DOE Fund Leads to STEM Development Grant for Local Schools

The Toshiba grant comes within a year of the Virginia Department of Education awarding the $199,502 Mathematics and Science Partnership Grant to the colleges. Last spring, teams began recruiting fourth- and fifth-grade teachers nominated by the participating schools for the project, which is titled “Central Virginia Collaborative for Developing STEM Lessons to Improve Learning in Grades 4 and 5.” In August, the teachers started developing integrated STEM lessons — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — through an “iterative lesson study” process.

The Toshiba grant will support the implementation of one of the classroom lessons developed as part of the MSP-DOE project.

“This is a great example of how our work with the area teachers has additive effects on the schools, classrooms and K-through-twelve students,” said Jill Granger, project director and professor of chemistry at Sweet Briar. “And it’s a great example of a collaborative K-through-twelve-college effort that is very much regionally based.”

For more information on last year’s DOE grant, see Colleges Team Up to Land Va. DOE Funds for STEM Development in Local Schools.