CHICAGO, Aug. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group
Foundation today announced it will provide strategic support and
grants of $2.6 million to 14
organizations in Illinois to
support STEM education initiatives from pre-kindergarten through
college.
Of the grantees, all of which are detailed below, eight are
focused on early math education; four are advancing computer
science learning and two grantees are using technology to
personalize learning for students. Projects receiving funding and
strategic support range from professional development programming
for teachers of young children in underprivileged Illinois communities to LEAP Innovations,
a Chicago-based education
innovation hub that connects educators and technology innovators to
research, pilot and scale personalized learning strategies to
transform the way kids learn.
"We are thrilled to support these organizations and work with
the brightest minds in education to encourage fresh approaches to
math, computer science and personalized learning," said
Kassie Davis, Executive Director of
CME Group Foundation. "By funding programs that span from the
cradle to career development, we hope to spark system-wide change
that will benefit all Chicago area
students. Today's children will shape the future of the world's
most important industries – including our own – so we work hard to
give them the tools they need to achieve their full
potential."
As part of its grants, CME Group Foundation renewed its
longstanding support of LEAP Innovations, one of the key
organizations in Chicago that is
fostering change in the classroom.
"CME Group Foundation understands what it means to be on the
frontier of something new and innovative," said Phyllis Lockett, CEO of LEAP Innovations.
"High-tech companies committed to the future of our Chicago community have to invest in
next-generation thinking, and that is what CME Group Foundation is
doing. We never would have gotten off the ground without their
support."
Additionally, CME Group Foundation is the largest donor to
Chicago Public Schools' Computer
Science 4 All (CS4All) program, an initiative to make computer
science a core curriculum in Chicago Public Schools. CPS is the only major
metropolitan school district in the country to require computer
science coursework for graduation, beginning with the class of
2020. In addition to funding the program, CME Group is offering two
CPS teachers the opportunity to learn about technology through an
externship with the company this summer.
"I'm grateful to CME Group for providing the externship,
particularly as I develop my curriculum for the 2017-2018 school
year," said Marisa Nokes,
eighth-grade technology teacher at Bridge Elementary, a Chicago
Public School on the northwest side of Chicago. "This invaluable job experience gives
me real-life application of the subject I teach. The number one
motivator for eighth graders is understanding how they will use the
material we're going over in the classroom in their futures."
CME Group Foundation Grantees:
Using Technology to Personalize Learning Programs
- LEAP Innovations - $1,000,000 to
support general operations.
- Vision 20/20 - $25,000 to support 21st Century
Learning Center for schools in downstate Illinois.
Computer Science Programs
- National Louis University - $25,000 in support of computer science curriculum
that incorporates current industry trends and technology.
- Education Pioneers - $80,000 to
analyze CPS CS4All student data and outcomes.
- Northwestern University/Digital Youth Network - $125,000 to support research in computer science
programs for Chicago
youth.
- University of Chicago Consortium on School Research -
$150,000 to support research in
computer science learning in Chicago Public Schools.
Early Math Initiatives
- University of Chicago Science of Learning Center - $200,000 to support research on the impact of
Bedtime Math.
- Governors State University - $200,000 to support professional development in
K-3 math instructional effectiveness in Chicago's south suburbs.
- DePaul University - $200,000 to
support an Elementary Math Specialist pilot.
- University of Illinois-Chicago - $200,000 to support an Elementary Math Specialist
pilot.
- University of Chicago STEM Education - $192,000 to support an Elementary Math Specialist
pilot.
- McKendree University - $100,000
to support early math professional development in Southern Illinois rural areas.
- Project Exploration - $35,000 to
support Early Childhood STEM Learning in Chicago's Austin neighborhood.
- Western Illinois University - $80,000 to support early math professional
development in Macomb, IL and
through City Colleges, on the Northwest side of Chicago.
For more information, please visit the CME Group Foundation
website: www.cmegroupfoundation.org/.
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