“As the commonwealth works together to invest in students and schools that teach, the College Readiness Program is a standout model of how public schools, innovative educational organizations and committed businesses can partner to ensure that the next generation of scientific, business and civic leaders are prepared to succeed.”
Rivera said 70 percent of 17,000 jobs estimated to be created over the next decade will require some level of computer-related or computational, or critical thinking skills.
The College Readiness Program is designed to encourage school districts to improve participation in AP classes to better prepare students for college and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math-related fields. Thanks to the grant the five original Pittsburgh schools and 11 suburban district schools could be joined by up to 24 additional schools.
Amy Dobkin, community relations manager for XTO’s Appalachia Division, said it and Exxon realize that energy is critical to innovation and vice versa, so supporting STEM education just makes sense, and as such, have contributed more than $180 million to the effort over the years.
But the commitment extends beyond the classroom, she said.
“XTO works with local schools to do job shadowing, provide internships and give students an idea about doing the geology and engineering science. We’re also partnering with teachers so they know about the various career paths,” she said.
“And for several years, Exxon Mobil and XTO Energy have hosted Introduce a Girl to Engineering events, where we invite female students to meet engineers, compete in team projects, and give them exposure to energy careers, our employees and job opportunities.”
National data shows that in just one year, the program boosts the number of AP qualifying scores in math, science and English in partner schools by 10 times the national average, while producing outstanding gains among female and minority students, two groups that are traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields.
Jaclyn Castma, National Math and Science Initiative program manager for western Pennsylvania, said she was very pleased to announce the expanded funding and to celebrate the achievements the program has already yielded.
“Our results have been remarkable, the increase in student performance was more than half the state average, and the seven new schools were in top 15 percent in the increase,” she said. “So we are very proud of the students and the impact we’re having in the region.”
Pittsburgh Brashear and Pittsburgh Sci Tech were the first high schools to join the initiative in 2013-14 school year, and were initially funded by a grant from the Heinz Endowments. Allderdice, Carrick and CAPA joined in the 2015-16 year along with Chartiers Valley, Deer Lakes Peters Township and West Allegheny High Schools.
Burrell, Chartiers-Houston, Kiski Area, McGuffey, Penn Hills, Ringgold, and Trinity Area high schools joined for the current school year. Dobkin said several other district high schools are in various stage of the process to join the initiative for the next school year and beyond.
“We hope as we move forward they will take advantage of the opportunity to enhance their students’ skills in math and science so critical to our field and others throughout the region.”
(For more information on the National Math and Science Initiative, visit nms.org.)
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