Streamlining STEM Education to Better Support Teachers

扒哥黑料's Impact

After the COVID-19 pandemic, Washoe County School District in Nevada biggest challenges were student engagement, learning loss, and how to manage the adaptation of varying STEM instruction from campus to campus. Middle school subjects were taught in silos yet had a STEM lab, high school STEM focused on听Career & Technical Education, and elementary schools took a cross-curricular approach to STEM that was supported by a computer lab.听

To combat the challenges from the pandemic and support the different types of STEM instruction, the Nevada State Department of Education鈥攚ith funding support from听鈥攕elected听扒哥黑料 Experience听as a statewide option for its ease of use, ability to reach learners wherever they are, and high-quality, standards-aligned content. It proved to be the right choice because teachers like those in Washoe School District could rely on Experience to supplement instruction no matter how they taught STEM, while ensuring student engagement at multiple levels.

I initially was worried about implementing a new program, but when 扒哥黑料鈥檚 team came on board, the partnership just clicked! They provided the perfect resources to share with teachers so that I wouldn鈥檛 have to recreate the wheel; the way it鈥檚 set up makes it so easy to use. It continues to be such a strong partnership because of DE鈥檚 ability to understand what works best for our educators and students.

Kindra Fox

Director of Secondary Curriculum & Instruction, Washoe County School District

Experience also made an impact on the level of rigor in lessons to meet the district鈥檚 goals for student success. Finding the wealth of standards-aligned activities in Experienceencouraged many teachers to reflect on the standards they were teaching and see how they can enhance the rigor of their lessons using the helpful resources in 扒哥黑料 and in their core program.

In 扒哥黑料 Experience, there are great videos, but the best part is that there are also questions, graphic organizers, or activities embedded into the videos that will hold students accountable for the learning. These strategies and activities are what take the content to the next level for my students.

Aaron Grossman

5th Grade Teacher, NV

Lightbulb Moments

扒哥黑料 gives teachers control over how to navigate and use the resources to fit their classroom teaching and learning needs. Teachers found they can execute individual assignments easily, like videos, or conduct whole-class instruction. They can deliver the lessons in multiple ways to fit the needs of their classrooms and students. For example, 扒哥黑料 can support learning both at school and at home, giving them continual access to engaging learning resources like Virtual Field Trips.

From small group instruction to activity centers to independent study, it鈥檚 really appealing for a teacher because It's not the same 鈥渨atch a video, do some questions鈥� approach鈥攊t takes the monotony away and lends itself much more to engagement with students. And when students are willing to learn at a deeper level, 扒哥黑料 really shines.

Kindra Fox

Director of Secondary Curriculum & Instruction

Looking Ahead

Between the curriculum leaders in Washoe County School District and the 扒哥黑料 team, much is being done to find new ways to bring 扒哥黑料 to more teachers, especially at the high school level. This close partnership focuses on identifying the needs of the high schools and targeting those needs through 扒哥黑料鈥檚 resources and professional learning. The district is also taking strategic steps in improving communication and outreach to their 100+ schools regarding the multitude of ways that 扒哥黑料 can support effective teaching and learning.听听