awakening your educators and business assuring a job … · enhance stem learning in their school,...

“Every educator and business leader in America knows that STEM is vital, and that this is where we need to go. Awakening Your STEM School offers us a guide for

business leaders and educators on how to get there together.”—Josh Cramer, Senior Educational Programs Officer, SME – Society of Manufacturing Engineers

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I N S I D E

A W A K E N I N G Y O U RSTEM SCHOOLASSURING A JOB-READY WORKFORCE

Educators and Business Leaders Bringing the STEM

Classroom AliveEvery school in America embraces the need to dramatically improve

STEM education. And every business in America needs STEM graduates.

Dr. Aaron Smith’s thoughtful narrative offers ideas, tools and actions that both community leaders and educators can deploy to inspire students and assure that a job-ready workforce flows from the local schools.

Here resides a guide for community and business leaders on how to become involved at a meaningful level to make sure employers can recruit capable and prepared students.

Here school leaders can become inspired to embed the skillsets needed in the 21st century workplace.

STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education)

Business leaders and educators know the skills and knowledge in each of these disciplines are deeply intertwined into the real world of jobs.

EDUCATION: Professional Development

$17.95

“Teachers and administrators can use this book as a guide to develop and implement other innovative approaches to enhance STEM learning in their school, community, and state.”

—Dr. Roger A. Hathaway, Special STEM Programs Manager, NASA

“Dr. Smith uses his experiences with real students and their stories to illustrate his ideas about how make a STEM school work. This book will inspire educators to think “out of the

box” about how to really motivate students and parents to engage with STEM.”—Dr. Marsha Sprague, Director of Teacher Preparation, Christopher Newport University

PRAISE FOR AWAKENING YOUR STEM SCHOOL

“Teachers and admin is t ra to rs can use th is book as a gu ide to deve lop and imp lement o ther innova t ive approaches to enhance STEM learn ing in the i r schoo l , communi ty, and s ta te . ”

—Dr. Roger A. Hathaway, Specia l STEM Programs Manager, NASA

“Dr. Smi th ’s exper iences in STEM educat ion a re sure to insp i re educators and leaders to answer the na t iona l ca l l to ac t ion in STEM educat ion . ”

—Tami Byron, E IR/STEM Specia l is t ,Newport News Publ ic Schools , Nat ional Inst i tu te of Aerospace

“ In a 21s t cen tu ry c lassroom, i t i s essent ia l to p rov ide s tudents w i th rea l -wor ld exper iences to d r i ve in te res t in f ie lds tha t a re c r i t i ca l to the U.S. manufac tu r ing sec to r. ”

—Josh Cramer, Senior Educat ional Programs Of f icer,Society of Manufactur ing Engineers

"Dr. Smi th uses h is exper iences w i th rea l s tudents and the i r s to r ies to i l l us t ra te h is ideas about how to make a STEM schoo l work . Th is book w i l l i nsp i re educators to th ink 'ou t o f the box ' about how to rea l l y mot iva te s tudents and paren ts to engage w i th STEM."

—Dr. Marsha Sraguye, Director of Teacher Preparat ion, Chr is topher Newport Univers i ty

Awakening Your STEM Schoolby Dr. Aaron L. Smith

with Bud Ramey

© Copyright 2015 Dr. Aaron L. Smith with Bud Ramey

ISBN 978-1-63393-061-2

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photo-copy, recording, or any other – except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without

the prior written permission of the author.

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44 ideas and act ions for educatorsmore than 300 t ips for success

D R . A A R O N L . S M I T HW I T H B U D R A M E Y

A W A K E N I N G Y O U RSTEM SCHOOL

FOR SHERRI

This book is dedicated to my wife, Sherri, who has truly inspired me to dream big and never to settle for being average, and to our children Hunter, Ryan and Addison, who I hope will have teachers that will challenge them to reach for the stars.

—Aaron

THE REAL WORLD

Presidential goals for the nation are published. States are drawing up Visions and funding initiatives. School systems are raising the STEM flag.

Dr. Aaron Smith publishes this guide for teachers and principals who are daily cobbling together their STEM school, seeking inspiration and valuable suggestions.

Dr. Smith uses a simple and focused approach: bring industry to the school where the culture and curriculum are integrated to model real world applications. Make your actions deliberate and focused on the students. Enable the teachers and faculty to become inspired, playing key roles in the planning and implementation.

And as he concludes, no matter how far along the STEM education journey a school or program has advanced, the catalyst for transformation is already there—residing in the heart of the teachers and leadership.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Awakening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Special Thanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Dedication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Chapter One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Handing Me the Thrott le

Chapter Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Shaping How We Think About the World

Chapter Three. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Facing The High Stakes of Fai lure

Chapter Four . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Asking for Support—Ask Not…Get Not

Chapter Five . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Developing Pract ical Core Bel iefs for School

Chapter Six . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Developing Challenging Core Bel iefs for Teachers

Chapter Seven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Creating Inspirat ional Core Bel iefs for Students – 2.0

Chapter Eight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Evolving with Continuous Transformation

Chapter Nine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Developing a Community Technical Panel

Chapter Ten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85Creating Value Within and Outside the School

Chapter Eleven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93Championing Contr ibut ions from Business Partners

Chapter Twelve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105Observing a STEM Classroom in the 21st Century

Chapter Thirteen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Unifying STEM Init iat ives Across the Distr ict

Chapter Fourteen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Undiscovered Teaching Tools Await Your Discovery

Chapter Fif teen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Mastering the Art of Grant Writ ing

Chapter Sixteen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129Tapping the Vast and Inf ini te Resources of the Internet Harnessing a Whole New Era of Teaching

Chapter Seventeen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135Celebrat ing Your Success – Tel l ing Stories of Hard Work and the Rewards

Chapter Eighteen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139Becoming a Pro at Event Management

Chapter Nineteen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Stimulat ing Student Curiosity: Blend Career and Technical Education with STEM

Chapter Twenty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Creating Addit ional Value by Mapping Out a Career Center

Chapter Twenty-One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154Marketing and Recruit ing Daily

Chapter Twenty-Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164Envisioning STEM in Publ ic Schools in Future Years

Chapter Twenty-Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177Our Generational Opportunity to Make an Impact on America’s Future

IDEAS IN ACTION INDEX44 Ideas and Act ions for Educators

More Than 300 Tips for Success

IDEAS IN ACTION #15 Core Bel iefs to Live By . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 IDEAS IN ACTION #2Focus on the Dropout: The Si lent Epidemic . . . . . 33

IDEAS IN ACTION #35 Ways to Teach with Inspirat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

IDEAS IN ACTION #4 7 Col laborat ive Opportunit ies To Offer Decision Makers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

IDEAS IN ACTION #5 7 Features to Embed into your Curr iculum . . . . . . 46

IDEAS IN ACTION #6 Creating the Vision and Core Bel iefs . . . . . . . . . . 53

IDEAS IN ACTION #7 Developing the Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

IDEAS IN ACTION #8 4 Considerat ions in the Development of Core Bel iefs for Teachers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

IDEAS IN ACTION #9 Defining What Success Looks Like . . . . . . . . . . . 61

IDEAS IN ACTION #10 Creating Core Bel iefs for Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

IDEAS IN ACTION #11 Creating Core Bel iefs for Students . . . . . . . . . . . 69

IDEAS IN ACTION #12 Continuous TransformationBlends 6 Key Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

IDEAS IN ACTION #13 7 Steps to Maximize Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

IDEAS IN ACTION #14 5 Ways to Stimulate Innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

IDEAS IN ACTION #15 Review, Reflect, and Report Back . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

IDEAS IN ACTION #16 7 Steps to Organizing Technical Panels . . . . . . . . 81

IDEAS IN ACTION #17 9 Principles to Guide Development of Technical Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

IDEAS IN ACTION #18 5 Key Motivat ions For Investing in Good School PR . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

IDEAS IN ACTION #19 7 Ways to Celebrate Achievement . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

IDEAS IN ACTION #20 10 Ways to Create Ownershipand Value in the School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

IDEAS IN ACTION #21 5 Ways to Approach Business Partners for Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

IDEAS IN ACTION #22 8 Ways to Develop STEM in Internships . . . . . . 102

IDEAS IN ACTION #23 Simple Train the Trainer Approach . . . . . . . . . . 103

IDEAS IN ACTION #24 12 Key Considerat ions for Choosing Students for Internships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

IDEAS IN ACTION #25 Goals: Identi fying and Implementing STEM in a School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

IDEAS IN ACTION #26 Activat iors and Their Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

IDEAS IN ACTION #27 11 Ways for Measuring STEM Progress . . . . . . . 116

IDEAS IN ACTION #28 Identi fying and Implementing STEM in a School Distr ict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

IDEAS IN ACTION #29 15 Grant Writ ing Tips For STEM Grant Submissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

IDEAS IN ACTION #30 15 Important Guidel ines for Usingthe Internet in STEM Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

IDEAS IN ACTION #31 13 Planning Tips for Vital Events . . . . . . . . . . . 141

IDEAS IN ACTION #32 4 Outstanding Resources for Combining CTE and STEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

IDEAS IN ACTION #33 12 Ideas for Creating a Robust Career Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

IDEAS IN ACTION #34 12 Suggestions for Marketingand Promotion of Your STEM Program . . . . . . . . 157

IDEAS IN ACTION #35 11 Vital QuestionsYour Literature Should Address . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

IDEAS IN ACTION #36 15 Ways to Plan a Great Open House . . . . . . . . 161

IDEAS IN ACTION #37 15 Big Dreams for the STEM Schoolof the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

IDEAS IN ACTION #38 7 Important Actions to Strenthen and Nurture Your Business and Community Partnerships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

IDEAS IN ACTION #39 12 Lessons for Directors from the School of Hard Knocks . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

IDEAS IN ACTION #40 6 Lessons for Teachersfrom the School of Hard Knocks . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

IDEAS IN ACTION #41 11 Big Questions to Answer in Creating Your Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

APPENDIX 1IDEAS IN ACTION #42 28 Great Websitesfor STEM Classroom Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

APPENDIX 2IDEAS IN ACTION #43 23 Great Websites for STEM Grants . . . . . . . . . 189

APPENDIX 3IDEAS IN ACTION #44 53 Free or Low-Cost STEM-Related Apps . . . . . 197

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

STEM IN ACTION PHOTOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

10 A W A K E N I N G Y O U R S T E M S C H O O L

THE AWAKENING

It is my pleasure to be included in this chronicle of how the Denbigh High School Aviation Academy has built a successful STEM program through leadership, teamwork and the ability to inspire students and surrounding business partners.

In Newport News, we count the STEM learning model as a key benefit. Inquiry-based, student-driven, self-direction, critical thinking and teamwork are just a few words commonly used to describe STEM learning. The Denbigh High School Aviation Academy is a prime example of how students are working together on projects that require these characteristics and strong skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. As Aviation Academy students build a working airplane, all of those skills and talents are put into action and will become marketable career skills for their future.

Throughout our community, we see a high level of interest and excitement from students, family members and business people who know how important STEM is to student advancement and economic development. That’s why I am so pleased that Newport News Public Schools is a leader in STEM education and provides students with opportunities every day to engage their minds in meaningful ways that help them become college-, career-, and citizen-ready.

The Aviation Academy and its leadership are demonstrating that public education can be relevant, rigorous and motivating as we prepare students for success in the 21st century. I hope this book will provide its readers with insights and knowledge that will help build more successful STEM programs for students.

—Ashby C. Kilgore, Ed.D.Superintendent of Newport News (Virginia) Public Schools

D R . A A R O N L . S M I T H W I T H B U D R A M E Y 11

SPECIAL THANKS

Special thanks goes out to Dr. Leslie Kaplan, Dr. William Owings, Dr. Marsha Sprague, Dr. Theresa Banks, Dr. Crystal Taylor, Mrs. Tami Byron, Mr. Josh Cramer, Mr. Anthony Vladu, Ms. Susan Tilley, Mr. Dhyronn Goggins, and Dr. Roger A. Hathaway. Special thanks go out to our school superintendent, Dr. Ashby Kilgore, who is not only passionate for children, but also a true visionary for all 21st century educators.

Bill Grace, one of the finest photographers in the nation, provided us with some marvelous photography for this inspired work. We express our deepest gratitude to Bill for his wonderful contribution to the future of STEM education in America.


DEDICATION

THE POWERFUL IMPACT OF STEM ON STUDENTS

BECAUSE OF MY EXPERIENCES with several special students, I am passionate about inspiring our students with STEM education. We clearly witness a transformation with many young people.

A young man from a broken family who visited my first orientation tour at the Academy with his grandparents became one of the first students to truly inspire me.

Lante Tucker’s grades suffered as an eighth grader. Yet he indicated high interest in the Aviation Academy program and came to us, expressing that he wanted to become a pilot. We chatted. Later, after checking his academic performance, we told him he had to improve his grades first. If he got his grades up in the 9th grade year, we promised, Aviation would pick him up as a 10th grader.

We continued to meet over that year. He demonstrated a continued and sincere desire to become an Aviation Academy student.

Lante earned a 3.4 GPA in his 9th grade year, and we believed he would succeed. Grinning from ear to ear, as a student he immediately began to inspire others.

Lante’s confidence grew, as did his leadership. He loved the Academy. His project team presented their wind tunnel science fair project, winning the city competition and bringing home three major honors at the regional level. Lante and team partner Josh Ramey received first place honors from the U.S. Air Force and the Armed Forces Electronic Association.

He evolved into a leader in our program. The staff committed to help Lante excel. We inspired and motivated this young man

D R . A A R O N L . S M I T H W I T H B U D R A M E Y 1 3

at every opportunity, helping him learn to overcome his personal struggles. We all believed in Lante.

In his 10th grade year, everything went fairly well, but something seemed wrong. He confided his concerns about his grandmother’s health. I reminded him to keep going and to let us know what we need to do to help him. Unfortunately, his grandmother, who championed him to excel in his academics, who inspired him more than anyone, passed away. This had a profound impact on him.

He finished the year but could not get back on top of his grades. Living with his grandfather, who also deeply loved Lante, they coped with grief. He continued to muddle forward in his junior year, but now had to assist his grandfather at home with the chores and duties that his grandmother so lovingly provided for so long. Just as he began to recover, the bottom fell out.

Tragically, Lante’s grandfather died suddenly in a highway accident just a few months later.

This sent Lante reeling, a 1-2 punch that no child could experience unscathed.

As a result of having both loving grandparents pass away, he needed to leave the community to live with other family members. The choices were limited.

He moved away to live with a brother. That did not work out. Living with his mother did not work out. He began to drift, finally living with a cousin and enrolling in a Richmond high school as a senior, about seventy-five miles from the Academy.

I called Lante to catch up with him. We talked about his grandparents and his family. In the middle of the conversation I could hear the determination coming back. He said that his mother still wanted him to have a better life. She allowed him to live with his cousin until he graduated if he kept in close touch with her, a very good sign of an improving family situation.

Lante enrolled in an EMT program with an eye on fire fighting, a military career and aviation still beckoning. In our discussion, I reminded him that he should not lock himself into one career and to have an open mind for the future. He reported that he attended a magnet school (but not a STEM site) and that his friends envied the atmosphere he described at the Aviation Academy with big projects such as building an airplane


from a kit and the wind tunnel and how fun the classes were at Aviation Academy.

This young man found himself briefly as a result of the experiential learning at our STEM school. He succeeded here, rising to the top of the region with STEM science project honors. He rose above broken family. He overcame emotional trauma. He embraced his grandparents’ support, only to lose that forever. Now he was again finding his footing.

Not many days passed that I didn’t think about him or faculty members ask if we have heard from Lante. The project developed by Lante and Josh resided on display in the lobby of the Academy. Lante’s tall, erect posture, steady eye contact, and confident demeanor, his quiet determination and enthusiasm, all still remained with us.

You see, we all believed in Lante Tucker. And we always will.


FOREWORD

Not yet an exact science, creating STEM schools requires us to feel our way down this path. We awaken to the fact that this experience seems different and the way unclearly marked.

The continuous transformation of a school into an elite Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) institution prepares students to become 21st century-ready. STEM embeds college-, career-, and citizen-ready skills into the curriculum.

For our nation, we must succeed. Yet we cannot step into this new world without inspiration and commitment. So we cobble together ideas and actions to create our own recipe for success.

A bright, informative narrative, Awakening Your STEM School shares creative steps in transforming STEM education, encouraging teachers and educational leadership to embrace the experience.

Providing actionable ideas proven by a very successful STEM school, Dr. Aaron Smith offers this material to assist STEM teachers and leadership in the transforming of a school into a constantly evolving STEM program.

A STEM School Wi th High Tech Neighbors

Dr. Smith’s school resides in the old terminal building of a major regional airport, surrounded by the high technology of modern aviation.

The foresight of local educators choosing this location for a public school Aviation Academy in 1995 contributed to its early pioneering transformation as a STEM school, providing a living example to educational leaders looking for benchmarks to follow as we reshape public education in America.

Surrounded by some of the most amazing technology on earth, students interact with these high technology employers


regularly. Local community leaders constantly advance STEM education to meet the needs for candidates for this high tech workplace.

Within a few miles of the school are the aeronautical and space research assets of NASA – Langley Research Center, a key player in the Moon and Mars landings.

Several miles to the east towers the giant Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding, building the largest and most advanced naval ships in the world.

Within view of the school, the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility operates the world’s most advanced particle accelerator for investigating the quark structure of the atom’s nucleus, as well as the world’s most powerful tunable free electron laser.

The nearby headquarters for the U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command fills the skies with powerful F-22 fighters. The manufacturing center for Canon Virginia, within walking distance of the Academy, brings internationally acclaimed high technology manufacturing to the region.

Simple and focused, Dr. Smith’s passionate approach calls for bringing industry to the school where the culture and curriculum are integrated to model real world applications. Make our actions deliberate and focused on the students. Enable teachers and faculty to become inspired, playing key roles in the planning and implementation.

Awakening Your STEM School is prepared by an educator who understands the stress of producing high standardized test scores while working within a budget that does not allow for extras. He offers hundreds of tips and suggestions to stimulate educators’ imagination of what might come around in their school.

—Bud RameyBest Selling AuthorNo COLORS, No BULLIES, The Familiar Physician


PREFACE

A vital creative boost for STEM education in Virginia and across the nation occurred when Newport News (VA) Public Schools and Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport partnered to house a STEM magnet school in aviation in the vacant terminal facility at the airport. The move seems even more visionary when we observe that this establishment of the Aviation Academy in a public school occurred in 1995.

Since then, the Aviation Academy students have experienced the benefits of nearby neighbors. We arranged live teleconference with NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Air Force One lands frequently, dwarfing the one-story school as the giant aircraft taxis past the cafeteria. The Academy earned the recognition of Virginia Living Magazine in 2013 as a “Top High School in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” as well as the Society of Manufacturing Engineer’s national PRIME Award. The Academy poses frequently for feature coverage in newspapers, magazines, and regional television news.

The team at this leading edge STEM school experiences considerable success in transformation, community partnership, student success rates, and faculty involvement, which cumulatively provide the subject of Awakening Your STEM School.


ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Dr. Aaron L. Smith has been in education for 18 years, serving middle, high and college students as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, program director and adjunct professor. His experiences as a math teacher launched his journey into leading edge STEM education. He has received the Crystal Star Award from the National Dropout Prevention Center. Denbigh High School – Aviation Academy has been honored several times by the prestigious Society of Manufactured Engineers. The school has received awards from the Virginia Department of Education. The Aviation Academy is listed in the Virginia Living Magazine as a Top 100 Schools in the state. Dr. Smith received the 2014 ING Unsung Hero award. He also had two graduates earn the prestigious Gates Millennial Scholar during his tenure.

Best-selling author Bud Ramey joins Dr. Smith in presenting this transformational information to educators around the world. Ramey has been involved with public education for four decades, having been on the team that helped create and develop Walter Segaloff’s visionary An Achievable Dream, a Newport News, VA magnet program for at-risk children that has received international acclaim. He serves as Chairman of the local Children’s Literacy Association and is a member of the Langley Air Force Base Civic Leaders Association. Bud Ramey co-authored the best-selling No COLORS, which offers benchmark initiatives from around the world for stopping gangs from taking over our communities, and No BULLIES, a parents’ guide to stopping bullies in their tracks. He co-wrote The Familiar Physician, a best-selling book with Dr. Peter Anderson and Tom Emswiller, helping physicians cope with massive changes in the practice of medicine that threaten the extinction of family doctors, a book that is making significant impact on healthcare design internationally.


Both Dr. Smith and Ramey live in Coastal Virginia, a technology corridor unparalleled in the nation.

Aaron Smith, PhD. Co-author Bud Ramey


CHAPTER ONEHANDING ME THE THROTTLE

SO MY CAREER has led me here.I unpack the boxes from my previous school leadership

position to take over as Program Director of the Aviation Academy, a magnet program in the Newport News, Virginia Public Schools.

I look out the large picture window at the tarmac of the airport. Housed in the old terminal building at this beautiful airport, the enlightened leadership of the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport made this space available to the magnet program 20 years ago—a perfect location to bring young people interested in aviation as a career.

So, I am an educator now with an office at this old airport. An odd flow of emotions arrives as I step into the terminal.

Should I feel inspired or scratch my head? Could this represent a phenomenal new opportunity or the end of the line for a career in education? What about the retro décor (late 1940’s airline terminal grey)? Could this forebode something, offering a sign, a symbol, a metaphor for being bypassed by history? I give this about sixty seconds of serious thought.

As I return to my office and begin to carefully place the pictures of my wife and kids on the credenza and unload my files, I know the answer to that question.


This is an amazing challenge and opportunity simultaneously. The momentum for STEM education has just reached critical mass and only recently has the focus of state and national education leaders shifted to STEM education.

As if the answer to my question needed an external answer, the muted whining of a powerful jet engine catches my attention. An amazing Mirage jet fighter taxis past the school, just coming in from exercises with the fighters at Langley Air Force Base nearby.

For me, STEM came naturally. I loved the sciences and math, probably because I was blessed with inspirational instructors. I found significant success there and achieved my PhD.

I always wanted to teach, and I always hoped to pass on the inspiration I received as a student both to fellow teachers and to our students.

I find nothing more rewarding than seeing that spark ignite in a young people, a spark that can take them on a pathway to a successful career.

That’s what STEM does, as long as the students can see it in action, apply the learning to problem solving—and see themselves in the picture. This school could epitomize that energy.

The sound of several commercial airliners rises and falls as they arrive and depart the new terminal next door. The private aviation terminal and hangers nearby welcome back the corporate Learjets. Air Traffic Controllers come in for the afternoon shift. Baggage handlers and aircraft maintenance crew go about their duties. Security officers and TSA observe it all inside and outside the terminal as hundreds of passengers arrive and depart.

What a brilliant place to house STEM aviation classrooms.I have inherited a piece of gold and hope to shape it into

something even more beautiful. If ever I could find a living metaphor for STEM education, I have just unpacked my bags there.

And perhaps just as unconventional as the location of this school, the shape of my thinking must change as well to navigate the demanding new STEM movement with, as usual, minimal resources and high expectations.


Should I feel scared or energized? Well, honestly, a little of both. I have the summer to plan how to take this beautiful little program to the next level.

I bring in a few strengths. During my last assignment as an assistant principal, I helped students and colleagues in the division by creating the Save All Freshmen Everywhere (SAFE) experience, an initiative honored by the National Dropout Prevention Center.

Paired with a great mentor who showed me instructional and culturally related strategies, I prepare to use these skills to shape the perception and performance of the Academy. Great wisdom exists in the spirit of those educators and administrators who have gone down a path before us.

We are not only in an immersive high tech STEM environment; we are in the shadow of great historical scientific events. About a hundred miles to the south of this airport, not all that long ago, the Wright brothers risked life and limb to invent control surfaces on gliders and enable the use of an engine on an airplane.

And less than ten miles away, Neil Armstrong rehearsed landing on the moon at NASA Langley Lunar Landing Facility, which still stands as a monument to that historic achievement.

Both of these events changed the world. Both illustrate the power of science, technology, engineering and math when brought to bear on solving a problem.

I don’t know which is more difficult or worthy of celebration —the creation of a school such as this, or the rising of the institution to a new and unpredicted height. I did not create the Aviation Academy experience. But this handoff, giving me the throttle at just the right time, is not only an honor; it provides stepping-stones that will assist us in mapping key elements that any program could emulate.


CHAPTER TWOSHAPING HOW WE THINK ABOUT

THE WORLD

IT CREATES QUITE a dramatic opportunity for the Newport News aviation magnet program that is housed in an outdated and unneeded 1949-era airport terminal.

The subject matter and the critical importance of this educational initiative stand in vivid contrast to the facility, frozen in time and a holdover from the beginning of the jet age. Yet you walk inside the aging terminal, and the brightness awakens you. Embedded in the ceiling you see an actual single engine airplane. The sounds of jet airliners nearby at the new terminal punctuate the atmosphere. We are in a special place to learn about aviation and the sciences that are a part of this exciting field. NASA partners with the program and assists us with time, talent and the treasure of a wind tunnel for experimentation at the school. The Air Traffic Control tower team visits and provides tours for the students. Private aviators sip coffee right next door, working on their next flight plan. Student aviators taxi aircraft and spend vast amounts of time on our simulator.

The foresight of local educators choosing this out-of-the-box location for this school contributed to its early pioneering transformation as a STEM school over 20 years ago.

Effective STEM education needs to feel alive and practical. We cannot just use the blackboard to teach the sciences,


advanced math and physics courses. It needs to include hands-on experience, inspire critical thinking and, at every opportunity, encourage innovation. We need to think about how we experience the world.

Young people have an extraordinary sense of creativity and nurturing that must play a key part of any STEM program. Students yearn to solve problems, using what they have learned, and they gravitate to an environment that embodies excitement about the opportunities ahead.

The Aviation Academy embodies that immersive environment, operating under the banner of 1,300-student Denbigh High School. Our new principal brings in a new staff and fresh expectations as well. We inherit a great situation. The executive director of secondary schools holds wonderful briefings for us with the previous Aviation magnet team who founded the program.

Principal Cynthia Watson selects a leadership team to determine our greatest priorities. After much deliberation, we all agree that the Academy needs some community attention. We often describe our magnet program to community leaders as the “Aviation Academy—the best-kept secret in the region.”

As we gather that first summer, everyone on the team realizes that this Academy stands in position to accelerate a process of change. That change involves keeping a brilliantly conceived framework intact while transforming every day and taking full advantage of society’s newfound appreciation for this special educational model. We just need to ask for partnerships to help us transform the current configuration.

This would require planning, patience and dedication. The time arrives to begin gathering a community of believers together—the parents, staff, business community, military, students, and general public are about to recognize Aviation Academy as one of the best magnet programs anywhere.

Our initial work begins—preparing the scaffolding for advancing the Academy to the next level. Valuable facets of programming and planning include scheduling, course curriculum, student engagement, community relations, business partnerships, STEM integration, and, most importantly, student recruiting. So over the summer, we initiate this process.


People are watching now. We find ourselves on the radar of local, state, national and international business leaders who want to participate in this progressive effort.

We analyze local and state data. Previous students scored well on Standards of Learning (SOLs), but the program lagged in industry certifications, internships, and other factors.

We note that overall passing percentages for students at Aviation Academy taking the SOLs in Mathematics and Science were in the high 80s and low 90s, compared to our school division’s passing percentages which were significantly below our scores.

Modestly successful, these test scores (which measure subject matter mastery) are not the only measure. Our team believes that these results most likely will not equate to immediate success by students encountering the workplace.

In fact, we keep hearing deep concerns from employers who worry about the future of finding qualified candidates for their enterprise. Some perceive that we can blame teachers for the weaknesses in the labor pool, teachers who focus on passing the state and local tests rather than connecting the curriculum to real life examples and providing lessons that involve critical thinking and hands-on learning.

We need to disprove that, and now.

21st Century Mandates

Yet nationally, these employers have every right to act nervous.

According to the Global Innovation Index1, American students are far behind other nations regarding tests and pursuit of STEM careers.

America trails the rest of the industrial world:

• Ranked 23rd in the world in Math, Reading and Science behind (China #1).

• 77th for graduates in Science and Engineering (Thailand #1).

• 45th in publishing Scientific and technical papers (Iceland #1).


• 4th in uploading videos on YouTube (Iceland #1).

The kids hear this, too. These numbers fail to inspire our nation’s youth. Recent polls show that approximately one quarter of students who graduate with a STEM degree are female, and sadly only 3 percent are minority in Science and Engineering2. Furthermore:

• About 20% of 12th graders are noted as interested in pursuing a STEM career and are able to solve math problems relating to STEM concepts.

• 25% of African American students are interested in STEM.

• 20% of females pursue Engineering. • In this atmosphere of disinterest and doubt,

trends also show an increase in careers for STEM graduates, and by 2014, 2.5 million new jobs are created. Interest has been waning while employer demand escalates.

As an example, one of our local colleges, Thomas Nelson Community College, and the regional Peninsula Council For Workforce Development conduct a study that forecasts an imminent increase of over 11,000 newly created manufacturing jobs in the region3.

This local report stresses the immediate need for employees such as pipefitters, machinists, engineers, electricians, welders and other STEM-related professions. Our Coastal Virginia region has an abundance of industry, including some of the most advanced defense contractors and employers working with some of the highest technology anywhere.

These industrial giants are noticing that a critical mass of key employees will retire soon, and subsequently we do not have enough skilled laborers to replace them.

Should a shortage of qualified workers become acute, major corporations that reside in our area, such as the Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding (nuclear aircraft carriers and submarines) and Canon, would have their mission severely challenged.

Our school superintendent Dr. Ashby Kilgore champions the


concept "College, Career and Citizen-ready" and has challenged all Newport News Public Schools’ staff members to integrate this into our schools to make our children ready for the 21st century workplace. Taking this notion away from our last professional development, we know that the Aviation staff must take this Academy to the next level.

We develop our plan, a plan that not only puts students first, but also gives them a much-needed edge. A plan based on the research and experiences that will separate and elevate them above others in the job applicants’ field.

From researching the industry and listening to leaders in STEM fields across the nation, we establish a foundation or Vision that would launch an opportunity for greatness.

This simple plan, shown at the end of this chapter, serves as the cornerstone. We aspire to five fundamental traits often neglected by today’s students.

With a simple but powerful Vision established, we finish the plan that will thrust the program into transformation.

We challenge ourselves to find a way to help increase the interest and awareness that STEM careers are the wave of the future. And we get a little help from serendipity. At that very moment, a timely Virginia Aviation and Space Workforce Analysis and Strategy Development initiative loudly proclaims enhancing aviation-related careers with new marketing and public relations campaigns. They announce plans to make the public much more aware of the future demand for highly qualified pilots, mechanics, air traffic controllers, and other great careers. We are not in this alone.

Continuing to acknowledge that our students need more than we are currently providing, our team accepts the responsibility to reach out to the public. Make it deliberate and coordinated.

We make a list of important updates needed. Some things can wait. Some things are critical, like upgrading existing tools and technology in the building and the delivery of a curriculum as advanced as current industry practice.

Recognizing that students may not like working with antiquated technology, tools or teaching methods, we decide to do a formal survey, the most appropriate and authentic method to determine how they learn. We use Google docs, a free site that


will hold documents in a cloud until accessed and automatically compile results. These results validate our notion that the students want and need the latest technologies to become fully inspired.

Student STEM Survey

• 96% strongly agree or agree they like to learn through hands-on activities.

• 83% strongly agree or agree they prefer real world examples when taught by their teachers.

• 95% strongly agree or agree keeping their grades up will increase their chances of getting a scholarship.

• 70% strongly agree or agree if they pursue a STEM career that they have a good chance of getting employed quickly after college.

• 85% strongly agree or agree they want to use more technology in their classrooms, such as the wind tunnel or iPads.

When student interest aligns with providing skilled labor to the workforce, everyone becomes a winner. Our teachers review the information from the students’ survey and listen closely to the feedback. From now on, the staff at Aviation Academy moves to a new level of thinking and learning.

The aviation profession expects to experience shortages of 10% – 20% over the next five to ten years. Our graduates will be in a position to help remedy that. This school’s graduating seniors will most likely go to college or the military. Depending on the year, 15% – 25% pursue the military, while the rest of the Aviation Academy graduating class move on to some type of post-secondary institution.

Students arriving at the Academy know that they have a great opportunity to prepare themselves for life after high school. Some of the students come to Aviation Academy for the rigorous classes, while some truly love the hands-on activities and lessons.


Ris ing Expectat ions

Whatever reason the students have for attending the Academy, we seek to meet their expectations. Teachers and administration address the questions “what do we want our students to possess once they graduate?” and “are graduates being prepared for the next level?” The answers evolve quickly, changing with the advancing marketplace for employment and the rising expectations of worried high-tech corporate managers.

As we become fully immersed in this first full year of this transformation, we recognize that a majority of the pieces are in place, but nothing syncs them together. This orchestration should elevate the program even further. Pondering this notion over the next couple of weeks, we turn our thoughts to identify current practices in place and compare that to the researched industry needs. Then we again put on our visionary hats to look ahead to the future.

Ear ly Ident i f icat ion

The silent dropout epidemic in our schools affects everything. Attacking this problem becomes a key strategy. The “best practice” we note around the country calls on us to focus on early identification of kids at risk for dropout. Alert teachers can pick up on these subtle cues in their classes every day. If we want to make an impact, we cannot leave these kids out.

All educators are acutely aware of the number of students who leave without successfully completing the requirements for a diploma or a General Education Diploma (GED). As shown at the end of this chapter, the impact of dropout students affects everything. Frustrated, many teachers do not take the time to follow up on their students’ whereabouts. They mark them absent rather than calling and checking on them.

In an effort to make a difference in these former students, our school superintendent and school board vow to make dropout prevention and recovery a top priority. Students leaving school before graduation impact local school budget funding, decrease the school’s scores from No Child Left Behind and state accreditation benchmarks, and thus dramatically impact federal


and state funding4. This has serious impact on the budget.Every year, over one million high school students drop out of

school and fail to earn a diploma. Minority students who leave comprise of over half of the dropouts. This report also notes that when the school personnel make conscious efforts to regain these students, it works, decreasing dropouts by over 100,000 from the previous year5. With so many students dropping out across the nation, numerous variables have been identified that have a role in the massive number of students exiting before the 12th grade.

The Painfu l Story of Jerry

One afternoon my wife Sherri, who also teaches, and I were out shopping. We ran into one of her former students. Retrieving shopping carts from the parking lot, Jerry reconnected with Sherri. He said he had planned on entering the Navy but could not because he did not graduate from his high school. When I asked why, he explained that he completely forgot that he had a knife in his pocket one day very close to the end of his senior year. The usual follow up process failed.

Jerry received a long-term suspension with no work for to him to complete while he was out on his suspension. No follow-up conversations resulted and Jerry accepted the notion that the world didn’t care, which we knew was not the case. While we talked, my impression was that he appears very respectful, but sad and surviving day to day. I offered to make a call to give him an opportunity to get his diploma… would he get it? Without blinking an eye, he responded, “Yes!”

We exchanged phone numbers, and I made a call to the central office to help Jerry sign up for his GED, which he quickly earned. This could have changed his life and his story from despair to hope. Teachers call this kind of move a generation changer, as it breaks the cycle of poverty with the chance of increasing their income based upon their education.

But Jerry came from a broken family. He lived in a dangerous neighborhood. There was violence in the home. Just weeks later, he died—another victim of domestic violence—too many guns, too much poverty, drugs, and rage. Jerry was shot. His own


mother killed him. These at-risk, inner city kids are not competing on a level

playing field. They come from circumstances most of us can only imagine. When this kind of tragedy strikes, we have to pick ourselves up, stay focused, and remember that there are a lot more kids out there that need the extra inspiration and that our steadfast belief in them may be the only act of love they have ever experienced.

Reflecting on Jerry and the Freshmen Transition initiatives, our planning team developed a good baseline to initiate a plan and heed a perfect storm gathering on the horizon. We almost rescued the situation for Jerry. But we could not rescue him.


IDEAS IN ACTION #15 CORE BELIEFS TO L IVE BY

We identify five Core Beliefs that captured the essence of STEM and professionalism.

PPay attention to details.

PImprove the usage of technology in work areas.

PResearch the latest trends and fuse them together with the current curriculum.

PIntegrate interdisciplinary lessons, especially in core and Career and Technical Education classes (CTE).

PDevelop a higher level of thinking in all STEM courses.


IDEAS IN ACTION #2FOCUS ON THE DROPOUT:

THE SILENT EPIDEMIC

As early as 2006, J.D. Bridgeland conducted a study where no single indicator identified a leading cause to help explain why students left high school6. However, some deplorable statistics identified from this study revealed the following data. From all of the high school dropouts who were surveyed:

P47% of those interviewed said the way teachers deliver the lessons bored them.P66% stated they dropped out of school as a result of low expectations set by the teacher.P33% of them left because of the necessity to support their family with a job.P25% left due to pregnancy.P20% left to care for a family member.P35% percent indicated failing in school became a significant factor in their decision to withdraw.P33% repeated a grade before they dropped out of school.

The most alarming statistic revealed three-fourths of those dropouts wished they could return and complete their education (Bridgeland et al.).

“Every educator and business leader in America knows that STEM is vital, and that this is where we need to go. Awakening Your STEM School offers us a guide for

business leaders and educators on how to get there together.”—Josh Cramer, Senior Educational Programs Officer, SME – Society of Manufacturing Engineers

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I N S I D E

A W A K E N I N G Y O U RSTEM SCHOOLASSURING A JOB-READY WORKFORCE

Educators and Business Leaders Bringing the STEM

Classroom AliveEvery school in America embraces the need to dramatically improve

STEM education. And every business in America needs STEM graduates.

Dr. Aaron Smith’s thoughtful narrative offers ideas, tools and actions that both community leaders and educators can deploy to inspire students and assure that a job-ready workforce flows from the local schools.

Here resides a guide for community and business leaders on how to become involved at a meaningful level to make sure employers can recruit capable and prepared students.

Here school leaders can become inspired to embed the skillsets needed in the 21st century workplace.

STEM(Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education)

Business leaders and educators know the skills and knowledge in each of these disciplines are deeply intertwined into the real world of jobs.

EDUCATION: Professional Development

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“Teachers and administrators can use this book as a guide to develop and implement other innovative approaches to enhance STEM learning in their school, community, and state.”

—Dr. Roger A. Hathaway, Special STEM Programs Manager, NASA

“Dr. Smith uses his experiences with real students and their stories to illustrate his ideas about how make a STEM school work. This book will inspire educators to think “out of the

box” about how to really motivate students and parents to engage with STEM.”—Dr. Marsha Sprague, Director of Teacher Preparation, Christopher Newport University

awakening your educators and business assuring a job … · enhance stem learning in their school,...

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