Math - Science Partnership Grant

The first STEM Academy is just around the corner for 60 teachers from across Western Wisconsin. This opportunity has garnered national attention, both from the U.S. Department of Education as well as the International Foundation run by Bill Daggett. The summer academy will be focusing on one of the Career Clusters essential to Western Wisconsin and to Wisconsin as a whole - that being Agriculture and the Environment. The summer academy not only taps into the knowledge base of the lead instructor, Dr. Charles Bomar of the University of Wisconsin - Stout but into the knowledge and background of field practicioners from Fort McCoy, Organic Valley Cooperative and Burr Oak Winery. This is a great chance to learn math and science at all grade levels K-12 along with the infusion of Career and Technical Education teachers to offer the insight into what is a classroom based approach to one that becomes a contextual approach.



These sessions are not "sit and get." The teachers will be actively engaged from the moment they walk into the opening session at the Lunda Center on the campus of Western Technical College in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Teachers will be in work groups, doing activities, developing lessons, sharing knowledge, and creating programs that can be used no matter how large or how small the district is that is represented. The model that will be followed is called REACT. It wsa developed by CORD, which is the Center for Occupational Research and Development of Waco, Texas.



This project is bringing teachers together who may have never worked together let alone knew each other as they will be in grade band teams. It brings specialists and business partners into the fold in a meaningful way and it stretches across the United States to bring the finest leadership to the forefront of contextual learning to see if we can make a change and impact the way kids learn and the way teachers teach.



This is an exciting time for all involved. Follow the blog for pictures and and information as to the progress of this one of kind program.