Having functioned as a principal earlier in his career, John Ray has served as the superintendent of the Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School District in Humboldt County, California, since 2014. In addition to his everyday work as a superintendent, John Ray is connected to the pulse of school-based policymaking nationwide through his membership with the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).
Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education has become an area of critical focus in American schools over recent years, given the rise in demand for technology-related professionals in the workforce. Through a $485,000 grant awarded by the Toyota USA Foundation, ASCD will be able to help educators in these course areas engage students by providing additional teaching resources.
Specifically, ASCD will produce videos, branded Spark 101, that give students an outlet to put the skills they learn in the classroom to practical use through STEM-based challenges. In her comments, ASCD CEO and Executive Director Deb Delisle said these challenges will enable teachers to integrate everyday applications into their lesson plans while giving students an opportunity to see what a STEM career might look like for them.
