Verizon To Support STEM Programs in 80 Schools
Verizon will give 80 public schools $20,000 each to
stimulate
interest in and improve their programs in science, technology,
engineering and
math (STEM).
The company is examining applicants now for the Verizon
Innovate Learning Grants that will go to underserved public
schools, those with
large numbers of students who receive free or reduced lunch. The grants,
totaling
$1.6 million, can be used for professional development for teachers or
to
leverage new technologies — like 3D printing, robotics or coding — that
might
encourage interest in STEM subjects.
"We created this program to boost innovative STEM
initiatives
in underserved schools nationwide," said Rose Stuckey Kirk, Verizon's
vice
president of global corporate citizenship and president of the Verizon
Foundation. "This will expose more students in underserved schools
to STEM
fields, offering them hands-on, project-based learning
opportunities."
According to a report
in U.S. News & World Report, 3
million STEM-related jobs are unfilled in the United States today and 80
percent of all new jobs over the next decade will require STEM skills.
The Verizon Innovative Learning Grants program is
part of a
larger $100-million commitment Verizon has made to assist with the Obama
administration's ConnectED initiative. Other similar programs Verizon
has
started include the Verizon Mobile Learning Academy, Verizon Innovative
Learning
Schools and the Verizon Innovative App Challenge.
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.