Pennsylvania District Wins NEF STEM Leadership Award
Lehighton Schools has won the National Education Foundation's (NEF) 2016 STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Leadership Award.
The school district is one of
several dozen that are participating in NEF's CyberLearning STEM+
Academy
program. The program incorporates
personalized learning, teacher stipends, learning management systems,
mentoring, motivational rewards for students and parents, teacher
training and
tech support. The educational programs at the school are intended to
advance a
student one grade level in a subject in 20 to 30 learning
hours.
Students
in the district this year advanced a grade level in math and
reading
in 26 and 27 hours, respectively. The district will receive a $10,000
award for
the achievement.
Other
districts receiving distinguished achievement awards, which also carry
monetary
awards, are in Canton, NY; Sydney, NE; Steubenville, OH: and Warren County, PA.
NEF
initiated the STEM+ Academy initiative in 2013 in conjunction
with the State
University of New York, TEKSystems, Pearson
Education and Skillsoft to improve STEM
learning in disadvantaged schools.
Districts
can apply for the grants from NEF. While
there are some costs to the district, some, including Lehighton, can
receive
matching federal grants to cover the cost.
Lehighton
District Superintendent and STEM Academy Director Charlie Bachert said,
"It is
a great honor and privilege to be recognized with an award of this
magnitude
from such a prestigious group as NEF. We are fortunate to have such a
strong
partnership with NEF, and look forward to expanding our STEM program
districtwide."
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.