Supporting Educators

Outcomes of a two-year STEM learning pilot program that the Institute for School Partnership at Washington University in St. Louis (ISP) completed in partnership with St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) and The Little Bit Foundation are encouraging.

Two visionary leaders from St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) received the annual Rosa L. Parks Award from the Washington University in St. Louis Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Committee.  Kelvin Adams, who retired in December as SLPS superintendent, and Deidra Thomas-Murray, the district’s students in transition coordinator and foster care liaison, were honored at the 36th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 16, at Graham Chapel.

With its tenth STEM TQ Cohort launched, STEMpact continues to address one of the region’s persistent challenges, an insufficient pool of STEM talent to meet the growing demand in Missouri and Illinois, where three of four fastest growing occupations are in STEM field

Research from the lab of Bryce Sadtler at Washington University in St. Louis uses light to image and control energy conversion in inorganic nanostructures. This summer, Whitfield School chemistry teacher Chris Sellers traded sunscreen for PPE and an opportunity to be part of the green energy solution.

Elijah Thimsen, associate professor of energy, environmental & chemical engineering, and educators from area school districts work together to make chemistry concepts more accessible to high school students. In May, the McKelvey School of Engineering hosted 22 students from Clayton, St. Charles and Belleville, Illinois for a daylong, hands-on lesson on thermodynamics.

Some 60 area teachers gathered at WashU for mySci Summer Institutes, a professional development opportunity designed for teachers new to mySci, as well as mySci veterans. “As a teacher, there are still a lot of things I don’t know, but I don’t need to be that giant teacher who knows all,” teacher LaWesha Bush said. “mySci takes away a lot of that stress, and it’s great for engaging not only students, but teachers. I appreciate that.”

The principals at seven local schools are poised to achieve big goals after participating in the SLPS Principal Redesign Fellowship, a bold new partnership between St. Louis Public Schools and the Institute for School Partnership at Washington University in St. Louis.

mmer Teacher-Researcher Partnership, an innovative initiative from the Institute for School Partnership. The teachers will work in university labs, where they will participate in faculty research and develop lessons for their classrooms.

Victoria May, executive director of the Institute for School Partnership, works with local educators to create high-quality, equitable education for all students. Last week, May was among seven members of the university community honored with a Virgil Ethic of Service Award.

Classmates at Ritenour Middle School have been testing their tolerance for struggle during math classes led by a  teacher who is presenting math concepts with a high-level task approach that gives students a newfound ownership of their learning and an invitation to reach the right answer with thinking that makes sense to them.