On May 22, Sande Deitch, a born-and-raised Pittsburgher, died at the age of 82.

An artist who became executive director of the Bayer Foundation in 1991, Sande had a vision: elementary school students donning lab coats and safety glasses, learning science the way scientists do — by doing it. She also knew that to realize this vision, teachers would have to be well-trained in experiential science instruction. Thus, ASSET (Achieving Student Success through Excellence in Teaching) Inc. was born.

What started as a small pilot program in two of Allegheny County’s school districts became a statewide initiative. Thousands of teachers went through ASSET’s professional development training. They, in turn, touched the lives of tens of thousands of our students, some of whom went onto careers in STEM — and all of whom received a solid grounding in what it means to be science literate.

If it weren’t for Sande’s vision, ASSET wouldn’t be where it is today — operational, relevant and of service. Her creativity kept us nimble during the pandemic when so much of education was turned topsy-turvy. With so much learning loss this past year — both among students and pre-service teachers who lost the opportunity to do their student teaching — we’ve doubled down on our mission to advance teaching and learning. ASSET is now pioneering a remote tutoring model that gives student teachers real-world experience and K-12 students the learning support they need.

Sande would love that. She would love that ASSET was flexible. That it shifted gears. That it met the moment.

Everyone at ASSET — and in our region, really — owes a debt of gratitude to Sande Deitch.

Thank you, Sande.

Sarah Toulouse
Executive Director
ASSET Inc.
South Side

First Published: June 10, 2021, 4:00 a.m.