STEAM ahead: How to empower a rising school district
Not too long ago, back before the pandemic, only about one in five Compton USD graduates majored in a STEAM field in college. Since Superintendent Darin Brawley made STEAM an anchor of pre-K through 12 instruction in the Southern California district, that number has soared to more than 50%.
Brawley’s district transformation ensures that students start coding, building robots and playing esports in elementary school, continuing with those subjects through 12th grade. Students also have opportunities to compete with their classmates, other schools and other districts all along the way.
“As far as science, technology, engineering arts and math goes, I would put Compton at the forefront in terms of what’s happening in the space for K through 12 education,” Brawley asserts. “If you were to attend one of our esports competitions, you would think you’re in a basketball gymnasium in the championships or playoffs.”
Last year, drones were added to the district’s STEAM offerings in middle and high school. STEAM subjects engage students who were not previously involved in school activities, and they can now participate during and after school and in summer technology camps.
“They’re involved in esports, they’re involved in robotics, they’re involved in drone competitions,” he explains. “We’ve been able to reach a different student population, in terms of their interests, and we’ve been able to cultivate that and take things to a new level.”
And it’s all geared toward career paths that, for some, will run through a four-year college. Brawley was inspired to make Compton a STEAM district by a visit he and his team took the headquarters of one of the world’s leading tech companies about 10 years ago.
“I was just shocked with what I saw because there were no workers that looked like me or the kids that we educate—there weren’t Black and Mexican people working there,” he explained. “So we came back with a mission to eliminate that opportunity gap for the students that we serve. We knew that if we didn’t come back and implement something dramatic… we weren’t doing our job.”
The state of California recognized Compton USD for making the largest math and ELA gains of any district where 90% of students come from low-socioeconomic households, or are English learners, in foster care, experiencing homelessness, or from other historically marginalized groups. The graduation rate during Brawley’s tenure has risen from 58% to 93%.
Compton USD educators reached these benchmarks by continuously monitoring progress with his administrators and educators. For instance, he has monthly data chats with his principals. “People usually look for a type of leadership, right? ‘Transformational leadership,'” he concludes. “But my leadership comes through teaching people how to become better leaders. I try to implement that with the individuals who serve under me.”
