By James Lomuscio
Launched in the sixth grade this year, the Westport school system’s STEM program aimed at fostering hands-on creativity in science, technology engineering and math, thus the acronym, will be expanded to the seventh and eighth grades at Coleytown and Bedford Middle schools next year.
Elaine Whitney: “A major positive step forward.” Contributed photo
After hours of discussion and public input over the past several weeks, the Board of Education voted unanimously Monday night to expand STEM, making it available one day a week in the sixth and seventh grades and two days a week in the eighth.
The decision, however, has not been without concerns from some since it will mean a 20 percent reduction in presentation/drama time, from 90 hours to 72, over the three years of middle school.
Still, to hear board members tell it, presentation skills being incorporated across the curriculum can easily be part of STEM.
“I don’t see it as an either or thing,” said board member Mark Mathias, a prime mover in bringing the MakerFaire to Westport.
He noted that students who create and invent, as he has witnessed at the MarkerFaires, are often eager to give presentations on their works.
“In the end, when we look back at this time, we will see that it was the right thing to do,” said Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon, who has pitched the program as supportive of his Westport 2025 initiative aimed at preparing students for global challenges.
One parent who spoke in favor of STEM’s expansion was Susie Armstrong, the mother of five children in the school system.
“They don’t get that exposure to engineering and math that is completely creative, too,” she said.
School Board Chairwoman Elaine Whitney at first made the motion to approve the administration’s program expansion proposal with an amendment that would include art in the mix, thus making the acronym STEAM instead of STEM.
“A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet,” said Landon, “but we can’t make it STEAM until we have integrated art into it.”
Shortly after, Whitney withdrew her amendment and the board unanimously voted in favor of expanding the program.
“The board will discuss this, through our though goal setting process, the potential to expand it to actively incorporate the arts as well,” Whitney said today.
“The Board of Education thinks this is a major positive step forward,” she added about Monday’s vote. “We are actively integrating presentation.
“I’m very excited to implement this important strategic initiative that will help to prepare our students, that will provide them with an even wider array of skills.”
I think this is a shame.
Presentation skills are very important. Whether being a future RTM member or in business, being able to get up in front of people and cogently state your case is indispensable.
Hopefully the BOE can find a way to create STEAM and bring the arts into it. Speech is an art not a science.
Matt—-best to keep it at STEM. It is the future of what is needed in every aspect and this is one of the best ideas I have seen to be added to our children’s opportunity in school. Just look at all the student debt and the degrees they have and you get to know why we will be doing a great favor to our children to expose them to STEM. Lets get this new exposure to our children. NICE JOB BOE!!!!
Bart – I have nothing against this new exposure, its good, just sorry it’s at the expense of something I believe to be just as useful long term. All the math, science and engineering in the world won’t have them presenting their ideas persuasively.
As the mother of a daughter who will enter 6th grade next year, I am thrilled that she will have the opportunity to take the Design & Engineering course. Like many parents, I think it is critical to introduce engineering concepts while children, particularly girls are receptive. Of course, the Arts including presentation skills are important, but we need balance. Presently at BMS, 10 teachers are employed in the Arts and 1 teacher in STEM. Our neighboring towns, including New Canaan and Darien, are already implementing more STEM programs.
Our very poised Westport children are taught presentation skills starting in kindergarten. They also need STEM to compete with foreign students for places in the top colleges and in the global workplace. Presentation skills have been restructured not eliminated in middle school as described below by the BMS PTA.
Clarissa—nothing like the facts. But maybe we can discuss some options. The STEM program will go to 2 days per week. Why not every day?
I am in the technology space and lots go on about expanding H1B visas because we cannot fill technology jobs. If my daughter wants to opt out of music, chorus, orchestra in her 8th grade to take more STEM, why not? She will not be an opera star or broadway actor, but she loves computers and science. Why not give her the option to take more and get prepared for Staples and college? Get her more excited about STEM.
Why do Dtaples students HAVE to take swimming? If my child are swimmers, what is the point? To use a facility we built? Why not offer more STEM type programs and allow them to opt out of swimming. Make them show they can swim and do something more productive.
I would also suggest to ale these STEM classes more pass/fail and do more project type work. Show them the fun of it all to try and get them more motivated to continue.
Also—Matt brings up a good pint about presentation skills. Being an engineer I know the issues of being able to present. If we could allow the students to opt out of some of the classes that by the 8th grade have little value (chorus) and take STEM and maybe one day a week of learning presentation skills, we will be doing these students a huge benefit.
I have 2 daughters, both who are very interested in computer science. It would be great if Westport had the options for them to learn more, earlier.
How do we look at the school curriculum and work to prepare our children for what is needed. Work to show them the fun of it.
Hope more chime in on this. And thank you BOE for grabbing onto this and doing more. THANK YOU!!
Bart –
I realize it’s tempting to characterize 8th grade chorus as having “little value” – but I think too often we neglect the long-term academic benefits of the arts (especially music) before and during the middle school years. I’m in support of and excited about the STEM expansion, but it would be a mistake to downgrade the importance of academic areas that supplement and fuel an academic program even with STEM as its ultimate end goal, as you characterize.
Morgan Patrick
Staples ‘10
Good discussion. Thanks for all the information added.
Morgan—thanks for pointing out a mistake I made and thanks for joining in the conversation. It would be great to get more Staple students and graduates to give us their opinion.
First, I should have ended the sentence by saying little value ‘to my daughter’. Clearly some find value and I hope they continue to take chorus. Out town theaters and choirs are filled with those that continued to sing after they left school. I was wrong to generalize.
But I have to say I find the ‘one-size fits all curriculum’ to be wrong. If my daughter is given the option of chorus, band or orchestra, why not add STEM? Or app writing? If my child has decided she/he is not interested in band or chorus, why not give them an option for something that just might benefit them and their interest?
My concern with not making STEM more available was highlighted in an article in the NY Times yesterday. 15 year olds in the US lagged in math and scored in the middle, when comparing to other countries, in science. We are not only falling behind asian counties but also places like Germany and Poland. I see this first hand with the poiple we are hiring inside our company. 29 countries beat the US. In science, 22 countries beat us out. And the most interesting outcome was students from high income families did not perform as well as the same type students in other countries. So this problem is not just from so called poor areas of the US.
We will not know the impact of this result for at least a generation, in my opinion. But I will admit I am worried and would like to see Westport do more. I applaud the BOE for starting to move in this direction and will continue to hope the families with younger children then mine have more opportunities than we were given. Chorus, bank or orchestra or robots? Or app writing? or computer science? or just plain STEM? For those children that want it—let them get it. And not do a one size fits all with band or chorus.
A lawyer once told me never to ask a question I don’t know the answer, but I will try this one time. Did you find having to take swimming in Staples fun? Did you find it important? Did you find it necessary? Did you find it of value? Given all the swimming I have done with my children, I would find it more of value to continue to do more STEM. Not a class with grades, but a pass fail type class where they can see the fun part of science, or math, or engineering. Build a robot. Write an app. Design a house and see how math and geometry are needed. See why it is important and make it fun for them. No need for test and another class that stresses them out, but see how STEM works.
Morgan, I truly appreciated your input and comment. Our schools performed. I will hope more join in this conversation—current students, graduates and parents.
But the world has changed. Jobs are more difficult to get but there is a big demand for STEM graduates. And I will hope Westport eventually gets ahead of this curve, not behind it like we are today.
As both a Staples graduate and a woman engineer, I think that the addition of STEM to the middle school is invaluable. The lack of exposure to engineering is the primary reason why many students do not choose to pursue it. Additionally, despite graduating from Staples, in the first semester of engineering I felt incredibly unprepared for my courses. I would have benefitted tremendously from exposure to engineering at a younger age. Engineering is an incredibly important discipline and student should understand what it is the same way that they understand what English and Social Studies are. Although it is unfortunate that time in presentation skills will be diminished, there is a great opportunity here to incorporate presentation skills into other classes. Teaching students to give persuasive presentations can enhance the learning experience in other classes, whereas engineering can not be incorporated into other classes in any meaningful way. It is important that students, particularly female students, learn that engineering is not as intimidating as stereotypes make it out to be. Engineers can do so many different things, and it is disappointing to see the lack of understanding of engineering. By exposing students to engineering at an early age we will (hopefully) encourage more students to become engineers at a time when we are in desperate need of engineers.
Danielle—thank you for joining in the conversation. You are exactly who we need to hear from. I hope many read what you wrote. We must improve and make changes and you help us all to realize the challenge.
Just recently Tom Friedman wrote an Op-Ed in the NY Times about this very subject. Below are 2 paragraphs that highlight the issue our children will face. While some might not be concerned because we live in Westport, I am.
I also want to point out to those that want the arts, my daughter who takes a STEM class in 8th grade recently had to video tape an assignment (great arts) and present her work (presentation skills).
Here is what Tom Friedman wrote:
OP-ED COLUMNIST
Can