BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A pitch for a new charter school in Bethlehem Area School District drew questions and concerns from the school board and residents Monday.
But the proposed STEAM-oriented education center will return to the board's next meeting to offer more answers.
In a hearing after the normal school board session, former Easton Area School District Superintendent David Piperato — operating as a consultant and potential board member for the school — offered up a presentation for the Bethlehem STEAM Academy, a charter focused on an integrated learning model introduced in Harrisburg.
“The mission is, through sustained partnerships with higher education, school organizations, nonprofits, community partners and local businesses and government agencies, the school's mission is to provide students with rigorous academic content, emphasizing science, technology, engineering, arts and math,” Piperato said.
According to Piperato, two other STEAM Academies are looking to launch in the Lehigh Valley: an Allentown Location — named the Lehigh Valley STEAM Academy — and another location that will be pitched at Whitehall-Coplay School Board on Wednesday.
Proposed location, size
The Bethlehem Academy has its eyes on 316 E. Market St. as an initial site for the kindergarten through fifth grade school.
The location encompasses 20,494 square feet, and has 17 classrooms, a movement room, special education classrooms, a cafeteria/multipurpose room, a courtyard, green spaces and 19 parking spots.
Initial estimates would include about 60 students per year for pre-kindergarten through third grade in year one, with three sections of 20 students per grade.
By the fifth year of the program, the charter expects to have 480 students from pre-kindergarten through seventh grade, and in the sixth year, 540 students total.
An open lot at 1838 Center St. is being considered to house upper-level classes for the charter, provided the board accepts the application.
If the board approves Bethlehem STEAM Academy, Piperato said it could be operational by fall 2024, pending staff hiring and renovations for the initial building.
“We believe in many of the same things," Piperato told the board members. "And we believe that what happens in Harrisburg on a daily basis can be replicated and extended here in the Lehigh Valley.
“We're looking at Bethlehem, we’re looking at Allentown, we’re looking at Whitehall — combined, that’s about 34,000 students in those three school districts right now. And we believe that there are students within the school district that can benefit.”
When questioned about start-up costs, among other issues, Piperato was unable to provide details.
Board members recommended he bring the rest of the applications for the charter to the next meeting to address those details.
Effects on the school district
During the public comment period, several local residents expressed concerns over the cost of the operation and how it could affect Bethlehem Area School District and raised questions about the efficacy and need for such an institution.
“I'm a firm believer in our district schools," said Heather Irvine, a mother of three with a first-grader at Bethlehem Area School District.
"I understand that the [STEAM] Academy has been rejected in one or two other locations. Our taxes are currently funding three charter schools in the district, and this continues to take away money from our district schools. We can't improve them if we keep taking money away from them.”
Piperato highlighted the Harrisburg charter’s higher percentage of students achieving proficient or advanced ratings in English language arts and literature testing — 51.4% versus an average of 10.38% at Harrisburg public schools — and mathematics and algebra testing — 44.7% versus an average of 4.7% at Harrisburg public schools.
According to Piperato, the key for those more successful statistics is the bedrock of integrated, flexible STEAM learning.
Time on certain subjects would be more fluid, with instructors able to adjust lessons to accommodate students, and connect lessons learned in one area throughout the rest of their education, he said.
He said the Bethlehem STEAM Academy mission is founded on “providing project-based problem solving, discovery, and exploratory learning experiences,” “delivering instruction through a unique, experiential, and collaborative process,” “delivering a rigorous and technologically enhanced curriculum that threads PA Standards through all content areas” and “inspiring creative, critical and analytical thinking.”
He said it would use "community-based partners in the instructional delivery of creative/related arts and rich student experiences.”
'Opportunity to help foster growth'
Piperato’s presentation also pointed out that racial, ethnic and socioeconomic inequalities have affected learning opportunities for students in STEM education for decades, while the Bethlehem STEAM Academy could “improve access, equity, inclusion and outcomes,” especially in the younger, more formative years of education.
“When we think about the typical person who's involved in these fields ... it is typically a white man," he said.
And for whatever reason, and I've dealt with this as a longtime educator as well, we're not able to, and it's not for lack of effort, steer enough of our students of color, enough of our female students, into these areas."
Piperato said a large district such as Bethlehem would certainly have issues cultivating those areas with an overextended staff of teachers.
But with a smaller scale operation such as the academy, Piperato said, there is more opportunity to help foster growth for all students in those areas.
Core classes, extracurriculars
Early language arts classes at the charter school would revolve around learning to read from pre-kindergarten through second grade, and “reading to learn” from grade three onward.
Mathematics courses would use the Eureka Math curriculum from Great Minds, which aims to make the subject interesting and engaging.
Science studies would be based in the Smithsonian Science K-8 curriculum, which was developed in partnership with the National Academy of Sciences, and includes 24 learning modules in the fields of life science, earth and space science, physical sciences, and engineering design.
Computer science courses would begin as early as kindergarten, continuing through every year, and using the framework of code.org, which was developed with input from the computer science education community.
Engineering courses would be built around the Engineering Design Thinking Model, with Project Lead the Way Launch being used from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade to hone students’ natural curiosity and love of play to encourage discovery.
Engineering is Elementary, a program from the Museum of Science in Boston, would provide instruction on coding, mechanical engineering and other concepts in engineering technology.
In the creative arts world, Piperato said the school would focus on developing “artistic literacy and excellence in dance, music, theater arts, and visual arts.”
In addition to normal instruction, the school also would provide before and after-school programs, summer school opportunities, and connections with local businesses to promote student-based projects and field trips.
Stipends would be used to bring in instructors to teach certain subjects referred to as “specials,” including music.
The next hearing for the Bethlehem STEAM Academy is set for Jan. 22, after the regularly scheduled school board meeting. The board has until March 2 2024 to make a final decision on the Bethlehem STEAM Academy application.
