UEI and CEMSE Establish University of Chicago STEM Project
UEI and CEMSE Establish University of Chicago STEM Project as part of 100Kin10; Former Department of Education Staffer Michael Lach to Lead
Initiative to Recruit, Develop, and Retain Excellent STEM Teachers for Public Schools Secures Nearly $20 Million in Funding; President Obama Says “Nothing is More Important”; Secretary Duncan Lauds Initiative’s “All-Hands-on-Deck Strategy”
Chicago, IL, November 8, 2011 – A former Chicago Public Schools administrator and U.S. Department of Education official has been tapped to lead the University of Chicago’s initiative to train a new generation of Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology (STEM) teachers.
Michael Lach, who most recently served as special assistant for Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Education at the U. S. Department of Education, will direct the new STEM Project, a joint effort between The University of Chicago Urban Education Institute (UEI) and Center for Elementary Mathematics and Science Education (CEMSE). Prior to his stint in Washington, Lach was officer of Teaching and Learning for Chicago Public Schools, overseeing curriculum and instruction in the nation's third-largest school district. UEI Director Tim Knowles expressed confidence in Lach’s ability to spearhead the project: "Mike has a solid track record for providing visionary leadership and getting things done. He will add great value to the work at UEI and CEMSE." CEMSE Executive Director Martin Gartzman adds: “We are thrilled to bring Mike to the University - given his deep experience as a practitioner and policy maker - and we are glad to be building an even stronger connection between CEMSE and UEI.”
UEI and CEMSE have formed the new STEM Project as part of 100Kin10, a growing a multi-sector mobilization that responds to the national imperative to train 100,000 STEM teachers over the coming 10 years. It is designed as an invitation to all interested stakeholders—from federal agencies to states, museums to corporations, universities to school districts, non-profits to individuals—to look at their unique resources and assets and apply them creatively and strategically to address the nation’s shortage of excellent STEM teachers and to improve STEM learning for all students. The mission of 100Kin10 is to reverse our country’s decades-long decline in STEM subjects, to ensure that all children have the basic STEM literacy to be full participants in our economy and democracy, and to enable our country’s students to address the most pressing national and global challenges.
The movement is being led by Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Opportunity Equation. Talia Milgrom-Elcott, Program Officer with the Carnegie Corporation of New York, is a leader in this undertaking, saying: "100Kin10 is instrumental to the nation's economic future and a critical priority for President Obama and Secretary of Education Duncan. If we're to effectively tackle the dual goal of excellence and increased supply, we need a sophisticated R&D platform to inform, inspire, and challenge us to learn and adapt from the best of what is out there. We are thrilled that the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute has stepped up to the plate to create this R&D platform. Without it, we could never achieve 100,000 excellent STEM teachers for our nation's students." Lach will coordinate the work of the new STEM Project staff at UEI and CEMSE to vet aspiring partner organizations, establish a national selection board, and lead the research and development efforts supporting the work of organizations partnering in 100kin10.
100Kin10 partners will convene and collaborate through www.100Kin10.org, an online site designed to allow for the sharing of data and research projects on superior STEM teacher recruitment, preparation, and support. UEI and CEMSE will work with identified partners to establish a research agenda intended to identify best practices through iterative feedback from partners. Lessons learned will be widely disseminated among stakeholders and the broader public with the goal of ensuring the STEM teacher pipeline improves over time.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan 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,” (September 26, 2011).
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 new UEI and CEMSE STEM Project is supported by $500,000 in grant awards from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation. More information, including a complete list of partners and their commitments, is available on www.100Kin10.org.
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About the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute: The mission of UEI is to create knowledge that helps produce reliably excellent schooling for children in urban America. The organization prepares outstanding urban teachers and leaders through the Urban Teacher Education Program; conducts rigorous research to improve policy and practice, anchored by the Consortium on Chicago School Research; operates four campuses of the University of Chicago Charter School, serving students across the South Side of Chicago; and provides tools, analytics and training to improve schools nationwide through UChicago Impact.
About the Center for Elementary Mathematics and Science Education:
CEMSE is a Research and Development Center that resides within the Physical Sciences Division (PSD) of the University of Chicago. CEMSE continues the University of Chicago’s long-standing commitment to improving precollege education and aims to support high quality mathematics and science instruction and learning for all students. Through the development and sharing of knowledge and the creation of useful products and programs, CEMSE seeks to make a positive difference for mathematics and science instruction throughout the nation.