The Tabernacle School District announced a partnership with The College of New Jersey at a Board of Education meeting held in June to develop a new curriculum for Olson Middle School students.
“It has been seen nationwide that children in America are falling behind when it comes to science, technology and engineering,” superintendent George Rafferty said.
“This new curriculum is meant to impact the lack of students entering the field of technology.”
The district is implementing an “integrated Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics” (iSTEM) course for all students at the Kenneth R. Olson Middle School for this upcoming school year.
The plan started when Olson principal Susan Grosser began to question the school’s current approach for meeting this 21st century challenge.
Grosser believed the traditional “Industrial Technology” course provided at the time was not rigorous enough for students, because the curriculum did not integrate science and mathematics standards into the course work. It was then that Rafferty reached out to TCNJ.
“We partnered with TCNJ because we want to do it right and they have the expertise to ensure we do,” Rafferty said.
“The goal as we move forward with this endeavor is to develop an excellent program for our students, however the center also intends the Tabernacle schools to serve as a learning lab for their iSTEM teacher education program and for other public schools to model.”
The College of New Jersey’s Center for Excellence in STEM Education, which is based in the college’s School of Engineering, is directed by Dr. Steve O’Brien and Chris Anderson.
The weeks leading up to the announcement were spent planning and collaborating with the center to see if a partnership would be beneficial.
Prior to the board’s approval, O’Brien and Anderson provided a presentation on iSTEM education and what a partnership between the school and the center could achieve.
Both parties expressed excitement over what an established partnership could bring to the district as well as the center itself.
To further ensure the program’s success, Grosser and Rafferty decided to hire a teacher specifically trained to teach an iSTEM course.
After an extensive search and requiring candidates to conduct demonstration lessons, they selected Heather Petersack, a College of New Jersey graduate.
“We felt Heather has a great understanding of what the course should provide as she is a graduate of the center,” Rafferty said.
The center will assist the district with ensuring its program meets the standards of excellence established for an integrated STEM course, collaborate with Petersack in designing challenging units of study, help equip and set up the classroom for special hands on learning projects and identify materials and supplies.
Rafferty said the Tabernacle School District is the first school district in New Jersey to establish a partnership with TCNJ’s Center for Excellence in STEM Education.
“We are excited about the partnership because it can help provide our students with an excellent learning experience and gives us the chance to contribute to the larger educational community,” Rafferty said.
