2022 Spring/Summer Highlights of Hope

Education highlights
The pandemic has brought many challenges to the classroom. Our educators worked
hard to make sure that teachers and administrators could support students to the
best of their ability with a suite of instructions, resources, projects and professional
development offerings to help create classrooms where curiosity, creativity and critical
thinking continue to thrive. Resources mentioned here can be found at vaei.org.
Better Together: A Virtual Event for K–12 Administrators
To combat learning loss, VAI hosted several networking events for K–12
administrators to help address concerns related to the pandemic. More than
350 administrators from 20 states and two continents have registered for Better
Together events.
VAI’s Admin Guides
These relevant and comprehensive guides are designed to equip administrators
with strategies for school development. This year featured “Beyond Learning
Loss: Six Ways Schools Can Thrive in the Aftermath of the Pandemic” and “7 Tips
for Successful School Improvement Planning.” The Admin Guides have been
downloaded more than 500 times.
Blue Apple Timely Topics
Our expert educators created nine free Blue Apple Timely Topics connecting to
current events, such as “Celebrating Black History Month,” “Respectful Debate”
and “Spooktacular STEAM.” In 2021, these lessons were downloaded more
than 2,800 times and were used throughout the U.S. and more than 25 other
countries.
Flex PD
VAI’s popular Flex PD is a comprehensive, affordable professional development
model that promotes tangible shifts in instruction for teachers and
administrators. Our plans are customizable to fit educators’ individual needs and
include immersive workshops, learning sessions and coaching.
NexGen Inquiry Quests
Our new NexGen Inquiry Quests are story-driven video lessons that capture
student interest by introducing them to real-world problems they can solve
with hands-on, scientific investigations. Each Quest includes three inquirybased
investigations that help students exercise critical and creative thinking,
collaboration with peers, and the application of solutions that will make the world
a better place. In one Quest, students play the role of an electrical engineer who
is troubleshooting a power outage. In another, students learn “crime scene”
forensics to locate a reptile that’s gone “missing” from VAI’s classrooms.
“Once again, thank
you for supporting
our teachers. You
(VAI) have been a
wonderful asset and
support system as
our teachers navigate
implementing projectbased
learning in our
schools.”
— Hilary B.,
Allegan Public Schools
Field Trips
Our field trips immerse students — and their teachers — in learning science
through investigation. Students conduct unique, grade-specific investigations and
participate in hands-on discovery with activities like mock fossil digs, engineering
challenges and robotics coding. After being held virtually for the 2020–21
school year, field trips returned to an in-person format with appropriate safety
precautions in fall 2021.
VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE HIGHLIGHTS OF HOPE | 17