Santa Rosa STEAM Innovate!

Joseph B. Harrell
Northwest Region Director, Florida Support Administrators Association (FSAA)
Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services, Santa Rosa School District

Santa Rosa School District provides students with a high-quality education and our students consistently lead the State of Florida in academic achievement. Indeed, the mission of our school district, Educate students for success by providing a superior, relevant education, drives our daily instruction in the classroom as we strive to prepare our students for a bright and prosperous future. With this mission in mind, Santa Rosa School District is currently in Year 1 of our Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics STEAM Innovate Program, a 5 year transformation and partnership with Discovery Education, a division of the globally recognized Discovery Communications.

Research consistently demonstrates that STEAM education dramatically increases student achievement, literally eliminating achievement gaps for at-risk students while challenging gifted and talented students and simultaneously creating an adaptable and skilled workforce for the future. 

Simply put, SANTA ROSA STEAM INNOVATE is not only about transforming teaching and learning, STEAM INNOVATE is about economic development and the creation of a pipeline from our classrooms to gratifying and meaningful careers. 

The STEAM INNOVATE program in Santa Rosa County will transform every classroom in every school to an environment rich with critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity. STEAM INNOVATE will provide students and teachers with authentic learning activities and projects that are relevant and meaningful to the community in which we all live and lead to a vibrant climate attractive to new business and expansion of current industry. 

During Year 1, twenty of Santa Rosa’s 33 school sites have been selected as STEAM Schools. Through an application process, four teachers from each school were selected as STEAM Innovators. Along with their principal, Innovators receive five days of professional development throughout the year, as well as job-embedded coaching. The project began with a STEAM Community Retreat in which community ,business and post-secondary leaders joined the school district in learning about the essential components of a STEAM educational environment, and also the necessity for providing a STEAM learning environment for students (by 2018, over 418,000 STEM jobs will be required in Florida). Santa Rosa School District students must be prepared and ready to compete. 

Goals for YEAR 1 of Santa Rosa STEAM Innovate include:  
Building the STEAM Foundation; Fueling Student-Centered Learning; and Cultivating Learning Labs. Specific goals have also been developed that serve as measurable outcomes to be reviewed throughout Year 1. 

Administrators: 
  • Empower teacher leaders to implement innovative instructional strategies.
  • Begin to target and engage the community in discussion around collective vision for STEAM.
  • Create an atmosphere for collaboration through a school-wide learning lab approach. 
Teachers: 
  • Utilize 21st Century teaching strategies through multi-modal resources.
  • Move instructional practice away from teacher-directed towards student-led. 
  • Implement best practice strategies to engage students through the use of interdisciplinary learning. Develop teacher leadership strategies to expand STEAM knowledge and practices at the school level.
Students:
  • Increase student understanding of content through engaging STEAM based activities. 
  • Develop an understanding of how content ties to the real world. 
  • Increase in engagement and achievement as students become content creators, not just consumers
The logistics of implementing such large program requires planning, coordination, and support. A district-level support team is in place including the Superintendent, Tim Wyrosdick; Assistant Superintendents, Grade-Level Directors, Directors for Title I, Instructional Technology and Professional Development, Workforce Education and Curriculum Coordinators for Literacy, Mathematics and Science. District staff, along with STEAM Coaches from Discovery participate with principals in classroom walkthroughs to ensure STEAM is alive and well and implemented with fidelity. Over the next five years, the school district will partner with the CORAL Center (Community, Outreach and Research Center) at the University of West Florida, to conduct an external evaluation of the STEAM INNOVATE Program measuring changes in teaching strategies, student learning, and student achievement. 

STEAM Ambassadors, leaders from the business community, will advise the school district in this important work by providing feedback and input regarding the type of skills that are essential for tomorrow’s workforce. A long-term strategic initiative, STEAM Ambassadors will be partners in a symbiotic relationship in which Ambassadors will visit our STEAM Learning Labs and Schools, as well as discuss the goals and future needs of their own businesses. To sustain and expand the program, STEAM Ambassadors will be critical to sharing the message of STEAM INNOVATE with other community leaders, leading to opportunities for additional resources and community-based projects. 

Although STEAM Innovate is just in Year 1, significant changes in teaching and learning are already visible. A 4th grade teacher and STEAM Innovator at Holley Navarre Intermediate School reflected, 
"Since implementing STEAM related strategies and lessons, I have seen tremendous growth in my students. They are able to communicate using academic vocabulary and work collaboratively to solve complex problems like never before. Students have learned that problem solving happens through trial and error and perseverance is key. As a teacher, my instructional time has been maximized by using transdisciplinary, centers-based learning. Students are learning a multitude of skills and concepts at the same time through various exposures and high-engagement, hands-on activities. Because of this, students are excited to come to class each day. They beg their parents to do more STEAM activities, like coding, at home and get their families involved in what they are learning outside of the classroom. Even though we are in the beginning stages of STEAM implementation, I can see how this will transform the communities of Santa Rosa County for years to come."
A STEAM Innovator from Holley Navarre Primary observed, “At the beginning of the year one of my students was below proficiency and in need of a Progress Monitoring Plan. After implementing the STEAM model into my classroom, it was obvious to me this child had such an in-depth thought process. It allowed me to assess his content knowledge in a setting that was more comfortable for him. He is now in the final testing stages for the “gifted” program. I’ve never participated in a conference before where I had a parent signing off on a PMP and also permission to test for gifted. STEAM has certainly opened my eyes.” 

Evidence abounds throughout Santa Rosa County regarding the positive impact STEAM INNOVATE is already creating for our students and teachers. One Innovator commented, “My expectations for what my students can do has increased exponentially! The confidence I see in my students to take risks, investigate and solve problems is truly inspiring!” 

STEAM experiences in Santa Rosa include exposing students to careers to help them make real-world content connections in Algebra and Geometry. Students explored the Triangle Inequality Theorem through a spaghetti inquiry activity after which students collaborated with one another to share their data. Kindergarten students have learned to write computer code and scan QR codes to obtain information. First grade students constructed habitats of American Indians and then tested each structure’s ability to withstand the elements.  The list of meaningful and engaging activities goes on and on! Throughout Santa Rosa County School District, the message is loud and clear! FULL STEAM AHEAD! 

If you would like more information, feel free to contact:
Dr. Karen Barber, Director of Federal Programs at barberk@santarosa.k12.fl.us
or Mike Thorpe, Director of Professional Development at thorpem@santarosa.k12.fl.us

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