Change the Equation Recognizes Four Exemplary STEM Learning Programs

Girlstart Summer Camp, Project Lead the Way, ST Math, and Ten80 Student Racing deemed high quality, immediately scalable

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Change the Equation announced today four excellent STEM learning programs that are ready to be taken to scale nationwide.  The programs selected – Girlstart Summer Camp, Project Lead the Way, ST Math, and Ten80 Student Racing Challenge – were already admitted to CTEq's rigorous STEMworks database of high-quality STEM programs that consistently yield positive outcomes and had to pass an additional round of vetting to be accepted for this initiative.

"We're facing a STEM skills shortage in the U.S. that we must address immediately," said Rex Tillerson, CEO of ExxonMobil Corporation and a CTEq board member. "CTEq's STEMworks database is comprised of effective STEM learning programs."

"The corporate community is eager for excellent STEM programs like Girlstart, Project Lead the Way, ST Math, and Ten80 Racing, which can be scaled quickly to impact more children in more communities across the U.S." said CTEq CEO Linda P. Rosen.  "In naming these programs, CTEq's coalition of companies signals that it is committed to strategic giving to make high quality STEM learning opportunities available nationally as soon as possible."

CTEq invited all programs in its existing STEMworks database to voluntarily submit additional evidence of their ability to promptly scale nationally. The nonprofit education research and evaluation firm WestEd first evaluated the programs recognized in the scaling initiative against CTEq's rigorous Design Principles for Effective STEM Philanthropy and then against additional criteria for their readiness to scale. 

CTEq's effort is similar to a scaling initiative underway at the Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs of leading U.S. companies. Both endeavors are working to have an impact on scaling up proven programs. ST Math was recognized as a leader in both CTEq's and Business Roundtable's initiatives.

More about the programs selected for this prestigious honor:

• Girlstart Summer Camp, a week-long STEM experience for girls in the 3rd through 10th grades that increases girls' mastery in STEM subjects by introducing them to fun, real-world STEM activities. Girls who participate become much more interested in STEM and confident in their own ability to pursue STEM.
• Project Lead The Way, which offers hands-on, project-based STEM programs for elementary, middle, and high schools. PLTW has been proven to boost student academic growth in the STEM disciplines as well as critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• ST Math, a program that uses instructional software to teach math concepts visually through computer games, while developing critical problem-solving and reasoning skills essential for tomorrow's workforce. Developed by university neuroscientists, ST Math has been shown to double students' growth rate in math scores.
• Ten80 Student Racing Challenge, a project-based learning program that challenges middle and high school students in and out of schools to optimize the performance of 1:10 scale radio controlled cars. Students mirror professional motorsports teams, specializing in projects from creative engineering and green transportation to business and graphic design. Ten80 has been shown to boost student test scores and spark their interest in math and science.

About Change the Equation

Change the Equation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, CEO-led initiative that is mobilizing the business community to improve the quality of STEM learning in the United States. CTEq's coalition of members strives to sustain a national movement to improve PreK-12 STEM learning by leveraging and expanding its work focusing on three goals: improving philanthropy, inspiring youth and advocating for change.

SOURCE Change the Equation