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.

Featured

  • robot typing on a computer

    Microsoft Unveils 'Computer Use' Automation in Copilot Studio

    Microsoft has announced a new AI-powered feature called "computer use" for its Copilot Studio platform that allows agents to directly interact with Web sites and desktop applications using simulated mouse clicks, menu selections and text inputs.

  • AI microchip under cybersecurity attack, surrounded by symbols of threats like a skull, spider, lock, and warning shield

    Report Finds Agentic AI Protocol Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks

    A new report from Backslash Security has identified significant security vulnerabilities in the Model Context Protocol (MCP), technology introduced by Anthropic in November 2024 to facilitate communication between AI agents and external tools.

  • educators seated at a table with a laptop and tablet, against a backdrop of muted geometric shapes

    HMH Forms Educator Council to Inform AI Tool Development

    Adaptive learning company HMH has established an AI Educator Council that brings together teachers, instructional coaches and leaders from school district across the country to help shape its AI solutions.

  • illustration of a human head with a glowing neural network in the brain, connected to tech icons on a cool blue-gray background

    Meta Introduces Stand-Alone AI App

    Meta Platforms has launched a stand-alone artificial intelligence app built on its proprietary Llama 4 model, intensifying the competitive race in generative AI alongside OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI.