LATEST NEWS & INFO Category: STEAM

“As an administrator, it is important to allow teachers to take risks” says Christina Ramsey, principal at McKinley STEMM Academy. Not all risks pan out. But when a project comes together: “that is truly where the magic happens,” she says.  Students at the academy, part of Toledo Public Schools, recently benefited from collaborations with two out-of-state professional artists who visited the academy and conducted workshops with students. To find out more about the collaborations and the artwork that was produced, […]

  The myriad challenges posed by the relentless COVID-19 pandemic have forced many STEM educators to innovate. They’ve devised countless original ways to teach their students, both virtually via computer and in-person while wearing masks and keeping socially distanced. And school faculty members aren’t the only educators affected. Museum staff members have had to be creative to safely serve the public. A case in point: The Works, Ohio Center for History, Art & Technology, in Newark. While the facility was […]

“When I think of STEM in our community, I think of Tom Burnworth.” That’s how an education professor at the University of Toledo describes the recent winner of the Ohio STEM Advocate of 2021 Award. Burnworth is executive director of the Sylvania STEM Center in suburban Toledo. And in that role, he leads a “robust STEM center that affords children across (northwest) Ohio opportunities to learn to program, problem solve, innovate, collaborate and present their ideas,” writes Professor Ruslan Slutsky […]

Guest post submitted by Rich Granger and Kenya Gray of DriveOhio, our long running partner DriveOhio – an initiative of the Ohio Department of Transportation and the state’s center for smart mobility on the ground and in the air – is preparing Ohio’s emerging workforce for the next generation of transportation careers. During the 2021-22 school year, DriveOhio is launching a new Smart Mobility Ambassador program for high school volunteers, in collaboration with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) educators […]

The Ohio STEM Learning Network exists to improve access to and quality of STEM education across Ohio, inspiring students and laying the founding for a growing state economy. We expand STEM education of through professional development and networking for educators, student opportunities like the #STEMpowersOhio Design & Entrepreneurship Challenge, our regional STEM hubs, and our collaboration with the Ohio Department of Education to support the designation of STEM/STEAM schools. Pursuing STEM/STEAM designation is a way for schools to communicate their […]

The Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio STEM Learning Network invite school administrators and staff to participate in a four-part webinar series to gain a deeper understanding of the pillars of STEM and how these strategies support all students, in all schools. These webinars will guide leaders to understand how STEM education transcends content areas, resulting in a shift in the way students engage in learning from kindergarten to graduation. To help us prepare for these webinars, please RSVP […]

Amid the turmoil, disruption and uncertainty that the COVID-19 pandemic thrust upon education in the Buckeye State, one southwestern Ohio school for young learners still had much to celebrate this spring. In May, on its third try, the Kinder Garden School received the state’s STEM/STEAM designation from the Ohio STEM Committee. In addition, Kinder Garden School students celebrated successfully tackling the Ohio STEM Learning Network’s #STEMdrivesOhio Design Challenge on smart mobility, coming up with creative and practical ways to make […]

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 […]

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 […]

What does it takes to be a STEM or STEAM school, as designated by the State of Ohio? Designation requires more than adding a robotics club, going 1:1 with technology, or offering more science and math courses. The Ohio STEM Learning Network and the Ohio Department of Education will be hosting four regional meetings this fall to assist schools interested in applying for STE(A)M designation. Join us to learn about the attributes of a STE(A)M designated school, from creating a […]