Sherman ISD names three STEM Pioneer campuses under $2.6 million TI Foundation grant and takes Leader in Me to middle schools

Three Sherman ISD schools will be the first to carry out a two-year, $2.6 million science, technology, engineering and math effort paid for by the Texas Instruments Foundation, and the same grant is now paying to bring the Leader in Me character and goal-setting program into the district's middle schools.

The district said Thursday that Dillingham Elementary, Piner Middle School and Sherman High School's science department are its STEM Pioneer campuses for the 2026-27 school year.

What the grant pays for

According to the district's page on the TI Foundation STEM Implementation Grant, the money flows through Educate Texas and covers students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The district lists five goals:

• Stronger conceptual math and science teaching across grade levels
• More project-based learning and makerspaces
• Training and coaching for teachers and campus leaders
• More college and career readiness opportunities
• Student pathways lined up with Grayson College, area employers and the region's semiconductor and advanced manufacturing jobs

Educate Texas will handle professional learning, coaching for educators, grant management and data analysis, the district said. The three pioneer campuses are meant to set the pattern for STEM work across the rest of Sherman ISD.

A survey first

Before the work gets far, the district wants feedback. YouthTruth, a national nonprofit, will survey students in grades 3 through 12 and parents at Dillingham, Piner and Sherman High about school culture, relationships and engagement, with the results used to guide the STEM rollout.

Students need a signed parent consent form to take part. The deadline for that form is Oct. 26, and students will take the survey at school during the week of Nov. 16-20, in a 45-minute window, according to the district. Parents at the three campuses should expect a link to their own survey, which takes about 15 minutes, in November.

YouthTruth reports results to school leaders in aggregate, and individual answers are kept confidential, the district said.

Leader in Me moves up

Piner and Sherman Middle School began using Leader in Me this fall, the district said Thursday. Staff at both schools trained over the summer, and elective leadership classes at the two campuses have already built the curriculum into daily lessons.

The program, which is based on Stephen Covey's habits framework, started at Sory Elementary in 2022-23 and reached every elementary school in 2025-26 with help from donors. The middle school expansion is funded by the TI Foundation grant.

"Leadership and collaboration skills are needed to make the most of STEM opportunities," said Abby Homer, the district's coordinator of STEM and federal programs.

Crystal Trotter, who coordinates Leader in Me for the district, said the elementary rollout had been "a tremendous success." Chari Crawley, who teaches the leadership class at Sherman Middle School, said her students have become more confident and more willing to take risks in just the first few weeks.

The district credited six donors with supporting the program's growth: the Sherman Education Foundation, Brad and Rena Douglass, Gail Utter, Sherman Chevrolet, the Simmons First Foundation through Simmons Bank, and the Blackbaud Giving Fund on behalf of Casey's General Store.

Sources

shermanisd.net

shermanisd.net

shermanisd.net