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There are no worksheets in Rachel Thomas’ sixth grade math class at Ritenour Middle School. They don’t memorize formulas, either. Even more impressive is the way students rally around one another as they tackle the latest high-level math problem that Thomas has thrown their way. They’re in this together. “The focus on high-level tasks has […]

For some reason, the 40 fourth graders that Kristen Buescher co-teaches this year at Parkwood Elementary School are finding cows hilarious. “Their collective obsession with cows has bonded the group, so we’re going with it,” Buescher muses. “We really try to build opportunities that bond students to one another and to us. Laughing while you’re […]

Even when their play is mud-pie messy, preschool children are learning skills they need for socializing, language, and math. “Young learners are capable of higher-level thinking, and much like adults, they appreciate authentic work,” says Corrie Hamilton, a teacher at Julia Goldstein Early Childhood Education Center (JGECEC) in University City, where plans are underway for […]

Rachel Ruggirello, associate director of the Institute for School Partnership at Washington University in St. Louis, is the 2022 recipient of the Outstanding Administrative Support Award by the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA). The award is given annually to honor one educator who is working outside the classroom at school, district and city/county levels […]

PHOTO: Wysession leads a brainstorming session with Ritenour High School teachers and ISP instructional specialists A two-year collaboration between teachers at the Ritenour School District and faculty and staff from Washington University in St. Louis culminates this year with four completely new high school science courses.  Instructional specialists with WashU’s Institute for School Partnership (ISP) […]

Successful completion of algebra 1 is the gatekeeper to higher-level math and is required for virtually any education beyond high school. That makes math education an equity issue. A  2019 article in the Journal for Research and Mathematics Education states, “It’s well documented that Black and Hispanic students are underrepresented in eighth-grade algebra courses. As […]

Last summer, four organizations came together to launch a new program in 17 St. Louis Public elementary schools. The Institute for School Partnership (ISP), The Little Bit Foundation (TLBF), and St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS), with funding from the Bayer Fund, developed a pilot program to increase capacity for STEM teaching and learning in SLPS. […]

How do plants grow? Where does food come from? Who grows your food? Agriculture is the No. 1 industry in Missouri. The state is home to 95,000 farms, according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture, covering two-thirds of the state’s total land acreage, with the top commodities being soybeans, corn, cattle, hogs, and turkeys. But despite […]

PHOTO: Students from Barbara C. Jordan Elementary School in University City, including Ania Hargrove and Tyler Smith, participated in an Hour of Code activity in 2017 that was led by the Institute for School Partnership. (Photo: Myra Lopez/ISP) The Institute for School Partnership (ISP) at Washington University in St. Louis is developing a new strategic […]

When the coronavirus pandemic shut down schools in March, it highlighted the widening digital divide for many families and students in the St. Louis region. Schools and families struggled to quickly pivot to remote learning – lacking reliable internet and access to computers. Public television has become a key tool to keep students engaged and […]