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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.

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