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Gretchen Cook-Anderson
Headquarters, Washington                  June 25, 2003
(Phone: 202/358-0836)

RELEASE: 03-215

NASA SENDS SCIENCE AND MATH TEACHERS "BACK TO SCHOOL"

     NASA is launching a major new education initiative. The 
NASA Explorer Schools Program premieres Monday, June 30 at 
11:30 a.m. EDT at the Washington State Convention & Trade 
Center, Seattle.

The multimedia event kicks off the innovative program to 
send science and mathematics teachers "back to school" at 
NASA field centers. NASA experts and resources will be 
available during the summer to help educators acquire new 
teaching resources and technology tools to make learning 
science, mathematics and technology more appealing to 
students.  

As part of the annual National Educational Computing 
Conference (NECC), hosted by the International Society for 
Technology in Education (ISTE), NASA Associate Administrator 
for Education Dr. Adena Williams Loston, joined by astronaut 
Don Pettit, will announce the first 50 competitively 
selected NASA Explorer Schools before an expected audience 
of approximately 1,000 science and technology educators. 

In a creative school-like setting, Loston will address a 
"classroom" of NASA officials and partners. Classmates 
include Pettit, NASA's International Space Station science 
officer on Expedition 6; NASA Explorer Schools Program 
architects Peggy L. Steffen and Dr. Shelley Canright; NASA 
Deputy Associate Administrator for Education Programs Dr. 
Cliff Houston; and representatives from the National Science 
Teachers Association (NSTA), the U.S. Department of 
Education and the U.S. National Guard Bureau.  

The new initiative, sponsored by NASA's Education 
Enterprise, in collaboration with NSTA, will establish a 
three-year partnership between the agency and 50 Explorer 
Schools' teams, consisting of teachers and education 
administrators from diverse communities across the country.  
During the commitment period, NASA will invite teams to 
field centers in an effort to spark innovative science and 
mathematics instruction directed specifically at students in 
grades five through eight.

Following the announcement, the audience will participate in 
a technology demonstration. The demonstration will focus on 
using technology in the classroom to stimulate student 
interest. Pettit will moderate an International Space 
Station downlink with the Expedition 7 crew (11:53 a.m. - 
12:13 p.m. EDT) for the audience and approximately a dozen 
student groups via teleconference.

"At NASA, we feel compelled to act, to implement proactive 
and innovative approaches, such as the NASA Explorer Schools 
Program, to help stem the decline in the number of young 
people pursuing study of science, technology, engineering 
and math disciplines," Loston said. "If we can help, in ways 
unique to NASA's mission, to hold students' interest in math 
and science through the middle school years, we would 
anticipate a marked increase in students entering related 
careers. The Nation's continued leadership in science and 
technology depends on the efforts of NASA and others," she 
said.

ISTE, based in Eugene, Ore., is a nonprofit professional 
organization with a worldwide membership of leaders and 
potential leaders in educational technology. ISTE's mission 
is to provide leadership and service to improve teaching and 
learning by advancing the effective use of technology in K-
12 education and teacher education. NECC annually attracts 
more than 15,000 educators.

For information about NASA on the Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

For information about the NASA Explorer Schools Program, 
visit:

http://explorerschools.nasa.gov


For information about the NASA Education Enterprise and 
programs, visit:

http://education.nasa.gov

For information about ISTE and NECC, visit:

www.iste.org

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