|
Gap, PA (July 30,
2014) - The National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE)
Education Foundation will receive funding and support from the
Freescale Foundation for teacher professional development programming
for 25 secondary science and mathematics teachers and instructional
specialists in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) in Texas.
The Freescale Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization focused
on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.
The research-based professional development program, Micromessaging to
Reach and Teach Every Student™ (Micromessaging), is designed to
increase the success of students in STEM with an emphasis on
underrepresented populations, including females, minorities, and
low-income students. Teachers learn how to identify barriers to student
learning and use the power of micromessages (small and often subtle,
yet powerful messages) to improve classroom instructional strategies
leading to increased student participation, performance, and persistence
in rigorous STEM courses and programs.
The Micromessaging curriculum, which will be delivered in spring and
summer 2015, includes seven units delivered over about 28 hours and
facilitated discussion groups in which reflection and evolution in
practice take place. Underpinning the curriculum is NAPE's Program
Improvement Process for Equity™, a six sigma-based model, which allows
for data- and research-based solutions that provide measureable
outcomes.
"The Freescale Foundation is thrilled to partner with NAPE's
Education Foundation in training educators in Austin," said Rick
Morales, Executive Director of the Freescale Foundation. "We want
to stress the importance of serving the increasingly diverse student
body in our local communities. By partnering with AISD and NAPE, this
curriculum will build educators' capacity to help students in their
pursuit of a STEM career and to achieve their full potential."
NAPE Chief Executive Officer, Mimi Lufkin, commented that she was
thrilled to learn that the proposal had been accepted. "I am
looking forward to partnering with the Freescale Foundation on this
important new initiative in Austin, Texas. Given that each teacher
reaches about 100 students annually, this training could benefit 2,500
students in a year."
Dr. Pauline Dow, Chief Academic Officer at Austin Independent School
District, commented after learning about the grant. "The Austin
Independent School District is honored to partner with NAPE through
Freescale Foundation's generous contribution. Engaging and equipping
female, minority, and low-income students is crucial in developing an
educated pipeline of future STEM professionals, and this underscores
the importance of the underlying messages we convey to students every
day in the classroom, which shape their perceptions and ultimately
their direction in pursuing careers in STEM fields."
####
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. The NAPE Education Foundation 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, which works with educational
systems to increase the participation of underrepresented populations
in STEM education. For more information, visit www.napequity.org.
|
