Study identifies common elements of STEM schools

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics schools vary in many ways, but they share eight major common elements. So finds a nationwide study of 23 STEM schools conducted by the University of Chicago's Outlier Research & Evaluation group. The eight elements identified in UChicago's STEM School Study (S3) and some of their associated components are: Rigorous learning, (real-world content, staff-created curriculum); School community and belonging (students who treat each other with trust and respect); Career, technology, and life skills (early college activities, technology use); Personalization of learning (teacher-customized instruction); Connection to the broader and external community (from neighborhood to state level); Staff foundations (collaborative staff, school leaders who facilitate staff growth and development); Essential factors (family involvement, open physical space). STEM-specific elements seem to be paradoxically missing from this list, but the Outlier team learned that these often serve instead as an underlying theme. "We found through our research that schools define themselves most by the instructional strategies that they use, the cultural norms that they set, and how they work toward real-life and career-oriented experiences for students," said Melanie LaForce, associate director of the Outlier group. The Outlier group is part of the Center for Elementary Mathematics and Science Education. The group's S3 study, funded by the National Science Foundation, encompassed data collected from more than 23 schools in seven states nationwide.