Integrating Math, Science and Technology in School Reform:
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
An American Youth Policy Forum Field Trip — December 13, 1996/October 10, 1997
Overview
Operating as a Fairfax County Public School and located in Alexandria, Virginia, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) provides its 1,600 students with high-level academic coursework integrated with cutting-edge technology. As the Governor's School for Science and Technology in Northern Virginia and a member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology, it is committed to ensuring that students graduate prepared to excel in both higher education and the emerging technology-based workforce of the 21st Century.
TJHSST was founded as the result of Northern Virginia's population boom in the 1980s. As local leaders searched for ways to attract hi-tech scientific firms, TJHSST opened in 1985 to prepare young people for these growing industries and demonstrate to firms that Northern Virginia was committed to such expansion and could provide a workforce to meet their needs. At TJHSST, science and technology are an "extension of the humanities, and traditional academic courses are structured around the themes of math, science and technology. According to Principal Geoffrey Jones, this integrated approach emphasizes that "a machine is not a technology until it becomes a part of your life and you are using it fully." This philosophy is the driving force behind all TJHSST programming and has helped the school graduate more National Merit Scholar semifinalists than any school in the nation six of the last seven years.
Students from nine school districts in Northern Virginia apply to TJHSST during eighth grade, with a limited number of sophomores accepted to replace students who transfer out of TJHSST. Students are selected on a competitive basis, with significant weight attached to math and science ability. Sixty percent of TJHSST students are male, which Jones attributes largely to the historical difficulties of females in math and science in the early elementary grades. Staff to student ratio is 24 to 1 and TJHSST provides extensive in-service professional development.
Integrated Learning at TJHSST
Students are exposed to the integrated approach to learning immediately upon entering TJHSST through a course called IBET--Integrated Biology, English and Technology. IBET demonstrates how core subjects, such as science and English, relate to one another while introducing students to the types of technology used in the workplace. This comprehensive approach to learning, focused on science and technology, is present throughout TJHSST. Students must complete four credits in English, five credits in Mathematics (including Calculus), four credits in Science, three credits in Social Studies and three credits in a foreign language to graduate (each one-year course awards one credit; the IBET course awards three credits). Electives and other computer- and technology-based courses comprise the remainder of a student's coursework.
TJHSST has ensured that its integrated approach in relevant to the world of work by establishing extensive partnerships with area employers, scientific laboratories and local government agencies. Central to these collaborations are TJHSST' 13 "Technology Research Laboratories," each applying the intensive use of technology to core academic subjects. The laboratories are:
- Astronomy
- Chemical Analysis
- Computer Aided Design
- Computer Systems
- Energy Systems
- Geoscience
- Industrial Automation and Robotics
- Life Sciences and Biotechnology
- Microelectronics
- Oceanography
- Optics and Modern Physics
- Prototyping and Engineering Materials
- Video Technology and Communications
Each laboratory was developed and is supported by one or more local businesses or organizations, that provide equipment and technical assistance to ensure that students are being prepared for the demands of the workplace. In addition to its classroom teachers, each laboratory has a mentorship coordinator who is responsible for maintaining connections to supporting firms, research laboratories and government agencies partnering with TJHSST.
According to Jones, the partnerships established through the laboratories are the centerpiece of TJHSST' efforts to help students understand and value the transition from school to higher education and work. To further emphasize the importance of viewing school as a way of preparing for work and life, the laboratories and other classes continually emphasize five major themes:
- Communication -- How to write, speak and communicate complicated and abstract ideas, many of which incorporate an understanding and use of technology.
- Collaboration -- Teachers and school partners promote the importance of understanding that "you're only as strong as you're able to make those around you stronger."
- Systems Thinking -- TJHSST emphasizes that in technology, and in life, it is important to understand the functions of the the components of the system as well as the system itself.
- Enterprising Experience -- As the workforce demands increasing numbers of problem-solving, productive workers, TJHSST remains committed to providing its students with hands-on, experiential activities.
- Change Management -- Vocational tasks and roles change and most people will change vocations several times during their lives. Vocations in the 21st Century will be increasingly technological and will demand even more rapid and complex change. Change, however, is largely dependent upon how people and communities manage growth professionally, ethically and collaboratively. TJHSST focuses on the development of people skills.
Developing Community Connections
One of the driving forces behind TJHSST' broad industry support has been the Fairfax County Public Schools Education Foundation, a private foundation established in 1983 to help local schools develop relationships with local employers. According to Robert Kelly, Executive Director and Marty Irving, President, the Foundation's members are employers committed to helping develop a high-skill, homegrown workforce. Businesses assist TJHSST and other schools in a variety of ways. Some take on partial sponsorship and support of a technology laboratory, while others provide internships and mentorships for students. Their focus, like TJHSST's, is a commitment to integrating technology with every day learning. States Kelly, "I believe that every child in kindergarten through grade 12 should have a computer 24 hours a day to help them go about their business of being a student."
Mentorships offer TJHSST students a more intensive opportunity to interact with science and technology professionals and learn about the workplace and associated research and project development. According to John Solomon, Mentorship Director, students apply for the program by writing a project brief which outlines their learning goals and interests and submitting it along with their resume. Solomon then works with technology laboratory directors and potential mentors to identify an appropriate workplace match. Students leave school early to work 10 to 15 hours each week and meet periodically with their laboratory director to report on their progress. By the end of the semester, each student must complete a research paper based on their research experience, prepare a "poster board" which synthesizes and visually represents what they have learned, conduct an eight to ten minute presentation on their project and submit an abstract of their experience for inclusion in the yearly TJHSST Mentorship Project Description Booklet.
At each worksite, students receive a mentor, or supervisor, who is responsible for overseeing their work and learning. Projects should involve students in "the mainstream of what is going on in the organization," explains Solomon, and mentors must be committed to ensuring that the student has a substantive work experience. This experience helps students not only "savor the flavor of the workplace," continues Solomon, but also "be stretched and challenged to the limits of their abilities."
"The mentors benefit as well," states Tom Jorgensen, U.S. Army Topographic Engineering Center and a student mentor. Working closely with his mentees during their mentorship time, Jorgensen exposes them to all aspects of the organization, but assigns them specific research projects that match their interests. Involvement in a field of their interest provides motivation for the student, while the exposure to other areas of the workplace often helps "push students on to bigger and better things." Now working with his sixth mentee, Jorgensen has found that students continually exceed all expectations.
Conclusions
TJHSST demonstrates that when used properly, technology can be a tremendous asset across all areas of student learning. Its cross-curricular approach helps students understand how various components of learning fit together and the use of technology helps clarify these connections. Local employers, particularly those who mentor TJHSST students, also find that the extensive use of technology helps students adapt more easily to the demands of the workplace.
TJHSST, in addition, also offers broader lessons for school reform. The partnerships it has developed with local organizations has helped the school develop more comprehensive and meaningful programs and courses for its students. Business involvement in the technology labs has helped the directors and teachers keep coursework and projects up to date and the work of the Public Schools Education Foundation demonstrates to local employers the strength of the developing workforce. These lessons are relevant for all schools and districts, regardless of their technological capacity. TJHSST shows that while technology can make a difference, its strength relies on the development of substantive and supportive relationships with employers and other community organizations.
Contact Information
Geoffrey Jones,
Principal
John Solomon,
Mentorship Director
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
6560 Braddock Road
Alexandria, VA 22312
Phone: 703-750-8300
Fax: 703-750-5010
Tom Jorgenson, U.S. Army Topographic Engineering Center, can be reached through John Solomon
Marty Irving,
President
Bob Kelly,
Executive Director
Fairfax County Public Schools Education Foundation
10700 Page Avenue
Fairfax, VA 22030