Project Management: Muscatine schools’ innovative G Squared draws attention

MUSCATINE - In Thursday's high school chemistry class, Alec Harter, 16, calls a representative of Frito-Lay Sun Chips to ask how long the chip bags take to decompose, to see if it would be good material for a biodegradable raincoat.

At the same time, Tasha Mullin, 16, is in math, using a spreadsheet to calculate the minimum surface area to package the raincoat.

Sierra Sagastume, 17, is in English class, explaining how she wants to lay out the pages for a book that will showcase the raincoat project, along with others.

The students are members of a middle and high school pilot program called “G Squared,” which is concluding its first year. The 400 eighth-, 10th and 11th-graders in the program spend half of each school day working on projects, rather than listening to lectures and doing traditional classroom activities.

The program has drawn interest from other Iowa school districts, with more than 13 of them - including College Community, Center Point-Urbana and Bettendorf schools - sending representatives to observe.

The district began formulating the program at breakneck speed in spring 2010, with the first class starting in August.

It was intended to help students who weren't engaged by the schools' current offerings, whether they were A or D students, said Diane Campbell, an assistant superintendent at Muscatine.

The teachers chosen for the program had to take on a radically different role - more moderator than lecturer. They also had to be willing to cross between subject areas, as every project involves more than one discipline.

It's not a transition all teachers are ready to make, said Cathy Kramer, the program's 11th-grade chemistry teacher.

“Some teachers tend to be the ruler of their own mini kingdom in the classroom, and you really can't have any of that,” she said. “We have to work hard to make sure we're on the same page and helping each other out, because our students are relying on us.”

Kramer has taught for five years, before which she worked as a chemist. She uses that experience to serve as a resource for her students. During her Thursday class, she bounced between student groups and injected her expertise into situations where it was helpful.

When the program started, Cramer said there was a gap between the students' expectations of the program and the actual curriculum. G Squared is not a charter school, and the projects still have to fulfill the requirements of the Iowa Core curriculum.

“I think the students were looking at this going, ‘No homework? Yes! No textbooks? Yes!' They soon found out that, no, this isn't that easy at all,” she said.

Whatever growing pains the program had, most students have adapted and are more involved in school as a result. The students, many of whom now refer to each other as family, are constantly working together, frequently stepping out of class to consult with members of their team.

Campbell is pleased with the progress.

“In other classes in past years, they've been able to sit back and think, ‘What can I do to get that grade to pass?' It's just not possible in this environment,” she said.

Lindsey Kuhlenbeck, 16, said she loves the program and has improved her grades since joining, but she knows it's not for everyone.

“It just depends on the type of person you are,” she said. “If you like being independent and don't mind bookwork, maybe you'd do better in a regular classroom.”

Fellow G Squared student Harter said other students at school have made negative comments about the program on Facebook, but G Squared students are quick to defend the program and each other.

“You don't usually see other kids stick up for the school, academically,” he said.