Navigating School-Family-Community Partnerships, Integrative STEM Pedagogy, and Divergent Perspectives.

This case study examines the implementation of integrative STEM education at Greenwell High School, a rural Indiana school, focusing on student engagement with authentic community problems related to climate change. It highlights the roles of school leaders in fostering partnerships among educators, families, and community members while managing tensions arising from differing perspectives on climate education and its local economic impacts, particularly dairy farming. The study details a climate-focused community event, ClimateFest, which showcased student inquiry and elicited mixed reactions from stakeholders, illustrating challenges in balancing educational goals with community values. It underscores the importance of instructional leadership, conflict agility, and transparent communication in sustaining collaborative school-family-community partnerships that support career and college readiness through problem-based STEM learning.