Education


$15,000 Mikkelson Foundation Education Grant Helps Teachers

Written by: developer

More than 25 teachers will be able to attend space-themed professional development courses this summer thanks to the Mikkelson Foundation, of Monument, Colo., which has given the Space Foundation a $15,000 grant to underwrite its Space Across the Curriculum courses this summer.

These intensive week-long graduate-level courses for PreK-12 educators provide space-related science, technology, engineering and mathematics (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 grades and curriculum areas. Participants do not need to be science or math teachers, and public, private and homeschool teachers from around the globe are welcome.

About the Mikkelson Foundation

The Mikkelson Foundation is a 501(c)(3) grantmaking foundation incorporated in Colorado in 1999 to improve scientific and technical education by providing support for teachers and organizations involved in science and mathematics education, and for students studying science, engineering and mathematics. The Mikkelson Foundation supports a scholarship program for high school seniors and initiatives for organizations and institutions that provide teacher training programs in science and mathematics.

Donors Jim and Cathy Mikkelson, of Monument, Colo., believe that improved knowledge and understanding of fundamental mathematics and science, and their application to the solution of real world problems is increasingly important for economic improvement in an increasingly competitive world.

The goals of the Mikkelson Foundation are: to improve the level of technical education and competence in k-12 schools; and to develop and support programs for improvement of teachers' technical knowledge.

The Mikkelsons are particularly interested in developing or supporting innovative programs for elementary and middle school teachers of mathematics and science. Such programs should help reinforce the native curiosity of children and direct that curiosity to learning how to find answers to how and why things happen.

Pictured: Teachers enrolled in the 2012 Space Foundation Space Across the Curriculum summer course Meteorology and Space Weather.

This article is part of Space Watch: June 2013 (Volume: 12, Issue: 6).


Posted in Education