School & District Management

Board Bus, Plug In, Earn Some Credits

By Alyson Klein — October 07, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Students in a rural Arkansas district have found a way to put their long bus rides to good use: work on math and science enrichment.

The Aspirnaut Initiative, a program based at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, has begun furnishing students in the 4,300 student Sheridan, Ark., district with laptops and iPods to use for extra instruction in math and science. The state legislature has expressed interest in expanding the program.

The word “aspirnaut” refers to a student who seeks to achieve, according to the organization’s Web site.

The elementary through high school students, who commute for more than an hour from rural Grapevine, Ark., into Sheridan, are encouraged to use the bus ride to take online classes in math and science, including Advanced Placement courses. And those who aren’t interested in the classes can use the video iPods for enrichment games and programs in those subjects.

“It’s dark when they get on the bus in the winter months; it’s dark when they get off the bus,” said Dr. Julie Hudson, the initiative’s program director and a professor of clinical anesthesiology at Vanderbilt.

She said that in many cases, students couldn’t participate in after-school enrichment activities because the bus is the only way they can travel to and from school.

Dr. Hudson, a pediatric anesthesiologist, started the program with her husband, Billy Hudson, the director of the Center for Matrix Biology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who grew up in Grapevine.

She said the couple wanted to share their love of math and science and help build a pipeline of future researchers and doctors. “I’m enthused about igniting that passion,” Dr. Hudson said.

Dr. Hudson is seeking state funding to expand the program as early as the 2009-10 school year. She said that if the legislature provided $2 million in the first year and an additional $1.5 million for the next two years, about 2,000 more students per year could take advantage of it.

Dr. Hudson testified on the program before the Arkansas House and Senate education committees last month.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the October 08, 2008 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
The Future of the Science of Reading
Join us for a discussion on the future of the Science of Reading and how to support every student’s path to literacy.
Content provided by HMH
Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Q&A ‘A Nice and Gentle Disrupter’: Meet the New Principals of the Year
The award went to middle school principal Damon Lewis and high school principal Tony Cattani.
11 min read
Damon Lewis, the principal of Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy, and Tony Cattani, the principal of Lenape High School, receive their awards at the annual National Association of Secondary School Principals Illuminate Principal of the Year Celebration in Seattle.
From left, Damon Lewis, the principal of Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy, and Tony Cattani, the principal of Lenape High School, receive their awards at the National Association of Secondary School Principals conference in Seattle. They were both named the 2025-26 National Principal of the Year.
Courtesy of Allyssa Hynes/National Association of Secondary School Principals
School & District Management Opinion Kindergartners Are Struggling With Self-Regulation. How Principals Can Respond
This school leader recommends three actionable steps.
Ian Knox
4 min read
Addressing difficulties and equipping students, staff, and faculty with the tools they need to thrive.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management Opinion The Stunning Resignation of UVA President Jim Ryan—and Why It Matters
The university president’s departure is more than just a headline. It’s a lesson in leadership.
2 min read
Opinion Licensed Not for Reuse Wait What FCG
Canva
School & District Management In Their Own Words This Custodian Got Students to Stop Vandalizing and Take Pride in Their School
Andy Markus, the 2025 Education Support Professional of the Year, helped boost behavior and engagement in his Utah district.
5 min read
Andy Markus, the head custodian at Draper Park Middle School, in Draper, Utah, sits for a portrait during the National Education Association's 2025 Representative Assembly in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2025. Markus was named the 2025 NEA Education Support Professional (ESP) of the Year.
Andy Markus, the head custodian at Draper Park Middle School, in Draper, Utah, sits for a portrait during the National Education Association's 2025 representative assembly in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2025. Markus was named the 2025 NEA Education Support Professional of the Year for his mentorship of students.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week