Initiatives
S.T.E.A.M.
As a key component of our district’s vision, NUSD aims to be a model of world-class education to prepare our students for the 21st century with the skills to succeed in college and career. NUSD has developed a framework that supports all content areas by focusing on coherent curriculum in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) disciplines.
STEAM education is about more than just the subjects in its name. In fact, it’s about blending those disciplines in ways that promote collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creative problem solving.
STEAM education supports the development of skills between business and education. Students become engaged when they see the relevance of what they are studying and how it can support their future aspirations. In NUSD, we actively seek partnerships with local business professionals in STEAM-related fields. These role models and industry professionals then co-teach with us to provide meaningful and engaging experiences for students.
Newark Unified School District is teaching the standards with STEAM! STEAM and Common Core go hand-in-hand in our classrooms. STEAM education provides an avenue for formally teaching the inter-relationships of how subjects relate in real-life. The Common Core standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers.
Through STEAM education, students explore the world around them, create innovative solutions to problems and engage in collaborative conversations. Students also take part in design challenges in their classrooms and can take afterschool STEAM-related classes.
Technology and digital literacy are a big part of STEAM programs. Students are growing up immersed in technology and can seek information in many ways. Our students use technology as a tool as they learn any of their school subjects. They can learn skills, too, such as coding, animation, video production, applications and more.
Problem of Practice for NUSD
Newark Unified School District is a STEAM focused school district where coherent curriculum in science, technology, engineering, arts and math are aligned with the common core standards to prepare students to be…
- Capable of conducting real-world STEAM projects and inquiry;
- Capable of authentic and collaborative problem solving;
- Capable of creative and authentic demonstrations of their learning;
- Proficient in applying multidisciplinary knowledge and skills through STEAM;
- Proficient in using critical thinking skills and asking and answering higher order questions;
- Proficient in English and other languages in order to communicate with a wide variety of stakeholders and to succeed on a global community; and
- Knowledgeable about and interested in STEAM careers
…through a sense of community that fosters collaboration, critical thinking, communication, creativity and all students feel valued.
Hear ye, hear ye!
STEAM Education Policy Resolution No. 2104 was unanimously passed and adopted on May 1, 2018, by the Newark Unified School District Board of Education.
Newark Unified School District
STEAM EDUCATION POLICY RESOLUTION NO. 2104
WHEREAS, STEAM Education is both the mastery and integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics to embed STEAM concepts, methodologies and skills into the habits of mind and actions of daily life for all PK-12 students; and WHEREAS, STEAM is more than just the subjects in its name. STEAM Education incorporates scientific inquiry and technological or engineering design through student-focused, Project-Based Learning curricula to develop skills of communication, teamwork/ collaboration, creativity/innovation, critical thinking, and problem solving; and
WHEREAS, STEAM, the Common Core standards, and specifically the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) go hand-in-hand. The NGSS integrate engagement in scientific and engineering practices, technology, mathematics, as well as human impact on the environment. The Common Core standards combined with authentic Standards Based Instruction are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. This work needs to be connected to collaborative partnerships within the City of Newark, partnerships with Ohlone College, University of California, Berkeley and other colleges, universities as well as with business and the technology industry; and
WHEREAS, when students brainstorm solutions for an engineering problem, they generate creative and innovative thinking to solve problems. STEAM Programs naturally involve art as students apply design to products, graphics and stylized designs for presentations, and improve the appearance, design and usability of products; and
WHEREAS, Science is a systematic method of continual investigations, based on observation, hypothesis testing, measurement, experimentation and theory building, which lead to more accurate explanations of natural phenomena, explanations that are open to further testing and revision and are accepted or rejected based on empirical evidence; and
WHEREAS, Technology modifies the natural world through innovative processes, systems, structures and devices to extend human abilities; and
WHEREAS, Engineering is design under constraint that develops and applies technology to satisfy human needs and wants; and
WHEREAS, Art is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, which can include the form of music, performing arts, painting, sculpture or other visual forms; and
WHEREAS, Mathematics is the concise language of nature that scaffolds, symbolizes, describes and defines the limits and relationships of science, technology and engineering; and
WHEREAS, Technology and engineering, coupled with knowledge and methods derived from science and mathematics, create social and environmental value and economic wealth to improve the quality of life; and
WHEREAS, district resources, efforts, strategic planning, facility master plan and energy master plan will be aligned to furthering our efforts toward becoming an exemplary STEAM district; and
WHEREAS, the superintendent will create a STEAM Advisory Council that will be comprised of educational partners, at least one board member, business and industry leaders as well as teacher leaders for the express purpose of guiding the relevance of implementation to be on par with industry needs and standards for the creation of high quality learning opportunities for all NUSD students; and
WHEREAS, the integration of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics into STEAM curricula and activities should produce novel results and solutions to vexing questions in healthcare and disease prevention, energy, the environment, agriculture, sustainability, aerospace and manufacturing;
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED THAT: The Newark Unified School District wants all its schools to be STEAM schools, providing authentic learning experiences that integrate science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics and to contribute to a fuller understanding and enrichment of the world as responsible, respectful and productive citizens.
Dual Language Immersion
Newark USD Dual Language Program Introduction
DUAL LANGUAGE IMMERSION
Newark's K-6th Spanish Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program launched in the 2021- 2022 school year at A. L. Schilling Elementary. The program currently serves K-1 and will serve K-2 in 2022-23 school year. We are now accepting applications for students in grade K-2. By the 2026- 2027 school year, instruction in both languages will be provided in all grade levels.
Paper DLI Interest Form
Digital DLI Interest Form
DLI in the NEWS
Environmental Literacy
Newark Vision for Environmental Literacy
All students will have access to high-quality environmental literacy learning experiences based in inquiry, reflection, and real-life applications, utilizing safe and available outdoor spaces (e.g. school gardens, parks adjacent to schools) that engage students in engineering and design thinking to prototype solutions for real-world environmental justice issues in the community.
Environmental learning opportunities will address key local environmental challenges (e.g., destruction/loss of existing wetlands, sea-level rise, survival of local endangered species, water quality), develop environmental stewardship and responsibility in students, integrate with the core educational experience of students, and maximize opportunities within existing partnerships with Alameda County Water District, Don Edwards, East Bay Regional Parks at Ardenwood & Coyote Hills, and supportive district policies.
Learn more about our Environmental Literacy Initiative here!