BOSC gets look at proposed STREAM program

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BOSC Member Peter Argeropoulos on Feb. 22, 2022. Photo/Andrew Sylvia

MANCHESTER, N.H. – First there was STEM, then there was STEAM, and now there’s STREAM.

The Manchester Board of School Committee (BOSC) Teaching and Learning Committee heard a proposal on Tuesday to replace Elementary School health classes over the next four years with new STREAM, or Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering and Art curricula.

Manchester School District leaders were on hand to answer questions about the proposal, which aims to increase student engagement through new exploratory science classes that would aim to integrate other subjects through the district’s Amplify foundational materials as well as in-classroom collaboration between teachers and literacy coaches to help prepare students for lessons.

That integration would include retaining lesson plans on health, such as experiments about nutrition, as well as other cross-disciplinary lessons centered around science in some way.

Manchester School District Assistant Superintendent Amy Allen said that one of the key reasons for proposal is to address the 17% proficiency rates in science in the city’s elementary schools, with the new STREAM program increasing elementary school science instruction time by 20 percent.

Allen also noted that while health programs are a Department of Education requirement at the high school level and is common at the middle school level, Manchester is one of the few districts in New Hampshire with elementary school health classes. This has made it difficult to find training for existing elementary health teachers as well as replacement elementary health teachers.

Although no elementary school health teachers will be laid off, Allen said that retiring elementary health teachers would be replaced with teachers trained in STREAM methodologies as the elementary health program winds down by 2026.

Between a presentation on a pilot STREAM program at Beech Street Elementary School and details on the program, BOSC members were uniformly impressed at the proposed approach, with Allen emphasizing that the eventual goal would be to create a unified STREAM curriculum across all Manchester public schools build on collaboration between teachers and administrators.

Ward 6 BOSC Member Ken Tassey praised the idea as something uniquely Manchester and a good use of the educators’ expertise.

“It seems to be such a broad framework, so much can be done with this,” he said. “I strongly support it.”

Ward 9 BOSC Member Ben Dion like Tassey supported the idea, but also urged providing school year professional development time for the program, given that some teachers do not have the ability to engage in professional development sessions during the summer and extensive professional development would be needed for these new concepts.

Ward 3 BOSC Member and Teaching and Learning Committee Chairwoman Karen Soule requested a follow-up presentation with progress on the STREAM rollout at the Committee’s September meeting.


 

About this Author

Andrew Sylvia

Assistant EditorManchester Ink Link

Born and raised in the Granite State, Andrew Sylvia has written approximately 10,000 pieces over his career for outlets across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. On top of that, he's a licensed notary and licensed to sell property, casualty and life insurance, he's been a USSF trained youth soccer and futsal referee for the past six years and he can name over 60 national flags in under 60 seconds according to that flag game app he has on his phone, which makes sense because he also has a bachelor's degree in geography (like Michael Jordan). He can also type over 100 words a minute on a good day.