UPTON – An initiative to make engineering an everyday part of student life could earn Blackstone Valley Tech the title of “District of Distinction.”
The “District of Distinction” program was created last year by District Administration magazine as a means of providing national recognition to school districts implementing innovative initiatives that are benefiting students and suitable for replication. In applying to the new program, Blackstone Valley Tech highlighted a cross-curricular engineering initiative designed to develop students’ critical thinking and problem solving skills.
“More than 400 of the District’s partners in business, industry, and higher education confirm that modern employability requires not only academic knowledge and technical skills, but 21st century skills in critical thinking, communication, efficiency, collaboration, and productivity,” explained Superintendent-Director Dr. Michael Fitzpatrick. “These in-demand skills are inherent in the engineering process, which asks students to identify a problem, brainstorm a solution, test their solution, and continue this process as necessary until the problem is solved.”
Valley Tech successfully piloted the cross-curricular infusion of engineering principles over the past several years in the school’s Manufacturing Technology, Drafting Technology, and Electronics Technology programs. Based on its initial success, plans are underway to broaden the initiative’s scope and infuse engineering principles into the curriculum of all vocational technical programs at Blackstone Valley Tech.
Winners of the District Administration magazine’s “District of Distinction” award will be announced in March of 2015.
UPTON DAILY 