Santa Ana, CA, Aug 14, 2012 The non-profit MIND Research Institute has received $15,000 from Fluor Foundation to support the Orange County Math Initiative, an effort to increase math proficiency in local elementary schools and provide students with the knowledge required for future jobs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). This grant brings Fluor’s total support of the local initiative to $75,000.
Through philanthropic support, the Orange County Math Initiative provides MIND Research’s award-winning math instructional software to 107 schools in Orange County, reaching 71,000 students and 2,194 teachers. The initiative already has yielded dramatic increases in math proficiency. In 2011, the most recent year for which results are available, schools participating in the initiative increased their math proficiency by 19.1%, compared to 11.6% among similar non-participating Orange County schools. Research shows that students who acquire math skills are much more likely to enter engineering and science fields.
‘We see MIND Research Institute’s Orange County Math Initiative as an effective means equipping students with the STEM foundation skills necessary for success in the 21st century workforce,’ said Torrence Robinson, Senior Director, Community Affairs & Fluor Foundation, ‘We’re excited to be part of this process that’s transforming lives through education.’
In Santa Ana Unified School District, where nearly every elementary school uses MIND Research Institute’s ST Math® instructional software and which serves a student population that is more than 50% English Language Learners, math proficiency rates in the district increased from 31% of students being proficient or advanced to 67%, which is the California average.
‘Fluor’s generosity has literally helped close the math achievement gap in our local schools,’ said Ted Smith, CEO and Chairman of MIND Research Institute. ‘We are deeply grateful to them and look forward to our continued collaborations to improve our community.’
Other supporters of the Orange County Math Initiative include Abbott Medical Optics, Bank of America, The Boeing Company, Capital Group Companies, Chevron Corporation, Edwards LifeSciences, Emulex, Microsemi Corporation, O.L. Halsell Foundation, OneWest Foundation, Pacific Life Foundation, The Segerstrom Foundation, Southern California Edison, Taco Bell Corporation, US Bank, Wells Fargo Bank and Mr. and Mrs. John Phelan.
About the Orange County Math Initiative:
The Orange County Math Initiative, launched by MIND Research Institute, is designed to impact the lowest-performing schools in Orange County. Through charitable donations, partner schools are granted site licenses for MIND Research’s award-winning, visually-based ST Math instructional software. Schools receive unlimited access to the software for use at school and at home, as well as teacher and principal professional development. Ongoing annual support is paid for by each school. The latest results of the third year of the Initiative have shown that the ST Math partner schools experienced more than double the growth in math proficiency when compared to similar non-ST Math schools.
For more information contact:
Christine Byrd
949-345-8636
cbyrd@mindresearch.net
DeeDee Rosenthal
Community Relations Coordinator - Southern California
FLUOR
DeeDee.Rosenthal@Fluor.com
949-349-3387
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