Education Grant Funds STEM Programs With Adams State University

A grant recently awarded by the U.S. Department of Education will enable the Space Foundation to help teachers across Colorado strengthen their skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through programs at Adams State University in Alamosa, Colo.

Adams State University received the Title III grant to help fund 90 K-12 and PreK teachers from across Colorado in receiving STEM training targeted at English-learning students. The K-12 teachers will receive four Space Foundation Space Across the Curriculum courses over the next two summers, and will apply the knowledge and skills in their classrooms, as well as mentoring a colleague in the same skills. The PreK teachers will receive the Space Foundation’s early childhood course during the summer of 2015.

Support for the grant was provided by a number of elected officials including:

• U.S. Senator Michael F. Bennet (D – CO), who wrote in a letter of support to Cynthia J. Ryan, director, Discretionary Grants Division, U.S. Department of Education: The programs proposed by Adams State College and the Space Foundation are critical to student success and will help propel them toward academic achievement.
• U.S. Congressman Scott Tipton (R – CO), who wrote: Education is one of the most important obligations that we have to our children. Further developing the skills of those teaching our young women and men is critical.
• Lt. Gov. Joseph A. Garcia, executive director, Colorado Department of Higher Education, who wrote: The grant will cover nearly 22,000 square miles and will reach students who will benefit from the STEM-based professional development courses offered by the Space Foundation.
• State Representative Sal Pace (D – CO), who wrote: …the project will impact the educational achievement of English language learners, with the overarching goal that more English language learners will perform better on tests of STEM subjects and increase their participation in STEM classes.

About Space Across the Curriculum
These intensive week-long graduate-level courses for PreK-12 educators provide space-related STEM content that is instantly transferable to the classroom. All courses are hands-on and focus on national standards and STEM principles. Although the underlying concentration is on STEM, the courses are structured to adapt lessons to all grade levels and all curriculum areas. Participants do not need to be science or math teachers. See more about Space Foundation education programs at www.spacefoundation.org/education.

This article is part of Space Watch: July 2012 (Volume: 11, Issue: 7).