LATEST NEWS & INFO Category: School leaders

Ohio schools, from pre-K to college, are closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing students and teachers to adapt to online instruction. This method is new to many involved, and there was no time to prepare for the abrupt change, causing confusion and anxiety. Ohio’s community of educators is strong, with many teachers sharing their advice with each other. Today, we release a new report: “Distance learning days at Ohio’s STEM schools during the COVID-19 crisis: Perspectives and advice for educators.” […]

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 2020 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 […]

Battelle’s Innovative Leaders Institute pairs experienced school principals with other principals or lead-teachers to prepare you to manage innovative STEM/STEAM schools. Over a 12 month cohort program meet with peer educators for five day-long sessions: four in-person sessions and one online. Learn how to foster leadership, effective instruction, and a culture/climate of innovation. The curriculum focuses on leadership, instruction, and culture/climate. Participants engage in structured learning activities on topics like adaptive and distributive leadership, problem-based learning, meaningful professional development, marketing […]

Time is running out to get your applications in for STEM professional development this year! The Ohio STEM Learning Network has three programs accepting applications now. Applications will close soon for many of these spring 2020 opportunities. Summer STEM externship: Apply for a summer externship at a local STEM company through the Manufacturing and Engineering Externship Program. Educators in the program will complete 3-5 day externship in the summer, develop a new problem-based learning unit, and implement that new unit […]

Are you thinking about converting your school to a STEM/STEAM curriculum? Are you unsure how to start? Then consider participating in the Battelle’s Innovative Leaders Institute (ILI) through the Ohio STEM Learning Network. ILI is a five-day program (one day is virtual) spread over 12 months that pairs experienced school principals with other principals or lead-teachers who wish to implement innovative strategies in your school and/or become a STEM school. The curriculum focuses on leadership, instruction, and culture/climate. Participants engage […]

Colorful, twinkling lights of the holiday season can inspire awe and wonder in adults and children alike. But in northeastern Ohio, kids of elementary and high school age have created light displays for an annual drive-through show that draws tens of thousands of visitors and raises money for local charities. Magic of Lights, held from late November through early January, is billed as the region’s largest holiday light attraction. Using the latest LED technology and digital animation, the event includes […]

Good things are happening fast at Chase STEMM Academy. The K-8 building in the Toledo Public district earned an overall grade of “B” on its latest School Report Card from the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), after logging an “F” in 2015. Chase also has received statewide honors, being named an Ohio School to Watch by ODE and earning the department’s Momentum Award. How has the urban school come so far so quickly? We asked principal Jack Hunter about the […]

The Ohio STEM Learning Network collaborates with the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) to support the STEM/STEAM school designation process.  STE(A)M designation is written into Ohio law, and the law defines the contents of the applications for STE(A)M school designation. Periodically, the Ohio STEM Learning Network and ODE make clarifications to the application process, including updating the application itself. A new STE(A)M designation application was approved by the Ohio STEM Committee, the group of policymakers, agency directors, and business leaders […]

After several years of discussion, new graduation requirements are coming. In response to a call for more options, the new graduation standards, which will become effective in mid-October, go beyond the usual tests and offer combinations of criteria that students can satisfy to demonstrate their qualifications to graduate high school. For insight on the new requirements, we contacted Sarah Wilson at the Ohio Department of Education: Q: Tell us about your job at the Ohio Department of Education and your […]

One might think that an enterprise called the PAST Foundation would be focused on, well, the past. But that’s not the case with this Columbus-based non-profit education organization. The PAST Foundation wants to transform the future of teaching and learning through its emphasis on STEM education, school design and workforce development. Through its programs, which include its Innovation Lab; professional development training for school administrators and teachers; and student activities, to name a few, the foundation works to change education […]