Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Whitesburg Elementary Becomes First School in Georgia to Earn National Certificate for STEM Excellence from National Institute for STEM Education

  • 05/11/18

Houston–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Whitesburg Elementary School, a rural, Title I school in the Carroll County School System, is the first school in Georgia to earn the National Certificate for STEM Excellence from the National Institute for STEM Education (NISE). The National Certificate for STEM Excellence recognizes

“Children in our community will have to compete with children who have very different experiences and levels of opportunity. We want to ensure that our students are college and career ready, and provide them with skills to be prepared for jobs that don’t even exist yet,” said Marissa Ogando, principal of Whitesburg Elementary. “NISE not only supports our vision, but it integrates perfectly with what we’re already doing, so it’s not just ‘one more thing to do.’ It has given us new strategies, tools, and modalities to meet the Common Core standards and deliver our content in a more effective way.”

With the support of an experienced STEM coach, five Whitesburg teachers completed the National Certificate in STEM Teaching (NCST), while the school concurrently completed its requirements for the National Certificate in STEM Excellence-Campus Certificate (NCSE).

“NISE is competency-based. It provides a clear, consistent professional learning path and we absolutely loved the certification process,” said Ogando. “It gave us a new way to look at how we were delivering instruction so we could become better at facilitating students’ learning. Now our students own the learning, and we’re helping them develop the skills they’ll need to succeed in college and careers.”

About the National Institute for STEM Education

NISE is more than a certifying body. It is a research-based support system for campuses and teachers seeking to strengthen STEM instruction and outcomes. Based on 15 STEM Teacher Actions that evolved from STEM professional development originally created at Rice University, NISE’s Campus and Teacher Certificates help school leaders and teachers understand and apply research and best practices in STEM, 21st-century learning, and professional development.

For information, visit nise.institute.

Featured

  • AAADM Announces Building Safety Month Initiatives

    The American Association of Automatic Door Manufacturers (AAADM) recently announced its support of Building Safety Month as declared by the International Code Council (ICC), according to a news release.

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.

  • Hawaii Elementary School Breaks Ground on New Classroom Building

    Kealakehe Elementary School in Kailua, Hawaii, recently began construction on a new, $16-million classroom building for its campus, according to a news release. The 13,000-square-foot building will stand two stories and connect the existing upper and lower campuses.

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.