Chicago Schools Receive $5 Million for Science Education

• By David Nagel
• 10/29/08

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Chicago Public Schools has received a donation of $5 million to help support science education and district science initiatives over the next five years. The award was granted to the school by Baxter International, a developer and manufacturer of healthcare products focused on hemophilia, immune disorders, infectious diseases, kidney disease, and other medical conditions.

According to CPS, the funds will be applied to three initiatives in the district over the next five years:

• A new Biotechnology Center of Excellence at Lindblom Math & Science Academy;
• The addition of two new Renaissance 2010 schools through the Renaissance Schools Fund; and
• District-wide support for teacher professional development and "learning opportunities for students" through the Illinois Institute of Technology.

For Lindblom, Baxter will provide $2 million to enrich the curriculum, provide supplies, and fund a distance learning center. The funds will also be used to provide professional development for CPS science teachers. Thirty teachers annually will benefit from the training.

"Lindblom looks forward to taking our biotech program--the only one in the city currently--to the next level with a set of comprehensive resources for both students and teachers," said Principal Alan Mather in a statement released last week. "The enhanced biotechnology program will bring outstanding opportunities to students of this school as well as teachers across CPS who are interested in developing their professional expertise in biotechnology."

Additional professional development for 66 teachers per year will be provided through the Illinois Institute of Technology. Al told, $2 million will be provided for this teacher training program and other district-wide programs.

"Baxter is bringing science directly to our students in an exciting way, while also setting a remarkable example for other corporate partners to follow," said Rufus Williams, president of the Chicago Board of Education, in a prepared statement.

"We have a responsibility to ensure future generations are given every opportunity to be educated and inspired by science," said Robert L. Parkinson Jr., chairman and CEO of Baxter International. "In order for students to compete--to get into colleges and get jobs--they need to understand the convergence of the sciences, how biology, engineering, chemistry and all the sciences work together to create and innovate."