When Val Verde Unified School District invested in STEAM labs across all their schools a decade ago, they had a clear mission: give their predominantly Black and Hispanic students early, positive experiences with science and technology to counter troubling industry statistics. Now, groundbreaking research from Columbia University proves their investment paid off.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
A comprehensive study tracking nearly 300 fourth-grade students found that STEAM lab experiences delivered statistically significant improvements in student engagement across 11 of 14 measured categories. The most impressive gains:
- 9% increase in cognitive understanding of lesson content
- 9% improvement in comprehending instructions
- 7% reduction in stress interfering with learning
- 6% boost in active, collaborative learning
“Studies tell you girls start making decisions in 3rd grade about how they see their career options,” explains Doug Henderson, Director of Val Verde’s STEAM Lab initiative. “If you don’t start giving them experiences at younger than 3rd grade, where they start to see, ‘Oh, it’s not that hard!’ they’ll never get them.”
What Makes STEAM Labs Different?
Using LessonLoop’s scientifically-validated engagement survey (0.79 reliability), researchers compared traditional math lessons with STEAM lab experiences covering identical content. The difference? STEAM labs use hands-on, collaborative, multi-modal approaches that transform how students connect with academic material.
The study revealed three engagement factors that remained consistently high regardless of teaching style:
- Students’ desire to do their best work (87% positive)
- Motivation through external rewards (76% positive)
- Appreciation for diverse perspectives (83% positive)
This suggests successful programs should build on these stable foundations while incorporating STEAM’s proven engagement boosters.
The Surprising Teacher Gap
Perhaps the most eye-opening finding: teachers systematically underestimated student engagement by 13% on average. The biggest gaps occurred in areas hardest to observe—cognitive understanding, motivation, and instruction clarity. This highlights the critical need for better tools and training to help educators accurately assess student engagement.
Implementation Lessons
Val Verde’s success didn’t happen overnight. Initial teacher reluctance gave way to enthusiasm once educators saw how to “embed math into an art lesson, or embed math into science, together in a lesson,” as one teacher explained. Key success factors included:
- Dedicated STEAM lab spaces and full-time teachers
- District-wide coaching support
- Collaborative planning and instructor modeling
The Equity Imperative
For districts serving underrepresented populations, these findings are particularly significant. With only 13% of Science and Engineering professionals identifying as Black or Hispanic, and just 4% being women, early intervention matters. As one STEAM teacher noted, broadening students’ perceptions means showing them that “bringing Science into their lives can look like wearing a lab coat and working in a lab, but it also can look like identifying trees on their walk to work.”
The Bottom Line
This research provides concrete evidence that systematic STEAM implementation drives measurable improvements in student engagement during the critical elementary years when career perceptions form. For educational leaders weighing similar investments, Val Verde’s decade-long journey offers both validation and a roadmap for success.
The full study, “Engaging Students through STEAM Labs: A Case Study with Val Verde Schools,” was conducted by Columbia University’s Center for Professional Education of Teachers in partnership with LessonLoop.