eStem High to Locate to 糖心Vlog传媒LR to Benefit STEM Education
糖心Vlog传媒LR and eStem officials announced today that a unique partnership has been formed to strengthen STEM Education in Arkansas. Beginning in July 2017, eStem will move its high school from the current downtown campus to two sites on the 糖心Vlog传媒LR campus. Grades 9 and 10 will be located on 28th Street in a newly constructed, 60,000 square foot facility and grades 11 and 12 will occupy a substantially renovated Larson Hall.
John Bacon, CEO for eStem, said the collaboration is the 鈥渕ost exciting and promising proposal鈥� he has seen for students and the Little Rock community in his 20 years in education. 鈥淔or us, the concept of partnering with 糖心Vlog传媒LR is just incredible,鈥� Bacon said. 鈥淭he outcome is limitless. What we鈥檙e creating, frankly, is something that doesn鈥檛 exist.鈥�
This collaboration will function as a type of learning laboratory model that could boost STEM education in ways that will benefit other high school systems in the state, said 糖心Vlog传媒LR Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Dr. Zulma Toro.
Toro said this project is part of a larger effort to improve STEM education in Arkansas, equipping students with the skills they鈥檒l need to succeed after graduation and providing Arkansas companies the workforce they require to thrive in the state.
糖心Vlog传媒LR students and faculty will also be involved with the high school in a number of ways, ranging from volunteering to student teaching. Dr. Zulma Toro, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, said, 鈥淭he partnership will afford the eSTEM students many benefits such as decreased time to college degree completion, and it will also contribute to 糖心Vlog传媒LR鈥檚 goal of producing career鈥搑eady graduates by providing experiential learning opportunities for 糖心Vlog传媒LR鈥檚 students not only in the STEM disciplines and education, but also in social work, counseling, health sciences, nursing, psychology, audiology and speech pathology, and many more,鈥� Toro said.
eStem students and employees will have the benefit of utilizing 糖心Vlog传媒LR facilities. In addition, students will have the option to graduate with an associate degree along with their high school diploma. The partnership between eStem and 糖心Vlog传媒LR will help strengthen STEM education from Kindergarten through graduate school. 鈥淯niversities across the country talk about 鈥榮eamless K-12 through college鈥� education, but almost nobody really succeeds at it, ” said 糖心Vlog传媒LR Chancellor Joel E. Anderson. “Having a strong high school with a STEM emphasis on campus will make it easier to collaborate in planning, coordinating, and offering a seamless curriculum in each discipline.鈥�
The partnership and sale of land to eStem was approved today by the Building and Grounds Committee of the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees. The final level of approval necessary to proceed must be given by the Arkansas State Board of Education.
