BRIANA CONNER- A SPECIAL EDUCATION STEM SUCCESS STORY

By Andrew R. Johnson

It was six minutes until trigonometry class began at P-TECH, an early college math and

science high school in Brooklyn dedicated to preparing students for careers in technology

development. Algebra and Trigonometry teacher Ira Polinsky was preparing his lesson on

converting degree measurements into radians, the measure of circle arcs. Moments later, the first

student quietly took her seat. “I told you she is always on time,” said Polinsky.

The senior, Briana Conner, was known in the school as a highly motivated student, who

went above and beyond the work required in every class. The fact that Conner is a girl in a male-

dominated field of STEM was impressive enough. But Conner is also one of 66 special education

students at the school, proof her teachers believe, that students with special needs can also

succeed in the field of technology.

Polinsky wrote on the chalkboard angles of 60 degrees, 140 degrees and 100 degrees. All

three needed to be converted into radians by dividing them by 180 and multiplied by pi (3.14).

Who knows the first one, 60 degrees? Polinsky asked.

Briana Conner raised her hand, “One-third pi,” she said.

Polinsky put her correct answer on the board, plus the two remaining answers, and then

asked, “How do you convert 20 degrees into radians?”

Conner responded, “One over 9 pi.”

Conner is a senior at P-Tech, Pathways to Technology Early College High- the Crown

Heights high school where students may earn an associate’s degree along with their high school

degree. Polinsky’s class will earn her community college credits. She is currently in the top third

of her senior class, with an average of 81.94. She hopes to a computer engineer.

But students like Briana face an uphill battle: She is a woman, and they make only 14%

of the engineering field, according to a congressional study. She also has a learning disability

and only 5 percent of with it have careers in science, math, engineering and technology,

according to the National Science Foundation.

Professor James Gardner of the University of Oklahoma believes that one reason why the

learning disabled don’t succeed in technology careers is because most people believe that the

learning disabled in reading will never be good in math, and therefore may never be prepared for

an engineering degree.

There is some statistical evidence supporting that perception. According to information

reviewed by researchers Dara Shifrer and Rebecca Callahan, 67 percent of American eighth

graders with learning disabilities performed below grade level in math exams. Only 26 percent of

regular eighth graders performed below grade level.

Researchers James Basham, Maya Israel and Kathie Maynard, writing in the Journal of

Special Education Technology, Volume 25, Number 3 in 2010, said that textbooks are rigid and

do not meet the diverse learning needs of the students. These problems then compound. “Some

of the students with disabilities just choose not to go into that field,” said Gardner.

However, Basham, Israel and Maynard believe that a special education student can

succeed in STEM classwork if the subject matter is broken down better in understandable ways.

Briana’s P-TECH journey began in 2011, when she enrolled in the school’s inaugural

class. She was one of 17 special education students in P-TECH’s first year. Prior to entering, she

wanted to be a chef. “I like to cook some foods but sometimes I don’t cook them right,” said

Conner. However, her interest in cooking was surpassed by her love of computers. She quickly

fell in love with idea of having a career in technology. It wasn’t easy at first. She struggled in her

Algebra Regents test, falling short of a college entrance passing score by a few points. “It was

hard and frustrating,” said Conner, but her family prompted her to keep trying.

Self-motivation kept her going. Her teachers showered her with praise with her

dedication, timeliness, organizational skills, hard work and honesty. In her living environment

class she created a complex DNA Concept Map as part of a group assignment that illustrated the

chromosomal structure and design. Her teacher, Vidya Gawade, said Conner goes beyond each

assignment to reach for the next level, as she demonstrated with the map.

Her interest in learning goes beyond STEM classes. “I love Briana,” said Zakaiyyah Ali,

her American history teacher. “If she does not understand the information, then she not afraid to

ask clarifying questions.”

Briana recently learned that she surpassed the college-ready benchmark on her Algebra

Regents. “I was happy,’ said Conner.

She hopes to eventually enter the workforce as a computer engineer. She is not afraid of

what is to come.