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Thursday, February 14, 2008
Science education in Dayton wins big
Berhnardt and Bodary
The Dayton region got a big Valentine’s Day kiss Thursday from the state that will bring nearly $2 million here for science education.
The crown jewel among four large grants was $600,000 to fund the start up of a science-focused high school on the campus of Wright State University, which was given the green light to open in the fall of 2009. The first class will have 80 ninth graders and the school eventually will expand to serve up to 600 in grades 6 to 12.
“We believe the school will spur tremendous individual achievement as well as the economic growth of our region,” said Greg Bernhardt, Wright State’s education dean.
Dayton’s science high school was one of just two that won start-up grants, even though eight groups around the state applied for what could have been up to five grants.
But the good news did not stop there. Three other local science education projects won funding. Among them were:
—A New Lebanon-led consortium with Oakwood, Dayton, Valley View, Jefferson Twp., Brookville and Northridge school districts won $545,000 to improve science instruction in elementary grades.
—A Fort Recovery-led group including St. Henry and New Bremen school districts along with Sinclair Community College, Wright State, Edison Community College and the University of Cincinnati won $545,000 to implement a middle school engineering program.
—Dayton Public Schools won $250,000 to expand its Challenger Center at Kiser Elementary School, which offers space shuttle mission simulations to kids throughout the Miami Valley.
All told, the Dayton area won nearly half of the $4.2 million awarded by the state for science education Thursday.
The science high school — a collaboration of several school districts, career technology centers, education service centers, universities and businesses — will be open to all students in Montgomery, Clark and Greene counties. It is tentatively named the Dayton Regional STEM School. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. The state hopes to eventually see several of the schools open around Ohio.
“We are thirlled today to be home to one of the first STEM schools in the state of Ohio,” said Susan Bodary, executive director of EDvention, a collaborative advocating for better science instruction locally.
The first class will be selected next year. For more information, call 775-2821.
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