STEM

When asked what is different about his new Apple class, Michael Shea of Reagan High School responds in all seriousness (and with not the least bit of arrogance):  "This is the chance to see education in a way that’s not all paint-by-numbers."

Shea, a veteran teacher, became interested in making instructional videos for his ESL classes a few years ago, and this interest has blossomed into a passion.  With support from Houston ISD, Shea and his students have created two highly successful video series, English with Sound & Lights, that are now used throughout the district.  It would be enough to discuss how the production and use of this video series engages students in meaningful work, but even beyond this is the story of student engagement in the new Apple Final Cut Pro lab in Shea’s classroom — one of only seven such labs in the nation. 

In the summer of 2008, when Youngblood Intermediate School Principal Pam Bruner asked veteran teachers Pam Parrish and Candy Gilmer if they would like to pilot a new math program for the school year, they were interested but cautious.

It's a typical response from teachers when they hear about Reasoning Mind, a technology-driven math program for elementary students where students work through online curriculum as the teacher provides additional real-time support, resources, and instruction. Youngblood receives funding to implement the program through a partnership between Houston A+ Challenge and the ExxonMobil Foundation.

U.S. students are doing no better on an international science exam than they were a decade ago, a plateau in performance that leaves educators and policymakers worried about how schools are preparing students to compete in an increasingly global economy.