Opening in the fall of 2020, the PA STEAM Academy is the next step in the GreenWorks educational development effort. A K-8 bricks-and-mortar charter school, the school’s mission is to bring a tuition-free, effective, engaging educational experience to the city. Many more details, including an enrollment application, are available at pasteam.org.
In its first year the school will accept students in kindergarten, first and second grades. An additional grade level for each existing grade will be added each successive year. The school will eventually teach kindergarten through eighth grade. The STEAM Academy is a STEM school plus Arts. STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Class sizes will be small, at 20 students per classroom. One teacher and one teacher’s aide will instruct each classroom.
The school was founded by career educators and community leaders. The school’s founders have spent years creating the strongest curriculum possible, searching nationally for the most effective and interesting programs in each subject area.
Language Arts: The PA STEAM Academy will focus strongly on reading, writing and language arts. Early reading success is a clear indicator of long-term educational, career and life success. Students will spend two hours of each day in reading and language arts exercises.
Mathematics: To make math as interesting and absorbing as possible, the Academy will use Eureka Math from Great Minds, a K-8 curriculum rated the highest in the country by independent agencies.
Science: Smithsonian Science K-8 will be the curriculum used by the Academy. The curriculum was developed by the Smithsonian Institution in partnership with the National Academy of Sciences to transform the learning of science for K-to-8 students.
Computer Science: Students will begin learning computer science and coding in kindergarten and continue every year, using the K-12 Computer Science Framework and code.org.
Engineering: PA STEAM will use Engineering is Elementary, a curriculum developed by the Museum of Science in Boston.
Creative Arts: The arts education program will develop artistic literacy and excellence in dance, music, theater arts and visual arts. Spanish language classes will begin in kindergarten and continue each successive year.
Special Education: Services for PA STEAM’s special education students will be provided by the Capital Area Intermediate Unit.
The PA STEAM Academy curriculum meets the guidelines of Governor Wolf’s new PA Smart Initiative, a statewide effort to expand STEAM educational opportunities for students throughout Pennsylvania.
The school is a cooperative effort with many of the social and educational service organizations in the region, including the Salvation Army, the Joshua School, the Susquehanna Art Museum, the State Street Music Academy, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boys and Girls Club, WITF, the JT Dorsey Foundation, Gamut Theatre, Hamilton Health and UPMC Pinnacle. The STEAM Academy recognizes that education will only be effective when coupled with significant student and family support, and our goal is to bring as many community partners together as possible to create that support.
The school will be housed in the Midtown II Educational Building at Third and Reily Streets in Midtown Harrisburg, a landmark educational building in the city. We’re ready to change the way education works in Harrisburg, and we’re looking for parents who are ready to join us. Together we can make a stronger city possible.