K-8 School Principal Aims for “Sputnik 2.0”
Penelope Eucker worries that America is no longer producing enough scientists and innovators. She points, for example, to a recent study that finds that for every Ph.D. awarded by U.S. universities in physical sciences, the country produces 50 MBAs and 18 lawyers. But, as the Denver Post reports, Eucker is now is a position to help change things.
She’s principal of Colorado’s first K-8 STEM magnet school in Northglenn. The Magnet Lab STEM School, which opened last month, has 200 students selected by lottery from 500 applications. There was also an effort to ensure a diverse student population; about a third of students are ethnic minorities.
One unique feature: the school’s hands-on, science-based curriculum was designed with help from local business and technology experts. Eucker tells the Post: “I call this Sputnik 2.0. STEM produces products, something this country used do a lot of.”
The school will also feature real-world problem solving. As Ash Mahajan, DeVry University’s associate dean of engineering, told the newspaper: “The schools’ approach will be, don’t just talk about gravity — shoot off a darn rocket and see it at work.”
Filed under: K-12 Education News
Tags: Education Policy, Public Policy
