Spotlight Technology for the Future, SMART START, NY Focus Area: Educational Technology
The Brentwood Union Free School District (BUFSD) was granted $244, 251 ($1.2 mil) from the New York State Education Department a year for a five-year Professional Development Program that aims to implement the new K-12 Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards. The PD program will implement training in collaboration with Stony Brook University as previously executed in the STEPD-UP program see: https://stepdup2018.wixsite.com/mysite. The PD program developed by educators and scientists is an exciting opportunity for the Brentwood Schools and is scheduled to launch April 1, 2021. This competitive grant continues intensive STEM programming initiated in 2018 which engages teachers in real-world application of STEM. Our program will implement the Digital Literacy Standards through exciting PD opportunities. We will work with elementary and middle school teachers throughout the district and include a partnership with the Regional Economic Development Council and the Suffolk County Department of Labor. This grant aims to further our students 21st Century skills through educator PD focused on real-world issue in STEM fields. Our year-long training program will target a yearly cohort of 63 individuals to include 25 middle school teachers, 25 elementary school teachers and 13 building leaders. Professional Development will be led by Brentwood in Collaboration will Stony Brook Department of Ecology and Evolution and the School of Professional Development. Program director “Dr. Rebecca Grella stated that this is an amazing opportunity to help close equity gaps in computer science and STEM in the BUFSD. “ Superintendent Rich Loeschner stated “This is an amazing endeavor uniting all grade levels”.

Pictured: Adrienne Davis, Project Mentor, Dr. Rebecca Grella, Project Director, Steve Abrams, Director Flax Pond Marine Lab, Dr. Dianna Padilla Professor Stony Brook University Department of Ecology and Evolution
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