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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2009 > April > 29 > Entry
Editorial: Districts should support new STEM school
One of the most interesting education experiments this area has seen has made big strides the past couple months. The Dayton Regional STEM School, which is on track to open this fall, is busy putting together its first class of ninth-graders.
The school’s efforts so far are encouraging.
Student interest has come from near and far across three counties. But making this intensive science high school on Wright State University’s campus work for students will require regional cooperation. If area districts buy in, the STEM school’s success can benefit everyone.
The school — focused on science, technology, engineering and math — is open to students in 30 districts across Montgomery, Greene and Clark counties. It’s partnering with several area colleges and high-tech employers and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Though there are a handful of experimental science high schools starting up around the state, Dayton’s school is the only one that is designed as a regional center.
As such, its leaders have reached out with informational meetings in most area districts. That strategy is paying off. Only seven districts in the region sent no applicants, and those were largely outlying districts in northern Clark and Montgomery counties.
In all, about 160 students applied for 100 spots in the first class. (The plan is to add grades each year until the school has 600 kids in grades 6 to 12.)
The school accepted kids, as best it could, in proportion to the size of the district from which they came. (Acceptance is not selective; applicants don’t have to be high-achievers.) So Dayton schools, with about 13 percent of the kids in the region, won 27 spots — the most of any district.
But the school did well attracting suburban interest, too. Just to name a few examples, there were four Centerville students who applied, four from Kettering, two from Oakwood and four from Sugarcreek. About 45 percent of applicants came from non-public schools or are being home-schooled. About a third of the applicants qualify for free or reduced lunches.
Those are pretty encouraging numbers — a diverse applicant pool regionally and economically. But there are still obstacles to overcome. Area districts can do a lot to minimize them.
One big problem is transportation. The STEM school won’t have buses. In most cases, it will reimburse parents for getting their children to school. School leaders hope to set up carpools. Larger districts may send buses, and could help by working out deals to pick up other kids in the districts they pass through.
Students also will be allowed to participate in clubs and sports in their home districts, a logistically tricky problem that will require flexibility from coaches and advisers in students’ home districts.
Some districts, most notably West Carrollton, Huber Heights, Fairborn and Xenia, embraced the school early. Others have been more wary, fearing the charter school could siphon off top students and state money. That’s the wrong attitude.
The STEM school not only wants to develop young talent and nudge those students toward high-tech careers that are in demand locally, it also is seeking to raise the level of instruction in science in the region. The plan is to share methods and offer mentors to teachers in a three-county area. The school is not big enough to be a threat to anyone.
It has the potential to be a huge regional success story. Local districts should do everything they can to make that happen.
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