachers, is much more complex and less understood." An educator since 1970—as an elementary principal, district computer director, K12 science […]
Math instruction continues to move further into digital territory, but many lessons still depend on hands-on activities and nondigital materials, such as textbooks. Schools choose computer-based and online curricula because they can provide more engaging ways for students to learn—from playing games and watching instructional videos to creating graphs and drawing shapes digitally. These programs […]
