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.
The A-MAN, Inc., is providing STEM based educational programs to underrepresented minority students here in the Los Angeles ares for over 18 years. A-MAN, is headed by Hal Walker a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambasador and retired 35 year veteran of the aerospace industry. A-MAN operates the International Science Discovery & Learning Center located in Inglewoood, CA. Annually over 1,000 students participate in hands-on science projects and other technology/engeering related activities including operational activities aboard the ISS Space Station Simulator and at the Mission Control Center. A-MAN programs involve after school, weekends and summer science academy activities. A-MAN is dedicated to supporting president Obama’s education initative and wishes to apply to be a partner in NASA Summer Education Programs. Hal Walker, Bd. Chairman, A-MAN, Inc. 310-412-2680 ( It’s Not What We Can Do ! Its What We Think We Can Do That Matters. H. Walker)
Education is definately a vital field, because everything in the world relies upon knowledge. I saw that on a website someplace — a non-profit organization in the Philippines. Teachers bust their tail at their craft (a lot of them, anyway). But there are several who appear to have a gift to inspire. My senior high school world history teacher was one particular. She had lived in China as a child. When she taught in Rockville, Maryland, you could potentially feel the wisdom of all her experience. She didn’t have us memorize dates. That was the first truly great thing I had been told by a history tutor. What she said next took the subject several magnitudes higher in value. She wanted us to be aware of the motivations of history — the deeply visceral, human aspects of what can otherwise be a deadly dry subject. Jaime Escalante of “Stand and Deliver” fame, dared to dream big. Calculus for the typically dropout crowd? Pushing them to go on to college? Wow. And I’ve this book called, “Calculus Made Easy,” by Sylvanus P. Thompson, first published in 1910. It’s been through lots of printings all to generate a simple subject simple. What are we able to do to create more tutors who inspire world-changing quality? Einstein once revealed that imagination is a lot more important than knowledge. Knowledge can present you with the foundation. Imagination can take you to the stars. Don’t our kids deserve better?