Stevens Institute of Technology receives $500,000 AT&T Learning Network grant to enhance science education with internet resources in Passaic, Paterson and Plainfield

HOBOKEN, N.J. – Stevens Institute of Technology has received a $500,000 AT&T Learning Network grant to enhance teachers’ Internet teaching skills in three districts in New Jersey, it was announced today by the university.

The program, "Science Link: Mentor Teachers Enhancing Science Education with Internet-based Curricula," is a collaboration between Stevens and AT&T Learning Network to improve teaching and learning in middle school science through classroom integration of exemplary, standard-based Internet supported curriculum resources. The program is being implemented in liaison with the New Jersey Department of Education.

"The AT&T Learning Network grant awarded by the AT&T Foundation is enabling Stevens to introduce Internet-based curricula into these districts that enhance science learning while capturing the imagination of students and teachers," said Edward A. Friedman, director of Stevens’ Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education (CIESE).

The three-year initiative will directly involve a total of 30 teachers from Passaic, Paterson and Plainfield in a long-term, professional development experience designed to provide them with both Internet skills and innovative Internet-based curricular resources. Science Link will allow the teachers to engage students in authentic science investigations utilizing Internet-based resources that promote and reinforce the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards. To maximize the impact of the Science Link training, participating teachers will be helped in taking on mentoring roles, assisting colleagues’ use of Internet-based resources in their classrooms. Stevens will work closely with districts to ensure that appropriate plans to utilize these mentor teachers for district-wide dissemination.

"AT&T is committed to helping teachers use technology effectively to improve student learning," said Marilyn Reznick, vice president of Education at the AT&T Foundation. "We are especially pleased to support the work of Stevens and the New Jersey Department of Education in reaching science teachers in urban districts."

Teachers began this three-year program earlier this month with the kick-off of monthly workshops during the school year and a two-week summer institute, totaling 120 hours of professional development each year for three years. In addition, all participants will receive regular include online support and assistance. The program will conclude in August 2001.

Districts were selected on the basis of AT&T’s philanthropic and geographical priorities, technological readiness, coherence of districts’ priorities with the goals and aims of this project and input from the New Jersey Department of Education.

Today’s announcement of the Science Link project follows the U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) statement on Sept. 22, that Stevens will direct a $9.3 million DOE "Technology Innovative Challenge Grant" to provide Internet training for teachers in three states, That program, "Alliance+ (plus)," will allow more than 9,000 teachers in Arizona, Ohio and Florida, to receive hands-on training in integrate Internet technology into classroom instruction. Support for this program includes an estimated $12 million in matching funds from project partners.

The Alliance+ program is an expansion on Stevens’ and project partners’ earlier $909,000 U.S. Department of Education grant for the "Alliance for Training for K-12 Teachers in Instructional Technologies: A National Internet-In-Education Teacher Training Program." This project is enabling teachers in Cleveland, Miami and Phoenix to learn how to effectively integrate the Internet into classroom instruction. Stevens is working in partnership with the League for Innovation in the Community College and PBS station Thirteen/WNET in this current grant.

The program is also modeled in part on several Stevens teacher training programs throughout the New York and New Jersey area, including CIESE’s "New Jersey Networking Infrastructure in Education (NJNIE)." The NJNIE project, created by a $2.9 million National Science Foundation grant, brings the Internet to more than 700 K-12 New Jersey schools through training sessions and consultation.

The AT&T Learning Network, created in 1995, is AT&T’s five-year, $150 million program to help families, schools and communities use technology to enhance teaching and learning. The program provides free online training, mentoring by teachers and links to education resources for educators and families. The program also includes AT&T Learning Network grants which are managed by the AT&T Foundation, the principal arm of AT&T’s philanthropy. For more information on the AT&T Learning Network, visit the website at: www.att.com/learningnetwork .

For more information on the AT&T’s philanthropy and community service activities, visit the AT&T Foundation website at www.att.com/foundation.

About CIESE

The Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education at Stevens helps educators exploit the power of technology to improve instruction and bolster student achievement in mathematics and science. Advancements in student learning in these areas will create a more competitive, technological workforce that is better able to analyze and deal with a range of complex issues and problems. CIESE’s mission is accomplished through a variety of activities including direct collaboration with teachers and school systems, partnerships with community colleges and local school systems, videoconferences and hands-on workshops on the use of technology in science and statewide projects linking other universities and institutions with schools across New Jersey.

About Stevens Institute of Technology

Founded in 1870 and celebrating 140 Years of Innovation, Stevens Institute of Technology, The Innovation University TM , lives at the intersection of industry, academics and research.  The University's students, faculty and partners leverage their collective real-world experience and culture of innovation, research and entrepreneurship to confront global challenges in engineering, science, systems and technology management.

Based in Hoboken, N.J. and with a location in Washington, D.C., Stevens offers baccalaureate, master’s, certificates and doctoral degrees in engineering, the sciences and management, in addition to baccalaureate degrees in business and liberal arts.  Stevens has been recognized by both the US Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security as a National Center of Excellence in the areas of systems engineering and port security research. The University has a total enrollment of more than 2,200 undergraduate and 3,700 graduate students with almost 450 faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America as well as strategic partnerships with industry leaders, governments and other universities around the world.  Additional information may be obtained at www.stevens.edu and www.stevens.edu/press.