LATEST NEWS & INFO Category: School leaders

Thanks to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, schools across the Midwest can enroll in a free COVID-19 testing program. The newly launched Midwest Coordination Center (https://www.testedandprotected.org/) will pair schools with testing labs to deliver weekly screening results to schools and other organizations. The Midwest Coordination Center is managed by Battelle, which also manages the Ohio STEM Learning Network. Testing under the program is free, including sample collection supplies and shipping materials. Providing access to easy, reliable, and […]

High school teachers and staff face a daunting task trying to navigate the complexities of industry credentials and career ready pathways. Just getting started generates more questions than clear answers. Questions like “which pathways should we offer?”, “how do we prepare students to succeed in each pathway?”, “which vendor should we use for the credentials” and “how do we get students to earn 12 points in a single pathway?” challenge any school trying to implement industry credential programs. The Ohio […]

Today, we recognize four supporters of high-quality STEM education as leaders in providing experiences that inspire and educate the next generation of Ohio innovators. These dedicated educators go above and beyond to advance STEM education in our state. Nominations for the 2021 awards opened in February. Excellence in STEM Teaching Award The Excellence in STEM Teaching Award recognizes a teacher who exemplifies integrated, STEM-infused teaching strategies and classroom innovation, and whose work has led to positive student learning outcomes. This awardee […]

One of the key functions of the Ohio STEM Learning Network is to collect and share what’s working in STEM education. That includes how educators of all kinds respond to new challenges, including the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Early during the school closures, we issued a special report to help schools make successful shifts to online learning. Every school made changes to react to the pandemic. From online learning to altered cafeteria schedules, educators rethought every piece of the […]

We know it’s a busy time for Ohio educators. That’s why we’re giving you a few more weeks to recognize a phenomenal STEM educator in your building. Applications for our 2021 OSLN STEM Excellence Awards will be accepted through April 25! The STEM Excellence Awards will recognize a phenomenal teacher, school or district administrator, and an outstanding advocate for STEM education. Help us find the trailblazers in your community who are expanding access to quality STEM education. The STEM Excellence […]

Do you have a phenomenal STEM educator in your building? Is there an outstanding leader in your school or district that encourages innovation? Is your colleague leading the charge in advocating for STEM? Applications for our 2021 OSLN STEM Excellence Awards are now open! The STEM Excellence Awards will recognize a phenomenal teacher, school or district administrator, and an outstanding advocate for STEM education. Help us find the trailblazers in your community who are expanding access to quality STEM education. The […]

In May 2020, 10 more schools in the Buckeye State earned the STEM/STEAM designation from the Ohio STEM Committee. The designation recognizes a school as an effective place for STEM or STEAM learning. The Ohio STEM Learning Network and Ohio Department of Education collaborate to support the designation process. Among the schools earning the designation in May was the McKinley STEMM Academy, a K-8 elementary school in the Toledo Public Schools district. As with many schools seeking the designation, McKinley […]

The Ohio STEM Learning Network recently announced the addition of two educators to help lead the network’s Dayton Hub. Jenn Reid and Stephanie Adams Taylor, both on staff at the Dayton Regional STEM School in Kettering, will join Dr. Brian Boyd, associate professor of mathematics education at Wright State University, in directing the hub’s programming, professional development, partnerships and outreach. To gain a bit of insight into their educational backgrounds, current jobs and plans for the hub, we contacted Reid […]

Thanks to the educational non-profit Esports Ohio, competitive esports – or sports competition using video games – have flourished in the state on the high school level. Since 2018, team esport contests have grown to include more than 2,600 student competitors from more than 130 Ohio school districts. To harness that student interest in esports on the scholastic side, Esports Ohio has partnered with the PAST Foundation and the North America Scholastic Esports Federation to create the Ohio Scholastic Esports […]

When the coronavirus pandemic prompted Ohio schools to close in March, district administrators, teachers, students and their families scrambled to quickly adapt to online learning. In northeastern Ohio, Akron Public Schools, the state’s fifth-largest district, gave its families much needed extra help. Under the leadership of Carla L. Chapman, District Director  of Community Relations, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, a team created the Connectors program. Through the program, 254 trained, non-instructional staff members called Akron students to determine their needs, logging […]