MASA Feature MICHIGAN’S #1 UNDERWRITER FOR K-12 FINANCING* www.gomasa.org 31 (517) 381-1230 | (866) 850-3701 3590 Okemos Road Okemos, Michigan 48864 www.stifel.com/publicfinance Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated Member SIPC & NYSE At Stifel, our team is committed to providing knowledgeable guidance and employing our years of experience to securing the lowest cost of borrowing for Michigan taxpayers. • Stifel has remained the #1 K-12 Underwriter in Michigan since 2009.* • Stifel has remained the #1 K-12 National Underwriter since 2013.* Brenda Voutyras voutyrasb@stifel.com Jeffrey Zylstra zylstraj@stifel.com Robert Regan reganr@stifel.com Annette Jones jonesam@stifel.com * Source: Thomson Reuters When it comes to advising our education clients we’re all in It’s time to count on more. Clark Hill’s Education Team applies significant real-world expertise to identify, analyze, and solve the legal challenges of educational institutions. We understand your challenges. We offer you solutions. We share your commitment. clarkhill.com economic output, but only 16 percent of graduates major in STEM-related fields. Thus, there is a large gap between the number of openings and the available work force. It is our job as educators to prepare tomorrow’s workforce. This means aligning our focus with the needs of our region’s employers. This doesn’t mean just telling our students to go into STEM fields because there are jobs. It means graduating students that are profi-cient in math and science. This is easier said than done. Most students are not fond of mathematics because it’s essentially its own language and is most often taught separately from other subjects and content. Students often do not see the relevance of mathematics to their world. Science has historically been taught as a subject with a great deal of content and facts with very little focus on processes and application. These areas of instructional practice are where schools can shift their thinking and make learning math and science more meaningful for students. We have made progress with our student engagement through several initiatives and plan to build upon them. Our district STEM coordi-nator hosted a very successful STEM day for kids this past year. The students and parents found the day very rewarding. We implemented a Project-Based Learning (PBL) coach into our after-school programs where students enjoyed the hands-on activities provided. Along with Dow Chemical’s generous financial support of these initiatives, they have also provided guests in our classrooms that our students found to be helpful in making math and science more relevant. Our industrial technology programs produce outstanding results and are at capacity because so many students are requesting to be a part of the programs. We have also provided our teachers with professional development opportunities in STEM areas with a focus on increasing student engagement through more applied learning opportunities. In each of these initiatives, the point of emphasis is the engagement of students in activities that apply math, science, and technology in order to learn them. Along with continuing our successful initiatives in these areas, we will also be expanding the use of more project-based learning with a STEM focus throughout our district. We are undertaking substantial efforts at the third- through fifth-grade level that will provide our students with more opportunities to engage in STEM through project-based learning. It’s at this age where students really begin using literacy and math skills in other subject areas, and we want our students to find the application of their newly acquired skills to be meaningful, engaging, and rewarding. Finding purpose and success with math and science at a young age will lead to future success and engagement as each student progresses through school and into the workforce. Douglas Trombley was hired as the Curriculum Director of Saginaw Township Community Schools in January 2012 and became Superintendent of schools in August 2012. Contact him at 989.797.1800 x507 or datrombl@stcs.org.
MASA Leader - Sprin 2016
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