Oak Ridge Schools ‘STEMposium’ convenes educators from across country

Discovery Education and Oak Ridge Schools will host a STEMposium on Thursday. It will be an interactive discussion focused on best practices for providing students with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills they need to succeed in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers, a press release said.

The release said the event will convene educators from some of the most innovative school districts across the country, including Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Houston Independent School District, Grand Prairie Independent School District in Texas, Baldwin County Public Schools in Alabama, Richland School District Two in South Carolina, and the New York City Department of Education.

They will discuss best practices for building a culture around STEM education, the release said. That includes exploring how to implement innovative STEM instructional strategies, and the use of digital content and curricula to drive student achievement.

The Oak Ridge Schools STEMposium 2014 starts with a welcome dinner at Riverside Grill in Oak Ridge at 5:30 p.m. today (Wednesday, October 22). The Thursday events start with registration and breakfast at 8:30 a.m. at the Pollard Technology Conference Center at Oak Ridge Associated Universities at 210 Badger Avenue.

The events continue through 4 p.m. Thursday and including a welcome, a mix-and-mingle, a keynote address, a panel on national STEM perspectives, trans-disciplinary lessons, and the Oak Ridge STEM story, among other things.

Discovery Education’s Global Director of STEM Cindy Moss will deliver the keynote, exploring best practices to create a STEM culture, why districts need a STEM education plan, and the meaningful impact it can have on students and their ability to solve real-world problems, the press release said.

During the rest of the day, participants will examine national and local STEM data, experience STEM teaching and learning, and work together to begin creating the STEM vision for their district.

Through a six-year partnership, Discovery Education is supporting Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers’ plan to transform Oak Ridge Schools into the premier preK-12 STEM school district in the nation through engaging digital content and sustained, customized professional development.

Note: This event is not open to the public.

WHO:

• Cindy Moss—director of Global STEM Initiatives, Discovery Education
• Bruce Borchers—superintendent, Oak Ridge Schools
• Chris Marczak—assistant superintendent, Oak Ridge Schools
• Gilda Lyon—STEM director, Georgia Department of Education
• Cristian Carranza—STEM director, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
• Kelli Lauth—principal of STEM Launch School, Adams 12 Five Star Schools
• Discovery Education STEM Advisory Board members
• STEM leaders and district administrators from across the U.S.

WHEN:

Thursday, October 23, 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

WHERE:

Oak Ridge Associated Universities
Pollard Technology Conference Center – Auditorium
210 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge

CONTACT:

Shawnee Cohn, Discovery Education
shawnee_cohn@discovery.com, (240) 662-2661

See the agenda here: Oak Ridge STEM Leadership Summit.