STEM for All

With a full-time resident assigned to their fifth-grade classroom, two teachers (one general education, one special education) felt they had the bandwidth to try a new approach to science instruction. The teachers were moving into uncharted territory. The high-need district, designated as low performing because of reading and mathematics test scores, had yet to include science as a targeted area in its improvement plan. Using the Next Generation science standards to guide their thinking, the three-person team devised an accessible, equitable science unit on freshwater, water pollution, and water justice. The team met with the principal and requested $1,000 to fund laboratory materials, reference texts, and a class field trip to a nearby water plant. Would the principal be making a prudent decision if she gave the teachers the funds they were requesting?