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A program that brings Michigan kids and their teachers more active ways to apply science and engineering to solve real-life problems has grown from 1,700 middle-school students in 2015 to 45,000 in 2018.
Mi-STAR, which stands for Michigan Science Teaching and Assessment Reform, was spearheaded by faculty and staff at Michigan Tech and launched in 2015 with a $5 million grant from the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation.
A recent recipient of $1.9 million in funding from the National Science Foundation, Mi-STAR has been expanding ever since, in cooperation with universities, school districts and educators across the state.
The original 16 teachers in six schools or districts has grown to 450 teachers in 182 schools in 110 districts in 2018.
“Michigan Tech has a long history of taking the results of research and making them useful to society—we are good at taking theories and putting them into practice,” says Jackie Huntoon, Michigan Tech Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, and a Mi-STAR co-founder. “When we started Mi-STAR there was a lot of research about what works in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education. We reviewed all of it, reflected on our own experiences as teachers, and put together a model that would work for all types of students.” Affordability is another important factor. Huntoon says training and material costs are kept as low as possible so all schools have access to the program.
Teachers say the kind of 3D-learning built into the Mi-STAR curriculum levels the playing field and connects students with science and engineering in ways that taking notes and multiple-choice tests can’t. Honors students stretch their capabilities; at-risk students can excel.
Learn more about Mi-STAR in “Don’t Just Sit There: Do Science and Math” on Michigan Tech News.
