80 Partners Join Multi-Sector Movement to Tackle Nation's Need for 100,000 Excellent Math and Science Teachers in 10 Years

NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 80 partners–from NASA and Google to the New York City Department of Education, Stanford University, and Teach for America–have joined 100Kin10, an effort to respond to the national imperative to prepare, deploy, and support 100,000 excellent STEM teachers over the coming 10 years. The partners are unified by a single, ambitious goal: to prepare all students with the high-quality science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) knowledge and skills needed to address the most pressing national and global challenges of tomorrow. The effort is led by Carnegie Corporation of New York and Opportunity Equation.

100Kin10 is a multi-sector mobilization that invites any organization, including but not limited to corporations, school districts, museums, institutions of higher education, foundations, federal agencies, professional associations, states, and nonprofit organizations, to apply their particular assets to creatively and strategically address the challenges of increasing the supply of and retaining excellent STEM educators. The complete list of partners as of today is below, and all commitments are available on the 100Kin10 website.

The initiative was originally announced at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) America Meeting in Chicago in June 2011, where President Clinton urged corporations, foundations, and other interested organizations to take part. At the seventh Annual Meeting of CGI in New York City last week, President Obama reiterated the imperative: "[Our future] demands that we give every child the skills and education they need to succeed. And I thank you for the commitment that you made to recruit and train tens of thousands of new science, technology, engineering, and math teachers. Nothing could be more important."

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan yesterday lauded the 100Kin10 initiative, saying: "President Obama and I believe that recruiting and preparing 100,000 excellent new teachers in the STEM fields is essential for our students' success in the 21st century knowledge economy. We need an all-hands-on-deck strategy to make this happen. I applaud the work of Carnegie Corporation and the Opportunity Equation and the 80 organizations including corporations, universities, non-profits, states, and districts that are coming together under the banner of '100Kin10' to provide our students with a world-class education in the STEM subjects."

Michele Cahill, Vice President for National Programs, Carnegie Corporation of New York and Co-Chair of the Opportunity Equation, said, "With 100Kin10, partners aren't just voicing their concern, they are making real, measurable commitments to solving a complex, national problem. We hope their commitments will help mobilize others to join in the effort to increase the supply of excellent math and science teachers and retain them and all those currently in the classroom so that all students have access to rich, engaging, challenging science and math learning."

A dozen corporate and foundation partners have created an initial funding base of nearly $20 million in pledges that can be allocated to any of the 100Kin10 partner organizations at the discretion of the funder. The S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation joined as an early funder and committed $3 million to fund 100Kin10 partners that are preparing, training, and retaining excellent STEM teachers in California. 

"We see 100Kin10 as a unique partnership that is addressing one of the most important issues in our nation today – the need for high-quality STEM teachers for all of our students," said Lauren B. Dachs, S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation President.

The effort is growing: Another round of nominations for partnership will occur in the late fall. With the exception of funders, who can join at any time, all partners must be nominated by an existing partner. Interested organizations can signal their interest on the 100Kin10 website.

Other partner commitments include:

• California State University will prepare 1,500 new math and science teachers annually through 2015, half of whom will teach in high-need schools for at least three years and 10 percent of whom will earn dual certification, addressing the needs of hard-to-staff schools. Charles B. Reed, Chancellor of California State University said, "We will recruit excellent candidates, encourage them to work in the state's highest need schools, and engage in partnerships with school districts to ensure they are retained."
• Google & The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT will partner to build out a blueprint for a high-profile recognition program for the top 5% of STEM teachers nationwide.
• NASA Headquarters will leverage their facilities, missions, data, images, and staff to support training and development of educators by providing access to research opportunities, science and engineering activities, and innovations and technologies applicable to the classroom. "It will take all of us to improve STEM education in this country, but teachers have front-row seats, since they are with students everyday and are in a unique position to influence and inspire them," said NASA Associate Administrator for Education Leland Melvin. "Both of my parents were middle school teachers, so I've seen first-hand what a profound impact an enthusiastic, dedicated teacher can have on a student's life."
• State of Maryland will build a model for effective partnerships, innovative statewide initiatives, and targeted investments for STEM teacher preparation and support to help better prepare Maryland residents and companies for the New Economy.  
• Teach for America will recruit 11,000 STEM corps members by 2015 and connect high potential applicants who have a STEM background but do not meet Teach For America's selection criteria with other opportunities to be involved in STEM education.

The complete list of partners, beginning with funding partners (indicated by "F"): The Bezalel Foundation (F), The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (F), The Boston Foundation (F), Carnegie Corporation of New York (F), The Dow Chemical Company (F), Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation (F), The Greater Texas Foundation (F), The Heising-Simons Foundation (F), J.P. Morgan Chase (F), Michael and Susan Dell Foundation (F), NewSchools Venture Fund (F), S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation (F), The Algebra Project, Inc., American Association of Physics Teachers, American Museum of Natural History, Ashoka's Changemakers, Baltimore City Public Schools, Boston Teacher Residency, The Broad Institute of Harvard & MIT, California State University, California STEM Learning Network, Capital Teaching Residency, Citizen Schools, Clinton Global Initiative, Creative Commons, DC Public Schools, Denver School of Science and Technology, Denver Teacher Residency, Donors Choose, EnCorps, Exploratorium Institute for Inquiry, Florida International University, GOOD/Corps, Google, Gulf of Maine Research Institute, , High Tech High, IDEA Public Schools, Industry Initiatives for Science and Math Education, Intel Corporation, Kenan Fellows Program for Curriculum and Leadership Development, KIPP, Los Angeles Unified School District, Loyola Marymount University School of Education, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University, Mass Insight Education & Research Institute, MATCH Teacher Residency, Michigan State University, Museum of Science and Industry, NASA Headquarters, National Association for Research in Science Teaching, National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, National Math and Science Initiative, National Science Foundation, National Science Teachers Association, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, New Teacher Center, New Visions for Public Schools, New York City Department of Education, New York Hall of Science, NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, Opportunity Equation, PhysTEC (led by APS, in partnership with AAPT), Public Education Foundation, Regents Research Fund, New York State Education, Relay School of Education, Science and Mathematics Teacher Imperative of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Stanford Teacher Education Program, State of Arkansas, State of Maryland, Teach For America, Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM, Tennessee Department of Education, The New Teacher Project, Twin Cities Teacher Collaborative, Uncommon Schools, University of California, Berkeley, University of Chicago Urban Education Institute, University of Indianapolis, University of Washington College of Education, USC Rossier School of Education, Urban Teacher Residency United, and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.

SOURCE Carnegie Corporation of New York