NCTAF, Qualcomm, Kajeet, and HTC empower student teachers with wireless technologies
The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future to collaborate with Qualcomm, Kajeet for Education, and HTC to launch initiative to empower student teachers with advanced wireless technologies.
The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) is pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative in collaboration with Qualcomm Incorporated, through its Wireless Reach™ initiative, Kajeet for Education, and HTC designed to empower pre-service/student teachers with advanced wireless technologies. This exciting project will enable communication, collaboration, and the availability of limitless resources for teachers as they enter classrooms for the first time.
NCTAF currently operates 16 STEM Learning Studios in nine high schools and 6 middle schools. 105 teachers working in cross-subject teams with 21 STEM experts from NASA, Northop Grumman, the United States Naval Academy, and the Park Service will soon be joined by scientists and engineers from Boeing, the National Institutes of Health, and the US Department of Energy. The teacher teams, in collaboration with industry and government experts, design interdisciplinary inquiry projects that address complex STEM learning challenges identified within the curricula. Over three years, these teams have worked with 5,000 students on projects that have included: a multiyear study, with the help of NASA and Northrop Grumman engineers, of energy use in a school building that will culminate in possible green solutions; and an investigation, using NASA remote sensing data, of ways to mitigate environmental pollution in the Chesapeake bay.
Learning Studios immerse all students in deeper learning and are especially effective way to reengage young women and students of color who too often tune out traditional STEM education. “Learning Studios are a good-news story for all students, educators and community members because teaching and learning of real-life concepts is central to the design,” says former Secretary of Education and co-chair of NCTAF’s board Richard Riley. “Learning Studios empower teachers to work together in both deepening and expanding their command of content, they give scientists a meaningful way to contribute to schools, and they inspire students to see how what they learn in school applies to their present and future.”
“The time has come to transform the way we teach STEM to reflect how we do STEM.” says NCTAF president, Tom Carroll, Ph.D. “Like scientists and professionals in other fields, teachers who are given time and resources to team up can offer more to students than can any individual teacher, no matter how superhuman she is. Through building a collaborative culture in schools and innovating ways for local experts and even retired educators and scientists to engage with teachers and students, we can create the learning environment needed to nurture curious and creative citizens in all schools, not just the most wealthy.”
NCTAF is honored to be selected for both one of the Judge’s awards and the Amgen Special Focus Prize. With this funding and a growing network of government and industry partners, NCTAF will continue the work of creating the schools this country needs to prepare future innovators, entrepreneurs,and leaders.
About NCTAF: The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. NCTAF is dedicated to providing every child with competent, caring, qualified teaching in schools organized for success. With a network of state coalitions and partnerships with school districts and professional education organizations across the nation, NCTAF provides leadership on innovation and improvement in teaching and learning in America’s schools. For more information, visit www.nctaf.org.
