Dive Brief:
- With increased exposure of secondary students to the "maker" movement, some school districts in largely rural areas are finding that innovation curriculum is an ideal fit for students from farming or small business households with knowledge of how to turn product into profit.
- At Corvallis High School in Montana, students are working on projects to detect and minimize air pollution, to create or enhance cleaner burning fossil fuel, and to prevent forest fires.
- The programs find eager partners with nearby colleges and universities, which also allow low-income and minority students exposure to fields and disciplines they may not otherwise have discovered.
Dive Insight:
Students in Montana are being trained to enhance or to create technology which improves the way of life in their town and possibly, throughout the country. It is the kind of work that can set school districts apart for cultivating workforce development and higher education access for all of its students, which can set parents at ease about future opportunities for their children, teachers about their career stability, and lawmakers the value of education funding.
Additional considerations could be developed for urban campuses, which could work with corporations to expose students to maker culture in areas like transportation and data processing, with colleges as a partner in oversight. Through the maker movement, schools are promoting college access, careers and entrepreneurship all in the form of projects which make a difference to all kinds of people.