Two local school districts have received state grants toward their Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics or STEM programs.

Pinckney Community Schools and South Lyon Community Schools are among 21 educational entities across Michigan sharing over $3 (m) million in state grants. The state set aside funds in the 2018/2019 School Aid Act for the MiSTEM Advisory Council to distribute grants for proposals to implement programs listed in the STEMworks database - a repository of high-quality STEM programs that have gone through a rigorous review process. Pinckney will receive $10,703 for its Mi Science Teaching and Assessment Reform or MiStar program while South Lyon will receive $69,826 toward its Cereal City Science program.

Interim State Superintendent Sheila Alles said the STEM focus of these grants will help Michigan become a Top 10 education state in 10 years. All of the implementation plans selected for funding are said to align with the Top 10 plan’s goal of implementing high-quality classroom instruction through a child-centered instructional model with a strategy to enable public schools’ students to engage in integrated STEM programming. Alles says giving students the opportunity to learn and work at high-quality technical levels improves our ability to be leaders in education and industry. In weighing the applications, the MiSTEM Advisory Council considered reviewer ratings, program type, and distribution across the MiSTEM Network Regions. (JM)