Teachers matter more to student achievement than any other aspect of schooling.

Test scores, attendance, social and emotional skills – these all predict student success in school and later in life. In a career, one teacher can directly impact these markers for hundreds of students. And indirectly, through coaching, extracurricular activities, the influence of their students on other students and siblings, and effect on multiple classrooms through collaboration with peers - the value of a single teacher reaches far beyond the classroom.

Annually, the Institute for School Partnership (ISP) engages with more than 3,200 teachers through workshops, school and classroom coaching, and professional learning offerings. This summer alone we provided over 300 hours of professional development. We believe the best way to promote strong student outcomes is to invest in teachers. We offer a variety of targeted learning and leadership opportunities to meet the different needs of educators as they plan for the future of their schools and districts.

In this newsletter, we highlight our summer working with local teachers and school leaders – see the limitless dedication and resilience of teachers as they embrace professional improvement and joy of learning stepping up for themselves and their students again and again.

Growing STEM Teachers, Developing STEM Students

For children to be the coders, scientists, and engineers of tomorrow, it's imperative that they're exposed to STEM skills at an early age. Teachers play a vital role in connecting young minds to STEM career paths. 

This summer, 83 K-8 educators from 17 St. Louis area schools and school districts took part in our two-week STEM Teacher Quality (STEM TQ) Institute. Teachers began learning ways to infuse STEM into existing curriculum, connect STEM to everyday life, and increase their own STEM knowledge - all with the goal of developing STEM-capable students. During one field trip, they visited Castlewood State Park to learn about stream erosion and assessment techniques. 

Teachers will attend monthly sessions for the rest of the school year. Since its inception in 2010,  over 1,000 teachers have taken part in STEM TQ.

Centering Joy in Science

With the push of a button, the electrostatic wand makes the foil float through the air. Using a clean white surface, iron shavings and a magnet create a magnetic field. During our two-day summer institute “(Re)Centering Joy in Science: Equity and Meaning in Practice," St. Louis area educators and administrators conducted experiments that will engage all students in joyful science learning.

Participants learned specific strategies that they can use in their own classrooms. These strategies are designed to include all students in hands-on science experiences and elevate their learning through equitable and rigorous science conversations. 

Creating Districtwide Math Coaching Teams 

Math achievement in a student’s K-12 journey is critical for future academic and economic success. But gaps in opportunities to learn math persist. The Math314 team is working with Pattonville teachers and administrators to develop strategies to engage their students in rich, meaningful mathematics.

Who ran across the baseball field the fastest? The fan or the person in a squirrel costume? As a fun icebreaker, our Math314 team explored that rich math task during summer PD sessions with elementary, middle, and high school teachers.

Advancing Place-Based Learning 

Two St. Louis City public elementary schools are emerging as powerful models of transformation. Through our Transformational Leadership Initiative, we are partnering with Ashland and Meramec elementary schools to redefine traditional models of leadership and accountability. This is a multi-year partnership approach that has been shown to support lasting change and increase student achievement.

During a week-long summer institute, TLI facilitators and educators with Saint Louis Public Schools took part in community immersion adventures - visiting with different community organizations. They developed placed-based units that will make science relevant to students, by connecting scientific concepts to real-life experience and community.  

Building Network Improvement Communities 

Identifying and solving problems of instructional practice through collaborative improvement communities is at the center of a three-year-long partnership between our Math314 and STEMpact District Immersion (STEM DI) teams and three regional school districts - Maplewood-Richmond Heights, Ritenour, and Mehlville. The three districts are focused on creating systemic change in math teaching and learning.

During a two-day summer institute, facilitators supported district leadership teams as they engaged in learning experiences focused on defining equity in mathematics instruction and applying improvement science tools to drive future work.

For the next two years, STEM DI teams will continue to meet monthly, with a focus on developing system and management structures and continuing to learn through disciplined inquiry.

Growing Great Teachers

Through our work with the St. Louis Teacher Residency initiative, we are addressing teacher shortages and developing a more diverse pipeline of high-quality teachers. Through the program, residents work in classrooms alongside experienced instructors while earning a master's in teaching and learning from University College.

This summer, ISP Executive Director Victoria L. May helped welcome new residents - many second career educators - during a community panel spotlighting the efforts of partner organizations.

Currently, teacher residents work in St. Louis Public Schools and KIPP: St. Louis as well as Premier Charter School, City Garden Montessori School, and Northside Community School. In three-years, the program has placed  60 teachers  in Saint Louis Public Schools. 

Teachers ... stepping up for themselves and their students again and again.

CONNECT  •  INSPIRE  •   EMPOWER

For information on giving contact

ISP Executive Director Victoria May: schoolpartnership@wustl.edu

The Institute for School Partnership is Washington University's translational arm for educational impact. We identify best practices in teaching and learning and implement these practices in local schools, particularly those with the most vulnerable and underserved students.

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