STEM programs’ role in school curriculums continue to grow as the digital world becomes increasingly embedded into everyday life.
That is why districts around the region are trying to prepare their students for careers in growing fields such as computer science.
In District 11 preparing students for STEM careers begins with embedding a STEM lens of problem-solving and critical thinking throughout a student’s day in every subject.
The district plans to transform two of its elementary schools to follow this method.
One elementary school on the east side of town and one on the west side will be identified to implement a STEM curriculum. That means a day full of STEM learning where classes beyond math and science would integrate STEM topics and materials.
“STEM starts to help us answer that question about, here’s when you might use this as an engineer or a scientist,” said Sherry Kalbach, Interim Deputy Superintendent of Achievement, Learning and Leadership in District 11. “And I think that’s pretty engaging for kids when they see they’re learning something that has meaning beyond the four walls of a school.”
Kalbach said students also get excited about STEM because it offers the opportunity for hands-on, collaborative learning labs.
For military communities like Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8, STEM learning can translate directly into a career since information technology, computer science and cybersecurity are some of Colorado’s most in-demand industries.
“What we’re working to do is just give kids a significant taste of what inquiry-based learning is really about and help them to begin to develop a kind of STEM identity,” said Clint Allison, executive director of student achievement in Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8, “and see themselves as a potential for a career path down the road in the future.”
During high school, students get to choose between eight different course pathways including biomedical science, computer science, business marketing, education and graphic design, among others.
While those pathways are not new for District 8, Assistant Superintendent of Student Achievement Lori Cooper said they are consistently realigning the pathways to serve the best college prep possible.
Cooper said District 8 funded their STEM offerings with a nearly $5 million grant from the Department of Defense Education Activity over the past eight or so years.
“We have to make sure we have sustainability,” Cooper said. “In those grants, you can’t just have (them) for five years, and then they go away.”
District 8 focused on making programs sustainable by partnering with Pikes Peak Community College to teach college prep courses within STEM.
Other districts, such as Harrison School District Two, expanded STEM offerings to include a broader scope of disciplines including art, also known as STEAM.
“Some of these technical fields do have an art component because communication is so important,” said David Jarboe, Director of Instructional Technology at Harrison School District Two.
Jarboe explained that art and creativity play an important role in STEM fields because visualization and communication are essential components of computer science.
Beyond the arts component of STEAM offerings in District 2, Jarboe said robotics has become a core piece of STEAM offerings within District 2.
This year students participated in the First Lego League, a robotics competition where students use Lego kits to build programmable robots.
“We certainly want to build the enthusiasm to feed into our middle and high school programs,” Jarboe said. “And that’s where we’re doing with the STEM challenges where kids come together, they collaborate, they get to be somewhat competitive and gain interest.”
©2022 The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
