The Daily Tell

A new partnership led by NASA will pilot a series of multi-week math and science education programs this summer, the space agency announced on Wednesday.

The goal of the new NASA initiative, called Summer of Innovation, will be to encourage low-income, minority students to pursue careers in engineering, math or science. NASA will competitively select school districts in up to seven states to pilot the program this summer.

"This is an incredible opportunity for our administration to come together to address our nation’s critical science, technology, engineering and math education needs," said NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden, a former astronaut.

The summer pilot will combine NASA content and products with summer learning programs already offered at the state level, and will include national design competitions and events for teachers and students. The pilot will conclude with a national event hosted in partnership with other government agencies and departments.

NASA will use money from the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program to fund the summer pilot. The program will come under the umbrella of President Obama’s Educate to Innovate campaign for quality science, technology, engineering and math education.

"NASA’s Summer of Innovation will increase the scope and scale of the agency’s commitment to a robust program of STEM education opportunities," said NASA assistant administrator for education Joyce Winterton.

Standardized tests have demonstrated a persistent achievement gap between white and minority students in mathematics. White students scored an average of 228 points nationwide out of a possible 500 points in the mathematics section of the 2008 National Assessment of Education Progress achievement test, while Hispanic students scored an average of 207 points and black students scored an average of 204 points. Analysts often blame inequality in educational resources for much of this achievement gap.