Woolslair elementary school parent Jaline Cunningham was an early supporter of a proposal to turn her child’s school into a science, technology, engineering, arts and math magnet school — also known as a STEAM school. But after seeing the model employed in the South Fayette School District over the summer, she says the benefits of STEAM curriculum became even more apparent.
“I was originally like, ‘Oh yeah, that would be nice,'” Cunningham says. “But when I saw it in action I realized my kids would be able to learn so much better.”
Now the STEAM magnet proposal is being considered by Pittsburgh Public Schools administrators. Supporters believe it could be brought to the school board for a vote at this month’s legislative meeting, on Sept. 23. But first the district must find funding to implement and sustain the model.
“Like every good idea, it costs,” says Superintendent Linda Lane.
There are other factors to consider. The magnet proposal was originally created to attract more families to Woolslair; the school — which sits on the border Lawrenceville and Bloomfield — was nearly closed last year due to poor enrollment. Some worry that while the school’s student body could increase, it might shift enrollment issues to other district schools.
“If all we do is pull kids out of other Pittsburgh public schools, we’ve just moved the problem,” Lane says. “But if we can attract kids [from outside the district] that would be a more positive thing.”
According to the proposal submitted by a group of Woolslair parents and teachers, the STEAM model is an interdisciplinary approach to education that aims to help students understand how subjects “relate in the real world.” Instead of relying on memorization and testing, the curriculum is project-based.
“One example is a project where children design a city. If you want to have a bridge, that would be engineering. When you do design to make it aesthetically pleasing, you’re bringing in the arts,” says Woolslair teacher Kathy Michelotti. “It’s integrated, instead of isolated, skills because that’s how we use skills in real life as adults.”
Michelotti was among the parents and teachers who visited the nearby suburban South Fayette School District over the summer to see how teachers are using the STEAM model.
“They’re actually planting gardens and measuring things,” says Cunningham. “It’s not like here, where the kids cut out the paper ruler and measure the picture of lettuce. They’re actually pulling out the lettuce and measuring the roots of the lettuce. And that’s an everyday part of their curriculum.”
South Fayette doesn’t have one STEAM-specific school, but has instead implemented the model throughout the district.
“This model is not just attractive; it is critical to advance our students’ skills to keep them globally competitive,” says South Fayette Superintendent Bille Rondinelli.
While Rondinelli provided anecdotal examples of how STEAM has contributed to achievement throughout his district, she says there’s no way to know whether the model has increased enrollment there. However, Woolslair’s STEAM supporters tout South Fayette’s title as the fastest growing district in the state, according to the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, as proof of the model’s success.
“By bringing in STEAM we can draw families to Woolslair, but we can also bring more families into the district, so we can maybe even save the district,” says Valerie Allman, another Woolslair parent.
“We’re hoping it’s going to increase our enrollment by drawing people back to Woolslair that maybe have made other choices, such as charter schools or maybe a different magnet program or private schools,” Michelotti says.
In order to integrate STEAM education into the South Fayette district, Rondinelli sought funding from a variety of sources.
“We have been able to secure grants to offset some of the costs for specific projects, such as the Grable Grant, STEAM grants offered through the [Allegheny Intermediate Unit], The Sprout Fund, and others,” Rondinelli says. “… Much [of it] is not costly; it involves redesigning the curriculum and incorporating innovation and connected learning concepts and strategies.”
It would cost $150,000 to implement the model, but while the initial costs are high, the Woolslair group says it would not cost the district a lot to sustain. Startup costs mostly include upgraded technology such as laptops, which would be used for projects like programming robots. The district would also have to fund a STEAM teacher coordinator.
“Knowing the financial situation the district is in, I think we can do it with not a lot of money in the big scheme of things,” Michelotti says. “We’re hoping to get some money granted to us. There are a lot of grants out there. STEAM is an idea that a lot of people are looking to fund right now.”
Recently, the Allegheny Intermediate Unit distributed grants for STEAM education funded by the Claude Worthington Benedum and Grable foundations. For the 2014-2015 school year, $500,000 was given to 25 school districts in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
Pittsburgh Public Schools was not among those awarded. But according to the group championing the Woolslair proposal, Superintendent Lane has been in talks with the Grable and Pittsburgh foundations to secure funding for the STEAM magnet.
“The superintendent is speaking to foundations to secure funding, but for more than just Woolslair,” says district spokesperson Ebony Pugh. “The STEAM model, proposed by the community for Woolslair, is among that discussion.”
The Woolslair group hopes the school board will approve the proposal at its legislative meeting this month. But while the proposal was submitted to the district in August, it has yet to appear on board’s agenda, even though several board members, including Regina Holley, who represents Woolslair, have vocally supported the plan.
“This is the way of the future,” says school director Carolyn Klug. “This is what kids need to be productive and I think it’s a good opportunity for our children. I haven’t heard anything negative about it.”
While Superintendent Lane cautions against viewing the magnet proposal as a solution to prevent school closings, she agrees STEAM would be beneficial to district students.
“We just have to get kids out of their seats doing things,” Lane says. “As companies around the nation begin to emphasize the importance of employees who are creative, this is a great way to pull out creativity and allow kids to show their creativity. All learning is so much easier when the kids are interested.”
However, Lane is not as confident that local foundations and other grant-making agencies will be willing to fund the implementation of a model at a single school with such a small student population.
“The big challenge is the money has to come from somewhere,” Lane says. “The small number of children involved isn’t highly likely to attract grants. Foundations are going to be interested in having a larger impact than just 100 children.”
While members of the parent group believed the district was delaying magnet registration for the 2015-2016 school year until next month to permit inclusion of the proposed Woolslair STEAM school, magnet registration began on Sept. 15. And as of press time, the Woolslair proposal has not been included in the agenda for the board’s Sept. 23 meeting.
As the Woolslair group awaits the district’s decision, its members have already been working to begin integrating STEAM into the school. Woolslair secured a $15,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to start an after-school program that will begin in October.
This article appears in Sep 17-23, 2014.
