The Power of Leadership: Early Learning STEAM Integration in Perris, CA

The CA STEAM Initiatives’ blog celebrates stories of STEAM education in California. To learn more about our work, visit steamcalifornia.org.

Last fall, Jennifer Hunter embarked on a new adventure. It was her first year as the principal of the Railway School of Math, Science, and Technology, an elementary school that offers first through sixth grade in Perris, California.

Hunter has a background as a high school science teacher and STEM educator. Her passion lies in leading a STEM-focused school, emphasizing that STEM is key to literacy. As an instructional leader, Hunter guides teachers in implementing best practices, supports professional development, and fosters a collaborative school culture. Her work includes managing assessments and curriculum, and ensuring that all students, including English Learners and students with diverse needs, have access to high-quality, STEM-focused education.

In an interview, Hunter described how she embraced her role as a school leader to promote STEM integration with literacy. This is the first part of a two-part blog series examining how school leadership can empower STEAM. Read about Hunter’s pursuit of professional learning opportunities for her team in part two.

You emphasize STEAM as a path to literacy. Why do you think cross-disciplinary integration is important?

I think STEAM is a way to literacy because kids are curious and want to know how the world works. When they are experimenting in the classroom, they become curious about the phenomena. We as their teachers facilitate their learning and encourage them to ask questions, which begins to build their background knowledge, and academic vocabulary. Their curiosity is their motivation. It helps them develop foundational literacy and writing skills that align with the levels of rigor in the academic standards.

Our district has supported our STEAM integration. This past summer, our art teachers participated in training on project-based learning. Their curriculum is now redesigned to put the A in STEAM, and integrate art into Railway’s focus as a STEM school. I try to provide whatever my teachers need to make this integration happen.

Everything we do is truly about integrating science across the curriculum. How can we, for example, incorporate science across all subject areas, like science and art, math, and ELD [English Language Development]?

Railway has a diverse student population. As the school principal, how do you support your students through STEAM?

Within this idea of integration, we focus on exposure. In our day-to-day lessons, teachers provide students with learning experiences that build their foundational skills and expose them to STEM. Our goal is to make sure our students experience science in their classrooms or through educational field trips.

At Railway, we are committed to celebrating our students’ diverse backgrounds. Right now [early October], we’re celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. We invited parent volunteers to decorate our campus. We had a school assembly where hundreds of parents attended. Sometimes, it’s about literally opening the door to our students and families, and inviting them to celebrate their culture and experience how STEM is a way to academic success.

Next week, we have College and Career Day. We have people in different STEM fields coming to speak with our students about their careers. In providing moments of exposure, we give our students opportunities to learn about how STEM in the classroom can connect to their future careers.

These are all great resources and opportunities for your teachers to support STEAM learning. What do you wish others knew about doing this work in early education, like the elementary years?

The early years are the foundation years. If we get kids curious about STEAM early, we not only expose them to those subjects, we’re building their capacity for curiosity. They learn that it’s okay to ask questions, to want to learn more about whatever they’re interested in. They are developing their critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills. They present their learning to visitors who come and see the amazing work that we are doing!

Do you have advice for school leaders in fostering STEAM learning and integration?

Be curious, and be strategic with your planning. We were strategic with how we wrote Railway’s SPSA [School Plan for Student Achievement] and Title I funding. We prioritized integrating English Language Arts and STEM in our planning time. These subjects are integral to supporting students.

Ultimately, be a champion for your teachers. Believe in them and support their creativity and ideas. They know their students, and what can help them learn in a rigorous, fun way.

This is part one of a two-part series on school leadership in STEAM. Explore part two to learn how Hunter pursued professional learning opportunities for her team.

STEAM Initiatives is a program at the Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation. To learn more about how to promote interdisciplinary integration in STEAM, join us for the 2025 STEAM Symposium on February 7–8, 2025 at the Town and Country Resort San Diego.