The White House, through its Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), has once again referenced ongoing efforts in the Dracut Public Schools in a press release celebrating National Manufacturing Day:White House Press Release
The Dracut Public Schools has partnered with Dr. Natalie Kuldell, a professor of Biological Engineering at MIT to bring her Biobuilder curriculum to Dracut. TED Talk Featuring Dr. Kuldell Discussing Biobuilder Biology teachers at Dracut High received training at MIT this summer and will be implementing the Biobuilder curriculum at DHS this year.
The White House press release describes a connected effort at Richardson Middle School. As described in the press release, “BioBuilder, a nationwide educational initiative, is announcing a new partnership with Dracut Public Schools in Massachusetts and Amino Labs, based in Canada, to provide a hands-on biomanufacturing curriculum to hundreds of students this year. The partnership will establish a middle-school Maker Space with equipment and open-access teaching activities that train students to use biology as a manufacturing platform, thus strengthening the STEM education pipeline.”
This is the second reference to the Dracut Public Schools’ innovative efforts in STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). Last year the district was cited as a leader in embracing the Maker Movement June 2015 White House Press Release Recognizing the Dracut Public Schools for its Maker Efforts in support of enhancing inquiry-based learning opportunities for our students. Efforts are underway in each school to reimagine existing spaces where students, through hands-on activities, can tinker, problem-solve, and collaborate with classmates.
The district’s work with Dr. Kuldell, the creation of maker spaces, the creation of units of instruction supporting inquiry-based learning, and the introduction of the Arts into our STEM efforts (creating STEAM learning) are examples of the district’s commitment to a K-12 continuum where students are provided relevant and dynamic inquiry and project-based learning opportunities.
