STEM education leaders came together at the Change the Equation STEM Salon panel today in Washington, DC. The panel featured Grace Chen, director of Math/Science Design at Teach for America; Daniel Chazan, director of the Center for Mathematics Education at the University of Maryland; and Dave Saba, Chief Operating Officer for National Math and Science. The three panelists came together to address the STEM crisis that the US is facing, and the future of STEM teacher development.  “We need to figure out how to make the teaching profession satisfying ...

The National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) has just released a new study titled What Does It Really Mean to Be College and Work Ready? which explores the levels of English Literacy and mathematical knowledge students need to be successful in their first year of community college. The study was “guided by a panel of leading experts” in seven diverse states, and their findings reveal that the state of US community colleges – and high schools by extension – is in desperate need of reform. However, the ...

During a Senate Budget Committee hearing on May 16, 2013, Dr. John P. Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology, gave a statement concerning the level of Federal support for STEM education in the President’s fiscal year 2014 Budget. According to Dr. Holdren, the President’s budget invests $3.1 billion in STEM education programs which will help prepare and support future and current STEM teachers. The President also aims to “substantially decrease the fragmentation of STEM programs across the Federal government” by implementing a 50% reduction ...

There are many ways to consider ROI when it comes to our AP program.  For example, one could review the cost per student, or cost per additional college graduate, or cost per additional lifetime earnings of students in the program, or even cost per tuition saved.  But no matter which of these one considers, all of them provide a tremendous return on investment for our donors.     An average investment per school for our donors is $500,000, which allows us to implement the AP program for three years.  During these ...

Sally Ride: How her Historic Space Mission Opened Doors for Women in Science at the Smithsonian Inspiration filled the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum today as prominent journalists, scholars, and leading women in science and aerospace spoke on Sally Rides’ accomplishments and her impact on women in STEM. We wanted to share a few remarks from the panel discussion: “She set the forefront by highlighting women in science – her message was that women and anyone can pursue science.” “About 50-55 astronaut women have gone into space.” It’s important for ...

The Board of Education and Robins Air Force Base announced a $2.9 million grant from DoDEA to expand NMSI's  AP program to five high schools and eight middle schools in Houston County - Georgia.  Enrollment in math, science, and English AP courses is expected to increase by 75.6 percent systemwide next year – from 890 to 1,563 students.  Qualifying scores in AP courses are expected to increase by 127 percent over three years, from 419 to 952 exams with a score of three or higher.  This more than doubles ...

Sara Martinez Tucker, CEO of NMSI, provides great insight on STEM education in the most recent edition of Education Week.  It’s evident that our “country is in trouble” – here are some key points included in the article: Growth in STEM jobs is growing at an incredible rate – our country is having a hard time finding workers skilled in math and science to take on these jobs Our country needs to graduate 1 million more professionals in STEM over the next decade ...

This month has brought some very exciting news here at NMSI and for our partnering schools. We’ve awarded more than $5 million to selected schools in Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi to implement NMSI’s AP Program to provide rigorous and instructional resources that can be integrated into any curriculum thanks generous grants from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). More about the expected impact on students at these schools below: Biloxi High School in Mississippi leads the way to better education: Biloxi is proud ...

DALLAS – The National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI), a non-profit organization launched in 2007 to transform math and science education in the United States, announced today that its highly successful Advanced Placement* (AP) program for military families is being expanded this fall to Biloxi High School near Keesler Air Force Base, thanks to a grant from the Office of Naval Research (ONR). “This innovative program will provide military families with consistent, exceptional math, science, and English education,” said Sara Martinez Tucker, CEO of NMSI.  “The partnership with these high ...

Teacher Appreciation week brings out so many encouraging and inspirational student success stories and results. Sarah Martinez Tucker, NMSI CEO, had gratifying statements on the ExxonMobil’s Perspectives Blog, In appreciation: Why teachers make all the difference: “Exceptional teachers believe in us, keep us stimulated and push us to expect more of ourselves. At the National Math and Science, we work to help educators with teaching strategies and content knowledge – especially in math and science – in order to get students ready for college. “ Today, we’d like to say thank ...