Understanding STEM‐focused elementary schools: Case study of Walter Bracken STEAM Academy

Increasingly, STEM focused high schools are used prepare students for college STEM majors and launch them into STEM careers. Yet a new focus on STEM education at the elementary levels suggests that the importance of STEM education is much broader than a preparation for workforce needs in high school or college. This paper describes a case study designed to articulate the mission and design of an effective and nationally recognized STEM‐focused elementary school. As described through the six most impactful components of STEM‐focused elementary school design at Walter Bracken STEAM Academy, the case study emphasizes the school's strong and inclusive school leadership, with staff organized into grade level groups empowered to innovate and honing their teaching practices. External partnerships are leveraged to broaden student learning opportunities. Students at Bracken engage in active learning opportunities and multidisciplinary lessons where STEM is used as a way of thinking and as a way to coherently combine content into active learning opportunities that are engaging for learners. By organizing the structural components of an exemplary STEM‐focused elementary school, we hope to deliver actionable reforms for elementary schools wanting to increase their STEM‐focused offerings.