Meet Three High Schools Where ‘It’s Cool To Be Smart’

By Sheila Riley, Investor’s Business Daily
July 2, 2010

While many educators and officials are worried about U.S. schools falling behind in STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — the U.S. has many high schools that excel in these subjects.

At these schools, while students may graduate with memories of band practice and the prom, they also have a deep understanding of STEM subjects, serious research experience and national recognition.

Three such schools are the Harker School in San Jose, Calif.; Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va.; and Science and Engineering Magnet High School, part of the Dallas Independent School District.

Silicon Valley’s private K-12 Harker School, founded in 1893, is a top STEM school.

“We have an entire ecosystem where it’s cool to be smart,” said Christopher Nikoloff, head of school.

Knowledgeable faculty who can connect with students, and families who really value education are part of that system, he says.

Students can take a wide range of post-Advanced Placement classes, in subjects such as artificial intelligence and differential equations. Students conduct research in state-of-the-art labs.

“There really isn’t any limit to how far a student can pursue a passion,” Nikoloff said.

Harker raked in national science awards in the 2009-10 school year.

Senior Andrew Zhou is one of 20 national semifinalists for the U.S. team that will go to the 2010 Physics Olympiad in July in Croatia.

DASH Semifinalists

In May, Harker students were one of three semifinalist teams in DASH+, a Department of Energy-sponsored national competition to design an eco-friendly automobile dashboard.

DASH+ is part of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize Education Program.

Four Harker students were among the 300 semifinalists in the Intel Science Talent Search in January, the nation’s most prestigious science research competition for high school seniors. One, Namrata Anand, was among the 40 finalists.

The school isn’t cheap. Annual high school tuition is $35,400, though 16% of its 670 students get financial aid, Nikoloff says.

Christine Chien, a senior in fall 2010, was on the DASH+ team. The 17-year-old hopes to study bioengineering and eventually design medical devices.

Harker teachers want students to look beyond the classroom, she says. “The teachers encourage you to want to learn more than what’s in the textbook or on the upcoming test,” Chien said.

Public schools also graduate teens destined for further STEM success.

Thomas Jefferson High is a magnet school for 1,800 students. One of its students, Temple Anne Douglas, also was among the 40 finalists in the most recent Intel Science Talent Search.

The school ranked No. 1 in U.S. News and World Report’s 2010 rankings of 100 top high schools.

It has partnerships with local industry, government, and universities, such as Lockheed Martin (LMT), the National Institutes of Health and Georgetown University.

An array of science and technology electives partly explain the school’s success, says principal Evan Glazer. The electives include such subjects as parallel computing, quantum physics, alternative energy systems and neuroscience.

But it’s much more than that, says Glazer. The school focuses on research, and it has an interdisciplinary approach to curriculum.

That includes integrating biology, technology and English into a single “cluster.” Think of building an electronic gate to track salamander travels in a pond, and then writing a report on it, Glazer says.

“What makes this school successful is the focus on teaching students research and problem-solving skills so they can be curious, independent and collaborative thinkers,” Glazer said.

Rough Neighborhood

Another STEM-focused high school is Science and Engineering Magnet in Dallas.

It’s not in a suburban setting, but in a setting that mirrors the areas where its students live, says principal Jovan Wells.

“It’s a beautiful school in a very rough neighborhood,” Wells said.

Some 60% of its 400 primarily Hispanic and African-American students are low-income.

Several 2010 graduates will be the first in their families to go to college, including valedictorian Raul Rios, who is headed for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The school is first nationally in the numbers of Hispanic and African-American students passing AP calculus. It has been named Texas’ top high school for two years by the Houston-based nonprofit Children at Risk.

Wells is proud that students understand the school’s rigor and high expectations.

“They understand what the school has to offer. They understand that sacrifice and perseverance are required. They have the work ethic of adults,” Wells said.

And it’s not just students. “Teachers work tirelessly,” Wells said.

The need for improved STEM education is widespread, says Michele Cahill of the New York-based Carnegie Corp., which supports and does research on education.

“We need to bring all of our young people to new levels of learning in math and science, not just a select few,” said Cahill, vice president of the foundation’s national programs.

There are two steps to better STEM education, she says: national agreement on standards, and a road map of how to get there.

Good jobs of all kinds require STEM-related skills, she says.

“A really critical thing is that all of the well-paying jobs now require the kinds of cognitive skills that you gain through math and science,” Cahill said.