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Pilot Knob STEM Magnet School Research Report

Victoria Chanda

Loyola University
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Background Information

Pilot Knob STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Magnet School is a public

elementary school located in Eagan, Minnesota. The school serves students from grades K-4.

Currently 339 students attend Pilot Knob Elementary. It is one of five elementary schools that

make up School District 197.

History of the School

Pilot Knob Elementary became a magnet school in 2010. A magnet school is a “school

with superior facilities and staff and often a specialized curriculum designed to attract pupils

from throughout a city” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). Although the same curriculum is being taught

in other schools, Pilot Knob has science, technology, engineering and math integrated into every

class. Pilot Knob was recognized in 2014 as the Magnet School of Distinction and recognized in

2013, 2015, 2016 for being a Magnet School of Excellence. They received the Green Ribbon

School Award from the U.S. Department of Education in 2017 and the Apple Distinguished

Program Award from 2012-2017.

Mission statement. Pilot Knob Elementary School’s mission it to “develop self-reliant,

technologically literate problem-solvers, innovators, inventors and logical thinkers. Through

creative and critical thinking, teachers and staff support their students’ intellectual, social,

emotional and physical development” (School District 197, n.d., -a, Home Page). With STEM as

a major focus, Pilot Knob encourages students to design, build and create as part of their daily

learning.
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Innovative School

A well-known program in the district that supports student intellectual development is

known as the STEM Sparks Program. Students choose an elective of interest to them that is

related to a STEM topic such as investigating animal tracks, building bridges, or observing

insects. Through research and observation, students engage in a student-driven learning

experience where they apply what they learned to create products applicable to the real world.

Students could also choose to participate in a robotics and pre-robotics engineering program that

develops students’ programming skills through problem solving and engineering thinking. All of

the elective courses address the Minnesota State Standards.

Another program, focusing on energy saving and recycling, is the LIVEGREEN

Sustainability Program. The elementary school has a team made up of a variety of students and

teachers. Together, the team finds ways to reduce energy and promote recycling. “Through

sustainability efforts, the district has avoided more that $1.9 million in utility costs since 2003”

(School District 197, n.d., -b, Sustainability LIVEGREEN). Finding and implementing low-cost

efficiency strategies has helped the school conserve resources.

The school also created a community garden to foster student interest in planting,

harvesting and cooking. This was made possible because of a Statewide Health Improvement

Program grant that the school received from the State of Minnesota. With the grant, they created

16 beds that students, parents and teachers use to plant vegetable, flowers and herbs. What is

unique about the garden is that families have access to it at any time if they want to harvest their

own vegetables.

Finally, an initiative that former Principal Benson put into place is the Family Book Club
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which encourages reading. The book club meets twice a month to discuss different literature.

Families from all grade levels participate in the club and hold rich discussions about the book.

There are also engaging activities related to the book that families can complete together.

Stakeholders

There are a variety of stakeholders who make the innovation possible such as parents,

teachers, students, administration and other partnerships. “The Science Museum of Minnesota,

Works Engineering Museum, Dakota County and the State Health Improvement Program,

Josten’s, Prime Therapeutics, University of Minnesota’s Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and

Conservation Biology, DARTS, and the Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest volunteer

their time and resources to make the vision a reality” (School District 197, n.d., -c, Community

Partners). Also, the Dodge Nature Center provides students with environmental-based education

experiences. The biggest supporters of the innovations are the members of the Pilot Knob Parent-

Teacher Association. They work extremely hard to raise money to help support the vision of the

school.

Technologies that enable the innovation. Every classroom has interactive whiteboards

to promote individualized learning. Students in 3rd and 4th grade have 1-1 iPad access. Macbook

and iPad carts are available to the whole school upon request. There is also a STEM Lab that has

many engineering kits as well as a 3D printer.

Additional support in place. Pilot Knob has created an in-school support system that is

very unique. During lunch, they have professionals who work in a STEM-related career field

come in to speak to the students. This gives students an opportunity to listen, reflect and ask

questions about the career.

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Pilot Knob also has a variety of STEM nights with different focuses. Engineering was the

focus this past October. The students made pin-wheel windmills, created a town using Legos,

and designed paper airplanes to investigate which structure would fly the furthest.

There is also a STEM fair that is held once a year. Students set up their exhibits during

the school day and at night families come in to view the exhibits while students present. Students

are able to choose a topic that they are interested in and then create a question that they would

want to investigate. They investigate it on their own time at home with minimal help from their

family.

Teacher’s role. The teacher is responsible for personalizing and enhancing the

curriculum with the latest technology resources. They serve as facilitators and encourage rich

discussion. They challenge students to become critical thinkers and creative problem solvers.

They prepare students for the real world through engaging, meaningful lessons with a focus on

STEM topics.

Reality of the school. An e-mail was written to the principal on November 6th, 2017.

There has been no response since. A call was made on November 10, 2017. It was outside of

school hours, therefor a message was left with a number to call back. An interim principal is

currently at the school while the other principal takes a one-year leave of absence. With the new

change, it may be busy at the school, which could be why there has been no response.

Outcomes of the Innovation

Students will take ownership and responsibility for their own learning. They will learn

how to communicate with one another in a respectful manner. Through collaboration, they will

investigate and solve problems applicable to the real world. They will develop a passion for
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school and become life-long learners.

Impact on Students

Students not only grow from an intellectual standpoint, but they also develop socially and

emotionally as learners. Through the many different innovations, students develop self-

confidence and feelings of accomplishment. They learn how to collaborate and effectively

communicate with other students at the school to solve real world problems. Staff encourage

students to have a growth mindset. Developing a growth mindset means that one continuously

perseveres through difficult tasks. Mistakes are encouraged because it helps the student grow as

a learner. Students develop a belief in themselves that they can achieve anything they set their

mind to.

Comparison to traditional schools. Although Pilot Knob offers the traditional

curriculum that other schools use as well, they take it a step further by adding STEM as a major

focus in their school. They encourage project based learning and provide students the

opportunity to solve real world problems.

Innovative Practices to Replicate

Providing student choice was something that really resonated with me. Student’s are held

accountable and are more likely to take responsibility for their learning. I think it is important

that students are able to choose the electives they want to attend because it will allow them to

think about different careers fields they might want to enter some day. Being exposed to so many

different fields and opportunities is extremely inspiring and I would love to include it in the

school model that my group creates.

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References

District197. (2012, January 20). Explore STEM at Pilot Knob! Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69hxzJWAByk

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.) Magnet School. Retrieved from

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magnet%20school

School District 197. (n.d., -a). Home Page: Welcome to Pilot Knob. Retrieved from

http://www.pilotknob.isd197.org/

School District 197. (n.d., -b). Sustainability LIVEGREEN. Retreived from

http://www.isd197.org/district/sustainability

School District 197. (n.d., -c). Community Partners. Retrieved from

http://www.pilotknob.isd197.org/about/communitypartners
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Five Characteristics

Characteristic Pilot Knob STEM Magnet New Tech High at Arsenal Your Current Vision
Elementary School Tech

STEM STEM is integrated into Students attend elective classes Students attend STEM
Electives everyday lessons. every day that last for 45 elective classes every
minutes. day for 1 hour. Each
quarter they will pick a
different elective.

Culture of Students work in groups to Students are provided Students evaluate the
Respect and investigate research examples of projects that they final product of other
Responsibility questions for their STEM critique and analyze in order to classmates. They
lesson. set expectations for their own participate in a ‘gallery
final product. They work walk’ after every big
together in groups to complete assignment. They
this task. provide positive
feedback as well as
future suggestions.

Project Based Students research one
Learning question of interest to them.
They complete a STEM
project showcased at the
yearly STEM Fair.
Students complete a project
focused on a topic of their
choice.
Have quarterly STEM
Fairs where students
showcase their project.
Quarter 1: Science,
Quarter 2: Technology,
Quarter 3: Engineering,
Quarter 4: Math.

Technology White boards are in every
Access classroom. Students in 3rd
and 4th grade have 1-1
access to I-pads. Macbooks
and I-pad carts are available
upon checkout.
The school ensures that all
students have access to a
computer and internet.
There will be 1-1 I-pad
access for all students in
the school. The internet
speed will be of high
quality.

Professional Staff meet with their team Twice a week, the principal Once a week the school
Learning members to plan and discuss leads a whole-school will attend a ‘lesson
Community lessons. professional development swap’ where they can
where teachers can share share/gather ideas to try
project ideas and effective in the classroom.
approaches to project based
learning.
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