MCSD, CSU partnership expands STEM education

More than 17,000 Muscogee County School District students have received enhanced education this school year in the critical STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and math, thanks to a partnership with Columbus State University.

MCSD is paying $64,000 to expand the program that used to serve only sixth-graders at CSU's Coca-Cola Space Science Center, said Mary Johnson, the center's assistant director. Now, all 32 MCSD elementary schools also benefit from the program.

From Sept. 8 through Friday, the center's mobile unit presented 279 astronomy sessions of 45 minutes to grades K-3, and the center hosted 197 classes in grades 4-5 for 3 hours of programming, including the planetarium, exhibit gallery, NASA artifacts and a hands-on science activity, Johnson said.

"Programs are scheduled to be completed prior to when schools begin end of year assessment and testing," she said in an email to the Ledger-Enquirer.

The onsite program for each sixth-grade class in MCSD continues for the 18th year. It comprises a presentation in the planetarium, exploration in the exhibit gallery, a hands-on science activity and a 2-hour simulated mission to Mars in the Challenger Learning Center.

MCSD superintendent David Lewis said in a news release from the university that the district is "thrilled to be partnering with CSU and the Coca-Cola Space Science Center to provide education in STEM that is critical to the success of our community and the country. The resources available at the science center are unlike any in the region, and we are confident that they will reignite a curiosity about science that students are losing at an early age."

Shawn Cruzen, the center's director, noted that, according to U.S. News & World Report, nearly half of America's students lose interest in science by eighth grade.

"We hope to turn this trend around in our local school district by immersing students in the gateway sciences of astronomy and space exploration," Cruzen said in the release. "We believe that making a difference in these early years will lead to more students pursuing science in college, a larger and better-trained technological workforce, and a community with a better understanding and appreciation of science."

And they plan to find out. Professors in CSU's College of Education will conduct a longitudinal study "to show whether an impact is being made or not," CSU assistant vice president for university relations John Lester told the Ledger-Enquirer.

Meanwhile, the partnership already has impressed national experts in STEM education.

"In fact, it may be one of the most extensive science center-school partnerships for outreach in the country," Jonah Cohen, chairman of the National Education Outreach Network, said in the release.

Cohen added, "I am personally excited to see a community taking this step to ignite kids' interest in math and science. I can assure you that this arrangement will be tracked by centers around the country, because you have a golden opportunity for long-term evaluation and assessment that few centers will ever have."

Mark Rice, 706-576-6272. Follow Mark on Twitter@MarkRiceLE.

This story was originally published February 27, 2015 at 4:46 PM with the headline "MCSD, CSU partnership expands STEM education."