Garden-Based Learning: Engaging Students in Their Environment

Walter Bracken STEAM Academy, a Title 1, PK-5 public magnet school in Las Vegas, Nevada, converted a janitor’s closet into a financial center for student banking; transformed the entire school into a library; overhauled 32,000 square feet of dry grass into student-centered learning gardens; and revolutionized enrichment curriculum teaching math with drones and science with candy.

1. 2013 National Blue Ribbon School
2. Five Star rating on the Nevada School Performance Framework
3. Outperforms both state and county proficiency rates in science and writing by more than 20 percentage points