Learning is Designed to be Relevant, Hands-on and Engaging
Joshua Jennings says he was never a good student when he was in school. He remembers staring out windows and wishing he were anywhere except stuck in a classroom.
Today, as the superintendent and founding director of the Global Impact Academy in Springfield, Jennings works hard to ensure that the 700 students who attend the independent STEM school have opportunities to be outside of classrooms, free from rules, and truly empowered to learn.
“The best type of schooling is when students are not in school,” Jennings said.
With a specific focus on agriculture, bio sciences and food science, Global Impact students spend time working on real-world issues.
How can soybeans be grown more efficiently?
How can rotting cheese be put to use?
What processes make potatoes more crisp?
These are among the many types of questions that students tackle in the school, which serves students in grades 7 through 12. Founded in 2012, Global Impact STEM Academy, founded with support from many partners, including Battelle, which continues to guide its work.
Global Impact STEM Academy, part of the Ohio STEM Learning Network, has become a model of what happens when you pair education with community needs and interests.
“Some days, it looks like chaos in here,” Jennings said. “And those are the days that are the best!”
“There are no bells at this school, no PA system and we don’t purchase textbooks,” Jennings said. Instead, teachers create their own material like using soybeans to make chapstick or biofuels.
The focus is making the learning relevant and engaging for students.
“And we have high expectations of our students,” he said.
A total of 90 percent of graduates attend college, with 60 percent joining related industries and the average student graduating with at least 40 semester hours of college credit. And 100 percent of all students have a professional internship.