Swot Analysis Of Salk

While most schools have a mission statement, what is truly powerful about Salk is the unity amongst staff to bring the mission to life during the school day and beyond. When our magnet program was implemented, the teaching staff wanted to ensure that it was integrated throughout every discipline. This continues ten years later with our goal to provide excellence in STEM instruction by promoting equity in STEM literacy, among all genders and races. We continually achieve this goal by inspiring students to develop 21st century skills and by increasing academic performance as measured on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments. In 2016, we reevaluated the effectiveness of our three STEM themes (Technology Integration, Evidence-Based Communications,
Salk implements many educational activities that showcase the connections between our objectives and goals. In our social studies department, students learned how bills become laws, and students used innovation to generate bills to solve the problem, “What improvements can we make at Salk?” Bills were voted on and went to the principal; they were either signed into law or vetoed. In all contents, students use chromebooks to creatively integrate technology (another STEM theme and objective) in both learning and generating evidence that represents their application of this learning. Students create videos, presentations, infographics, lab reports by using probeware, Ti-Nspire handhelds to work math problems, and coding software to solve problems and challenges. Outside the traditional classroom, Salk has activities that promote our three themes and equity in education. Student clubs (GEMS, Robotics League, Math League), family events (STEM Family Night) and educational activities (Science Fair and History Day research days and support nights) align to our STEM themes and essential questions by enriching students and their understanding of how STEM connects with their