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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact: Ray Weiss or Jessica Trzyna
443-451-7144 or rweiss@weissprassociates.com
NAPE,
CCBC, MSDE PARTNER TO LAUNCH STEM ACADEMY
FOR
COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS
COCHRANVILLE, PA (1/9/12) --- To increase recruitment, academic
performance, and program completion of women and underrepresented
students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
courses and careers, the National Alliance for Partnership in Equity
Education Foundation (NAPE-EF), the Community College of Baltimore
County (CCBC), and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)
will partner to launch the Educators' Equity STEM Academy.
Funded by an $886,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, the
Educators' Equity STEM Academy will be formally introduced at a
reception being held at the CCBC Campus in Catonsville, MD, Q Lounge,
on Monday, January 9 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
"The Educators' Equity STEM Academy will help community college
faculty and secondary school teachers to select, develop, and evaluate
teaching tools, resources, and strategies designed to improve the
academic outcomes of diverse student populations in STEM career related
courses," explains NAPE-EF Chief Executive Officer Mimi Lufkin.
Lufkin - who will speak at the reception along with representatives
from CCBC, MSDE, and the National Science Foundation (NSF) - adds,
"In-person and virtual educator-based learning communities will
create an environment for educators to effectively address implicit
biases which cause inequities in the classroom."
Fifteen CCBC STEM faculty representing three campuses in Baltimore
County will pilot the Educators' Equity STEM Academy in its first year,
providing input on the delivery, content, and usability of adapted
instructional materials.
In the second and third years, 50 educators will participate and create
a statewide high school-to-community college transition pipeline in
STEM courses and career programs. CyberWatch and the TIME Center (both
NSF-funded, Maryland-based Advanced Technology Education Centers),
Baltimore County Public Schools, and MSDE will provide vital support to
expand the recruitment to the additional educators from around the
state.
"Community college faculty and high school teachers in Maryland
will benefit from this professional growth opportunity through five
days of rigorous instruction followed by a year of facilitated coaching
and high quality resources to improve classroom pedagogy," notes
Katharine Oliver, Assistant State Superintendent, Division of Career
and College Readiness.
Participants in the STEM Academy will receive professional development
credits through CCBC. In addition, NAPE will distribute resulting
products and services through its network of 40 state education
agencies and community colleges throughout the U.S.
The Educators' Equity STEM Academy adapted its research-based
instructional materials from strategies originally developed and
delivered to physics teachers in 2003-2004 in the Dallas Independent
School District. Between 2005 and 2008, the number of girls completing
the course and taking the AP Physics test increased by 20.4%. The pass
rate among girls was 138.8% higher in classes where teachers had
participated in the professional development compared to those that did
not. Boys also experienced a 70% increase in their pass rates.
A supplement from the National Science Foundation in 2010 allowed the
NAPE-EF to develop the STEM Academy curriculum with input from leading
content experts in STEM education. The instructional materials were
adapted and enhanced to improve faculty teaching and assure improvements
in student outcomes among a wide range of young women and
underrepresented groups in targeted programs of study and the core
classes that serve the program's educational pipeline.
The results of the Educators' Equity STEM Academy pilot will be provided
to enhance the implementation outcomes in all STEM technician programs
of study throughout the U.S.
The National Alliance for Partnerships
in Equity (NAPE) is a national, nonprofit consortium of state and local
agencies, corporations, and national organizations that collaborate to
create equitable and diverse classrooms and workplaces where there are
no barriers to opportunities. Through its Education Foundation, NAPE
has been involved in a number of initiatives to increase diversity in
America's workforce and to increase opportunities in high-skill,
high-wage, high-demand careers. Among these is the National Science
Foundation-funded STEM Equity Pipeline Project, which works with
educational systems to increase the participation of underrepresented
populations in STEM education. For more information, visit www.napequity.org andwww.stemequitypipeline.org.
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