Great Math/Science Program for Military High Schoolers Now At 52 Schools
NMSI Executive Announces Initiative for Military Families Expansion at Military Child Education Coalition Conference
4:56 PM CDT on 6.27.2012
4:56 PM CDT on 6.27.2012
DALLAS – Gregg Fleisher, Senior Vice President of the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI), told the Military Children Education Coalition’s national training seminar Wednesday that NMSI’s highly successful Initiative for Military Families (IMF) will be expanded to a total of 52 schools in fall 2012. This represents a one-year increase in participating schools of 79 percent for the NMSI program that provides college-level courses in math, science, and English for students from military families.
“This program is providing exciting new opportunities for students whose parents are serving our country,” said Fleisher. “This program will help them become proficient in the math and science subjects that are so increasingly critical for their future careers -- and for the future of this country. Whether these students go into the civilian workforce or the military, they will be better prepared to succeed.”
Other scheduled speakers at the Military Children Education Coalition (MCEC) MCEC event in Grapevine, Texas, included U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta; General and Mrs. Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; General Norton A. Schwartz, Chief of Staff USAF; General Craig R. McKinley, USAF, Chief, National Guard Bureau; General Raymond T. Odierno, Chief of Staff, USA; Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations; Admiral Robert J. Papp, Commandant of the USCG; and Brigadier General Robert F. Hedelund, director, Marine and Family Programs. The MCEC is focused on ensuring quality educational opportunities for all military children affected by mobility, family separation, and transition.
The overall goal of IMF is to support children in America’s military families by providing consistent, quality coursework through NMSI’s Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program (APTIP). The IMF was launched in 2010 in four schools, two near Fort Campbell in Kentucky and two near Fort Hood in Texas, and was expanded in fall 2011 to a total of 29 high schools in 10 states that are serving high concentrations of students from military families. This fall, the program will be implemented in a total of 52 schools in 15 states.
The APTIP is already producing results in participating IMF schools: In the first year, the AP math, science and English qualifying scores increased 45 percent - almost six times the national average.
“APTIP is equipping our students from military families to compete on the global stage,” said Fleisher. He pointed out that research indicates that students passing AP courses in high school are three times more likely to complete a college degree. Further, AP students are among the few American students who compare favorably with their counterparts in other countries on internationally ranked math and science exams.
Almost two million young people in America, have a parent serving in the military today. More than 220,000 of those young people have at least one parent deployed overseas. The long separations, concerns about safety, and frequent transfers can be particularly hard on the children whose parents protect our country.
Because the AP curriculum is uniform across the country, the IMF provides excellence and continuity for students whenever and wherever their families are transferred. While the IMF focus is on schools near military installations, all the students in participating schools can benefit from the program.
Generous inaugural funding to launch the IMF in 2010 was provided by Lockheed Martin Corporation. Major funding to add high schools is being provided by the Army Education Outreach Program, BAE Systems, The Boeing Company, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), the Exxon Mobil Corporation, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and Northrop Grumman.
With additional funding, it is anticipated the IMF can be expanded to 150 public high schools, ensuring that a very high percentage of military families will be served.
About APTIP: APTIP dramatically increases the performance of high school students in rigorous AP courses in math, science and English. The comprehensive approach includes intensive teacher training, support from master teachers, increased time on task for students in special study sessions, open enrollment, and incentives for teachers and students. Passing AP exam scores are almost universally accepted for course credit by the nation’s colleges and universities, which see success in AP courses as reliable indicators of students’ subject-area knowledge and capacity for college-level thinking.
About the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC): MCEC was established in 1998 to help military-connected children meet the challenges that frequent transitions pose during their educational years. A 501(c)(3) non-profit, world-wide organization, the MCEC performs research, develops resources, conducts professional institutes and conferences, and develops and publishes resources for all constituencies, with the goal of helping military children and families thrive in challenging times.
About NMSI: NMSI is an agent of change that was launched in 2007 by top leaders in business, education and science to improve student achievement in math and science across the American public school system. NMSI’s mission is to bring best practices to the education sector by replicating proven programs on a national scale that have more than 10 years of proven results. NMSI has received major funding support for its groundbreaking national initiatives from Exxon Mobil Corporation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, with additional support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Contact: Rena Pederson, NMSI communications director, at (214) 665-2523 rpederson@nationalmathandscience.org. For more information, visit www.nationalmathandscience.org
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