Northeast DC charter school to launch STEAM program

WASHINGTON (7News) — Hope Community Public Charter School (Hope PCS) is launching its STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) program.

The charter school, which serves pre-kindergarten to eighth-grade students, wants to provide a new level of innovation and global awareness to its students.

The mission of the program is to offer education in content areas that minority and economically disadvantaged students often have limited access to, according to Hope PCS. This includes engineering, collaboration and team building, understanding of the scientific process, global awareness, and applied mathematics.

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According to the school, participation in the program will begin as students enter elementary school. Students will meet learning milestones each year, finishing with middle school students presenting final projects before moving on to high school.

According to Principal Dr. Clifford Owens, this learning style allows children to develop critical thinking skills through collaboration, which teaches students the importance of working together to achieve a common goal. Students at Hope PCS already engage in this type of learning, as they have been working with students in Ghana on a clean water project.

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“With the ever-changing landscape of the world, it is more important than ever for students to be equipped with the skills they need to succeed,” says Dr. Owens.

Schools with a STEAM-based curriculum can lead to improved test scores in reading and math, according to Hope PCS.