BOOKER T. WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL
Standard 1: Inclusion/Equity
STEM K12 1: School/program provides equitable opportunities for students to engage in high quality STEM learning.
Our Story
Washington High School is not new to S.T.E.M education. Our school initially began with a STEM Signature Program in 2016. Our cluster chose STEM as our signature program because we knew this would make our students more marketable and also would enable us to retain minority and underrepresented students in STEM fields. Our STEM pathways initially included healthcare, computer science, culinary arts, and entrepreneurship. When our program began we marketed our programs to our feeder schools (Brown and Hollis) schools and all students were eligible to apply to our STEM program by engaging in a vetting process that measured their STEM strengths. STEM strengths vetting included: Problem Solving, Creativity, Processing, and Grit activities. Based on students' scores in these various areas students were then selected for an interview in which we were able to get to know students personally as well as their STEM aspirations and goals as a future legacy builder at Washington High School.
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Students of color are widely underrepresented in STEM fields, and we are intentional in including our subgroups within our student population in our STEM program by allowing all to participate in the vetting process and allowing all interested students to participate in our partnership field trips, workshops, and internships . We also looked for opportunities for students who may not have initially been interested in the STEM program to be added to the cohort each semester.
Programs such as the Georgia Chief Science Officers, The HYPE program, local STEM ambassadors, 100 Black Men & Women Coalition, Georgia Tech's Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC), Project ENGAGES (Engaging New Generations at Georgia Tech through Engineering & Science),Get Hype, and open-enrollment enrichment programs enable us to cater to our entire student population without excluding any group.
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We saw so much success and gains in our STEM cohort model that in 2019 we decided to move from a cohort model to a whole school implementation with vertical alignment amongst our cluster (elementary and middle schools) with an urban agricultural theme. School wide implementation to ensure students continued to benefit from equitable exposure to STEM instruction. All students also engage in STEM instruction through school wide implementation of Project Based Learning (PBL). Students have the opportunity explore STEM implications of various themes to address their community needs through interdisciplinary learning. innovative PBL’s are implemented in the core (English, Math, Science, Social Studies), CTAE, and even fine arts, foreign language, and JROTC when applicable. Such PBL themes have included Environmental Justice, Environmental Impact of Pesticides & Fertilizers, Urban Sustainable Agriculture, Atlanta Food Deserts, Holistic Medicine, and Proctor Creeks Aging Infrastructure just to name a few.
Our program now has a focus on agriculture which supports the legacy and namesake of Booker T. Washington High School. All incoming students have the opportunity at Booker T. Washington High School to earn a Career Technical, Agricultural Education: Agriculture Pathway credential in the concentrated area of Aquaculture. Students will also be given the opportunity to earn a dual pathway credential in Agribusiness if they desire to as well as the other previously mentioned pathways offered in the school.
Opportunities for Improvement
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As our program shifts to have an urban Agriculture focus there are opportunities to engage students who may not want to go to college directly after high school or even our special education population of students in their technical career options and more. Contrary to belief you don't have to come from a farm to pursue a position in agriculture. In fact, one out of every six jobs in the United States is related to agriculture. With over 250 career areas available in the field of agriculture we want our students to know that the possibilities are endless. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, more than 57,000 jobs open each year in agriculture. Approximately 22 million people now work in agriculture and ag-related fields all related to STEM in some capacity. The rest work in agribusiness, communications, science, government, education, processing and distribution, and marketing and sales, as well as dozens of other occupations which serve the farmer or the total agricultural industry. As new technologies emerge in agriculture, so will new job opportunities and the need for well-trained and educated people. Today's agriculture offers more than 250 rewarding and STEM challenging careers.
Initiatives/Actions
Our teachers and students engage in project based learning. This is an inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning that allows students to learn by actively engaging in the world around them with personal and meaningful projects. Learning takes place through collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and communication. Additionally, we revised our program of study and course offerings to ensure all students have equitable access to STEM education at Washington High School. We have engaged stakeholders to target specific subgroups of students such as females or those struggling learners to ensure they have access to STEM exposure through workshops, internships, mentorship, and more.
Sample Instruction of PBL-English Class
PBL-Project Path Initiative
Most Recent School-wide PBL
Gallery
STEM Programs of Study
Booker T. Washington High School offers a variety of courses that provide students with opportunities to explore STEM proficiencies through real-world experiences. STEM courses offer students opportunities to collaborate, communicate, think critically, and be creative while engaging in real-world, hands-on challenges. We have revamped both our Science (Environmental Science then Biology) and Math (Algebra I and Algebra II) course progressions to allow students the opportunity to engage in more rigorous courses as upperclassmen as well as internship and work based learning with partner and advisory board members.
Additionally we have several Career Technical & Agricultural Pathways such as: Sports Medicine, Culinary Arts, Programming, Entrepreneurship, Business Accounting and most recently Agriculture/Aquaculture. This year we are excited to Announce that our Business & Computer Science Program Re-Industry Certified, Sports Medicine received its initial Industry Certification and our Culinary Arts Program is Industry Certified as well!
Pathways that are not offered at BTW are offered at the Dr. Michael Maze Atlanta College & Career Academy (ACCA). Students have the opportunity to become dual-pathway completers by completing a pathway at BTW and then attend ACCA starting their Junior Year.
Sample Pathway Form
Sample Student Course progression
School Wide STEM Fairs
Annual event for students to engage in activities focused on long-term education and career plans. These fun and fact-filled events allow them to talk with colleges and universities, local employers, teachers, and local STEM partners about career paths and plans.
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Feeder elementary and middle schools are asked to participate in the action!
Annual STEM Innovation Camp
STEM Advisory Board members collaborate to host annual STEM camps for students of Washington High School to ensure students have access to STEM education in the summer as well. Curriculum for the summer program is created through collaboration with our teachers, Georgia Tech Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC), and Field of Dreams partnership. Curriculum is written to encourage curiosity and innovative thinkers. Led by local teachers, this program has tapped into kids’ natural curiosity and given them the opportunity to become innovators through teamwork and immersive, hands-on creative problem-solving.
Video of STEM Innovation Camp
Gallery of STEM Innovation Camp
Verizon Innovative Learning School
This grant ensure all children have access to technology and quality STEM education. Through the Verizon Innovative Learning initiative, we turn belief into action by helping students achieve, learn, and create more with free internet access, free devices, and innovative next-gen technology-infused lessons. We were one of the first high schools ever to to receive the grant. This 5G technology will help outfit our innovative learning labs where our students and teachers will be at the forefront of cutting-edge technology. Things like virtual and augmented reality, 3D printing, and more immersive collaboration turn lesson plans into living, breathing, dynamic experiences. More than ever amid the pandemic technology access benefits high school students in remote learning. We are super excited to be the benefactor of this huge gift. We are now a 1:1 learning center.
Georgia Chief Science Officers/ STEM Ambassadors
Georgia Chief Science Officers is a cadre of diverse STEM student leaders in middle and high schools across the state. The program serves 46 students from six metro Atlanta school districts, with plans to expand to 100 students across the state in three years. Georgia Chief Science Officers is a program of Science ATL, engineers of Atlanta Science Festival. Students are elected at the school level and are empowered to lead STEM/STEAM initiatives through actions plans at Washington High School and in their communities. A few of our CSOs have meet with legislators, school board members, and policymakers to lend their voices to conversations about STEM education and workforce development in our state. Washington High School CSOs also build relationships with STEM industry mentors and connect with companies and careers locally.
Depicted below is the the 2nd annual Georgia Blacks in Tech Policy Conference that took place Atlanta City Hall. The historical event was an unprecedented opportunity to advance the black tech ecosystem in Georgia through policy. The first-of-its-kind event was a chance for tech leaders, professionals, and community advocates to present policy changes and recommendations to members of the Georgia General Assembly. Indeed, 27 state legislatures were in attendance, including members of the Georgia Black Caucus as well as our own BTW students serving as a Chief Science officer to speak on the needs of students in the technology field.
Meeting Community Needs by Feeding them through
Even our culinary arts pathway program lends a hand in using STEM education to address the community needs. Our school resides in a food desert. Many families do not have adequate access to healthy food options. Through local partnerships such as Core2 Globe, Morehouse School of Medicine, Manna from Heaven, Eventful memories, Phenomenal Foods, Central United Methodist Church, and even Hosea Williams Feed the Hungry our students engage frequently in community food drives, and STEM related cooking demonstrations, and more.
BTW Time2Give STEMLabs Grant Video
As Washington HS seeks STEM certification we wanted to revamp our STEM makerspace where students can explore and take innovative risks. STEM at Washington is unique and requires new thinking in regards to what our classrooms look like. Our school is on the national historic registry as it was the 1st black public high school in Atlanta, Georgia built in the 1920s. Our school is rooted in rich traditions and has been the foundation of building some of the worlds most renowned leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Dr. Asa Yancey (surgeon), just to name a few. Moreover, although we seek to preserve the foundation of our opulent institution, we need to renovate the interior to compete in a rapidly growing technological 21st century world.
Food Oasis Investments, The Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation (AFYF/ Atlanta Food Well Alliance
As Washington HS seeks STEM certification we wanted to revamp our STEM makerspace where students can explore and take innovative risks. STEM at Washington is unique and requires new thinking in regards to what our classrooms look like. Our school is on the national historic registry as it was the 1st black public high school in Atlanta, Georgia built in the 1920s. Our school is rooted in rich traditions and has been the foundation of building some of the worlds most renowned leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Dr. Asa Yancey (surgeon), just to name a few. Moreover, although we seek to preserve the foundation of our opulent institution, we need to renovate the interior to compete in a rapidly growing technological 21st century world.
Rubric Self-Assessment Evaluation
