Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy

The Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy, an aerospace-themed middle school created through a partnership between the Space Foundation and Colorado Springs (Colo.) School District 11 (D-11), uses aerospace themes and principles to build student proficiency in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM).

The Space Foundation and D-11 jointly develop the Academy’s national standards-based curriculum and provide teachers with the training and support they need to bring the curriculum to life in the classroom. The inquiry-based hands-on, minds-on teaching approach encourages and inspires students to study technology-based subjects, as well as helping them develop study skills that can be applied across all disciplines. Formal mentoring programs that connect students with aerospace professionals and involvement in Space Foundation programs, such as the National Space Symposium, further strengthen the educational program at the Academy.
 
Named in honor of Colorado native and Apollo astronaut John L. “Jack” Swigert and located in Colorado Springs, the school opened August 2009 with more than 500 students.

The Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy campus is also home to the Space Foundation Discovery Institute - a national professional development center for teachers and an education destination for students – and is home base for the Space Foundation’s education team.

The Space Foundation Discovery Institute houses classrooms, the NASA Educator Resource Center, and, eventually, three major laboratories: a simulated space mission operations center to open in early 2010; a simulated Martian terrain laboratory to open in early 2011; and a Science on a Sphere facility in early 2012. In addition to serving Jack Swigert Aerospace Academy teachers and students, the Institute offers programs for educators and students from around the world.