National Science Teachers Association Awarded Grant from Dow Chemical Co. Foundation
Press release (Aug. 22, 2011) — The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the largest professional organization in the world promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all, announced that it has been awarded a $3 million grant from The Dow Chemical Company Foundation, the philanthropic organization for The Dow Chemical Co., to support the participation of 480 early-career science teachers from Louisiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Texas over a three-year period in the NSTA New Science Teacher Academy.
“Quality science teaching is vital for future innovation and critical to the continued growth of our workforce and economy,” says Dr. Francis Eberle, executive director of NSTA. “Thanks to this generous grant from Dow, we can continue to provide educators new to the teaching profession with the professional development, resources, and mentoring support they need to succeed in the classroom.”
Intended for science educators entering their second or third year of teaching, the Academy is designed to help promote quality science teaching, enhance teacher confidence and classroom excellence and improve teacher content knowledge. The 480 teachers supported by the grant will be named Dow-NSTA Fellows and will receive year-long professional development that includes a host of science-related activities; online mentoring with trained mentors who teach in the same discipline; a comprehensive NSTA membership package; access to NSTA’s vast online Learning Center and electronic, web-based professional development events and opportunities. Additionally, each fellow will receive financial support to attend and participate in NSTA’s National Conference on Science Education.
“To bolster our nation’s competitiveness, we need to inspire and excite teachers in new and novel ways,” said Bo Miller, president and executive director of The Dow Chemical Company Foundation. “The Dow Foundation’s $3 million contribution to NSTA will help fill an important role by giving new teachers skills and experience to delve deeper into their field and remain passionate about teaching science to our nation’s youth throughout their teaching careers.”
The NSTA New Science Teacher Academy is a component of the John Glenn Center for Science Education campaign, a five-year $43 million national effort to make excellence in science teaching and learning a reality for all U.S. students. This effort, one of the most significant ever undertaken by NSTA, will fund a body of forward-thinking programs and a state-of-the-art facility designed to promote leadership, learning, and advocacy in science education.
For more information about the NSTA New Science Teacher Academy, please visit www.nsta.org/academy.
