NMSI Announces 930,637 Grant from The Heinz Endowments to Expand AP Program in Pittsburgh Public Schools
June 5, 2013
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 comprehensive Advanced Placement* (AP) program is being expanded this fall to Pittsburgh Brashear High School and Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy (Sci Tech), thanks to a grant from The Heinz Endowments.
“With this generous grant from The Heinz Endowments to implement NMSI’s innovative program, Pittsburgh Public Schools will provide excellent education to students with more rigorous, project-based coursework to prepare them for college,” said Sara Martinez Tucker, CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative. “The partnership with these high schools will help increase the performance of students – particularly minority students and girls – and provide teachers with resources to help make a huge impact on young students’ lives.”
A special event was held at Pittsburgh Brashear High School to announce the expansion of the NMSI program to the schools in fall 2013. Qualifying scores for the two schools in AP math, science, and English are expected to increase by 292 percent over the life of the grant.
“We are very grateful to The Heinz Endowments for this generous gift to support the National Math and Science Initiative AP program at two of our schools. Through this grant our advanced placement teachers will receive the intensive content training necessary to ensure student success on the AP exam,” said Superintendent Linda Lane. “We know that there is strong correlation between student success on AP exams and success in college.”
The addition of these high schools was made possible by a $930,637 grant from The Heinz Endowments. Their mission is to help the region thrive as a whole community – economically, ecologically, educationally and culturally –while advancing the state of knowledge and practice in the fields in which they work.
“The Heinz Endowments is delighted that Pittsburgh Public Schools has embraced this incredible teaching and learning opportunity for its students,” said Stanley Thompson, director of The Heinz Endowments Education Program. “Advocated access to AP courses will no doubt be a game changer for many PPS students, especially for those who have been traditionally left on the college preparation sidelines. This initiative also should complement the district’s work in advancing teacher effectiveness. Moreover, the Endowments sees the program as a legitimate bridge to college readiness, the Pittsburgh Promise and beyond. Although the work is initially being funded at Brashear and Sci Tech, we are confident its impact will be felt subsequently in other public high schools throughout the city.”
NMSI’s Comprehensive AP program is open to all students’ grades 6-12 in participating high schools who are eligible for AP classes. Students who pass an AP exam are three times more likely to complete their college education. For minority students, that multiplier is even greater: African Americans and Hispanic students who succeed in AP courses are four times more likely to graduate from college.
“Pennsylvania’s business community applauds the generous support of the philanthropic community for education improvement, and particularly the Heinz Endowments for its recent grant to expand the NMSI advanced placement program in Pittsburgh public schools,” said David W. Patti, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Business Council. “Pennsylvania’s economy is diverse, but every industry – agriculture, life sciences, energy, steel and advanced materials, finance and banking, engineering, and government – are reliant on people with strong math and science preparation. The Heinz Endowments has made a strong investment in Pennsylvania’s future. I hope this can be replicated in other communities.”
About The Heinz Endowments: The Heinz Endowments supports efforts to make southwestern Pennsylvania a premier place to live and work, a center for learning and educational excellence, and a region that embraces diversity and inclusion.
About National Math and Science Initiative: NMSI, a non-profit organization, was launched in 2007 by top leaders in business, education, and science to transform education in the United States. NMSI has received national recognition for training K-12 teachers and improving student performance through the rapid expansion of these highly successful programs: NMSI's Comprehensive AP program, NMSI Teacher Training program, and UT Austin’s UTeach program. Inaugural funding for NMSI, was provided by the Exxon Mobil Corporation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.
For more information, visit www.nms.org.
*Advanced Placement and AP are registered trademarks of the College Board.
Media Contact: Mary Ortiz, 214-346-1245, mortiz@nms.org