ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company
(NYSE: RTN) has funded a $37,000
grant to help teach engineering concepts and practices to
elementary school students in Florida's Orange
County. The grant is part of a $2 million Raytheon
initiative to help improve STEM education nationwide by expanding
the use of Engineering is Elementary® (EiE®), an award-winning
curriculum developed at the Museum of Science, Boston through its National Center for
Technological Literacy® (NCTL®).
The Raytheon-Engineering is Elementary grant funds professional
development for 25 teachers, who will attend workshops to prepare
them to use EiE with their students. Each teacher also receives a
curriculum guide and a materials kit with everything needed to
implement engineering activities in the classroom. A teacher
educator from the district also receives professional development,
qualifying to prepare more teachers at the schools to use the
curriculum.
Research shows EiE helps elementary students become more
interested in engineering as a career, and also improves their
learning of science concepts.
"Raytheon's generous support greatly expands our mission to
bring engineering to elementary-aged children," said Museum of
Science president and director Ioannis
Miaoulis, who launched the NCTL to introduce engineering in
schools and museums nationwide.
"With the release of the Next Generation Science Standards in
2013, there's a new expectation that engineering will be integrated
with existing elementary science curricula – and schools and
districts need an effective way to do that," said Dr. Christine Cunningham, a vice president at the
Museum and EiE founder and director. "We're really pleased to be
able to offer support through the Raytheon scholarship
program."
To date, EiE has reached nearly six million children, engaging
students as young as six with hands-on, inquiry-based activities.
The curriculum explores a variety of engineering fields – from
electrical to mechanical to biomedical and more – and each activity
is tied to a science concept commonly taught in elementary
schools.
"The generosity of Raytheon which funded both training and
materials for Orange County Public School teachers will help the
district meet the goal of access to quality Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics education," says Nancy Lewis, the district's senior administrator
for elementary science and math. The district is working to build
high-quality STEM education for Pre-k to 12th-grade
students with STEM learning activities that are research-based,
standards-driven, and classroom-tested. Lewis notes the scholarship
will provide high-quality training first through fourth grade at
two different K-8 schools.
"Focusing on two schools will help guide the impact of the
scholarship and build capacity in the teachers at the two school
sites as teachers come together as a Professional Learning
Community to implement "Engineering is Elementary" in their
schools," Lewis says. Two district-level science coaches will also
participate in the Raytheon-supported training so that they can
support teachers during implementation and increase their
effectiveness as STEM leaders in the district.
About Engineering is Elementary
- EiE is a project of the Museum of Science, Boston, developed with support from the
National Science Foundation.
- The EiE curriculum includes 20 units that integrate science
topics with a specific field of engineering.
- Through the use of storybooks, EiE introduces students to
children from different cultures and backgrounds who are trying to
solve engineering problems.
- EiE students as young as six years old conduct their own
experiments to collect the data needed to solve a similar problem
using a five-step engineering design process.
About the Museum of Science, Boston
The Museum of Science, Boston
is the nation's first science museum with a comprehensive strategy
and infrastructure to foster technological literacy in science
museums and schools across the United
States. NCTL curricula have reached an estimated 6.2 million
students and 77,700 teachers. One of the world's largest
science centers and New England's most attended cultural
institution, the Museum of Science introduces about 1.5 million
visitors a year to science, technology, engineering, and math
(STEM) via dynamic programs and hundreds of interactive exhibits.
Founded in 1830, the Museum was first to embrace all the sciences
under one roof. Highlights include the Hall of Human Life, Thomson
Theater of Electricity, Charles Hayden Planetarium, Mugar Omni
Theater, Gordon Current Science & Technology Center, 4-D
Theater, and Butterfly Garden. The Museum also leads a 10-year,
$41 million National Science
Foundation-funded Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network of
science museums. Visit: http://www.mos.org.
About MathMovesU
Raytheon's MathMovesU® program is an initiative
committed to increasing middle and elementary school students'
interest in math and science education by engaging them in
hands-on, interactive activities. The innovative programs of
MathMovesU include the traveling interactive experience
MathAlive!®; Raytheon's Sum of all Thrills™
experience at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot®, which
showcases math in action as students design and experience their
own thrill ride using math fundamentals; the "In the Numbers" game,
a partnership with the New England Patriots on display at The Hall
at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon; the company's ongoing
sponsorship of the MATHCOUNTS® National Competition; and
the MathMovesU scholarship and grant program. Follow MathMovesU and
other Raytheon community outreach programs on Facebook and on
Twitter @MathMovesU.
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2013 sales of $24
billion and 63,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and
innovation leader specializing in defense, security and civil
markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning
92 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission
systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing;
effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence
systems, as well as cyber security and a broad range of mission
support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit
us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @Raytheon.
Media Contact
Raytheon Company
Tina Martineau
+1.781.522.6490
corporatepr@raytheon.com
SOURCE Raytheon Company