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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 […]

The School District of University City has taken a big leap in developing the next generation of transformational school leaders. Last summer, it named Jessica Hawkins and Deitra Colquitt co-principals of Pershing Elementary School. Both served as Teacher Instructional Leaders prior to their advancement. They credit the Transformational Leadership Initiative, a multi-year effort designed to […]

The Transformational Leadership Initiative has partnered with two Saint Louis Public elementary schools, Ashland and Meramec, to challenge traditional educational models of top-down leadership. More common in schools serving low-income and minority communities, these long-standing models enforce rigid, test-focused leadership which makes them less able to cope with day-to-day stressors and pushes educators away from […]

Kids learn by doing. So what does that mean for science instruction in the age of Covid-19, when many schools are closed and children are learning from home? It’s embracing the uncertainties, shifting mindsets and expectations, and finding a new learning landscape. The shift to at-home learning should not mean skipping core content. While disruptive, the […]

St. Louis algebra teacher Josh Humphrey has 45 minutes to deliver his lesson on geometric sequences to his ninth-grade class — what they are, why they matter and how they differ from their mathematical cousin, the arithmetic sequence. 

Institute for School Partnership Instructional Specialist Lauren Ashman was quoted in a TEACH Magazine article on teaching practicality and hope in the face of climate change. Ashman discussed teaching the science around climate change, and fostering positive empowerment.  “We focus on the fact that even as young people, they still have the ability to become involved […]