Major Corporations Seek to aid in Math – Science School Dilemma

 

As the United States continues to sink lower in international education standings, especially in the critical areas of science and mathematics, a number of major corporations have begun to develop initiatives in an effort to reverse the tide.

ExxonMobil Corp. has launched a National Math and Science Initiative in an effort to recruit new teachers to the profession in mathematics and the sciences. The aim of the program is also to improve Advanced Placement test scores in these two critical academic areas. ExxonMobil began its involvement in the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) in 2007 with a $125 million grant, which is focused on improving math and science education in the U.S. NMSI programs are currently in 29 states. According to reports from the program, during the last three years, high school students enrolled in APTIP (Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program) achieved a 124 percent increase in the number of exams passed in AP Math, Science, and English (MSE), compared to a 23 percent increase nationally. NMSI is also helping to close achievement gaps for minority and female students. Significant improvements have been reported for African- American as wells as Latino participants.

UTeach

One of the other components of Exxon Mobil’s initiative is to recruit new teachers for science and math and to get them to stay in the profession. The effort stems from the fact that

“the U.S. is failing to produce and retain sufficient numbers of qualified math and science teachers, which impacts the success and future of our students and the ability of our country to remain competitive in today’s global marketplace. “

In response to growing crisis in math and science, the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) began replicating a highly successful teacher training program, UTeach, in 2008.  The program, which recruits and trains math and science majors for careers in teaching, is transforming the way universities prepare teachers for the 21^st century.

UTeach offers a degree programs at participating colleges and universities that enables students to graduate in four years with a degree in their core subject as well as a teaching certification.  Early and intensive field teaching experience begins in students’ first semesters and is supplemented by mentoring and guidance from highly experienced master teachers, faculty and public school teachers.

UTeach now has 5,500 math and science majors enrolled in the program in nearly 30 universities across the country.  The goal is to expand the program to more than 50 campuses in the next decade, with the potential to impact more than four million students.

The results are excellent.  Approximately 90 percent of UTeach graduates go directly into teaching, with a retention rate of 82 percent after five years of teaching (compared to less than 65 percent nationally).  The program has received national recognition from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU) and the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and is featured as a “best practice” program by Change the Equation, a national clearinghouse for excellence in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. You can obtain more information about this program by going to http://www.nationalmathandscience.org/programs/uteach-program

The National Flight Academy


Another relatively new project to encourage students to excel in math and science is the National Flight Academy. The camp, for students in grades seven through twelve, is located on the grounds of the Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida, although the Navy is not involved with the program.  The camp is funded in part, with grants from LockheedMartin and NorthrupGrumman. The program exposes participants to flight simulators that present real life aviation problems that require knowledge of math and science to solve. The price tag for this experience is high- $1250 for one week although scholarships are available. The camp will be running from June through August. Participants are dividend into groups to learn to work together to solve problems. They then compete against each other.

If you are aware of any other initiatives to help improve foundations in math and science, please email us or post a comment.