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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
4.04.2008 - 09:30am ET
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Bayer USA Foundation Awards $135,000 Grant to Regional Science Education Program
Bayer Applauds Governor Rendell for $38 Million Allocation to Expand Program throughout Pennsylvania
First-Year Program Assessment is Positive
(CSRwire) PITTSBURGH - April 4, 2008 – The Bayer USA Foundation announced today it
has awarded a $135,000 grant to ASSET Inc. (Achieving Student Success
through Excellence in Teaching), the exemplary science education reform
program Bayer helped to create here in Southwest Pennsylvania in 1994,
that today is considered a national model for
industry-education-government partnerships.
This latest grant marks Bayer's ongoing commitment to a program that
ratchets up the quality of elementary science education by providing
inquiry-centered, hands-on science instruction to 40 school districts,
charter and private schools, in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and directly
impacting more than 1,800 teachers and 125,000 students annually, helping
them to achieve in the subject.
The new grant will be used by ASSET for operations purposes for its
Southwest Pennsylvania program, including the school/curriculum support
services it provides the districts, such as inquiry-centered curriculum
modules; ongoing teacher professional development; and leadership
training.
"Science education is of key importance to Bayer. Early on, we at Bayer
knew that, if we were to work with the local schools to improve science
education, we had to support a program like ASSET that begins with the
source – the teachers. After all, how can we expect our students to
succeed and achieve in science when their teachers aren't properly trained
to teach it, nor do they feel comfortable teaching it?" explained Dr.
Attila Molnar, President and CEO, Bayer Corporation. "ASSET works because
it gives teachers the training, tools and support they need to be effective
in the classroom."
At the same time, Bayer lauded Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell's
efforts to bring ASSET’s method of science teaching and learning to
schools across the state with his "Science: It's Elementary" (SIE)
initiative. Recently, Governor Rendell allocated an additional $15
million for SIE for the third year in a row, bringing the total funding to
$38 million since 2006.
With the funding, ASSET is designing and coordinating SIE for the
Pennsylvania Department of Education. As a result, ASSET has trained
2,600 elementary school teachers in 120 school districts to use the ASSET
curriculum to instruct more than 59,000 students in science. The new $15
million allocation, earmarked for the 2008-2009 school year, will expand
the program in the current 120 school districts, as well as additional
school districts around the state.
"This has been an exciting time for ASSET. We are deeply grateful to
Bayer for its long-standing and unwavering support these many years," said
Dr. Reeny Davison, Executive Director, ASSET Inc. "This grant is especially
important now during this time of our unprecedented growth because it
allows us to continue providing unparalleled service to our own
client-school districts here in the region that are not part of Governor
Rendell's 'Science: It's Elementary' initiative. It also enables us to
conduct research and development to design new products and services to
help teachers continuously improve."
Governor Rendell Launches Year Three of "Science: It's
Elementary"
Launched during the 2006-2007 school year with a $10 million budget
allocation to ASSET, SIE is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department
of Education. It was proposed by Governor Rendell as one of several
efforts to better prepare Pennsylvania's students for the competitive
environment of the emerging global economy. Intensive math and science
training is increasingly in demand in many workplaces, the governor noted,
and high-skill careers often require employees with strong problem-solving
and critical thinking skills.
In SIE's first year, ASSET trained 1,389 elementary school teachers from
74 schools in 68 districts to use its curriculum to instruct 37,000
students in science. The following year (2007-2008), Governor Rendell
announced an additional $13 million for SIE, expanding the program to 57
more school districts and 25,800 more students this year. All told, the
program is currently reaching roughly 60,000 students in 120 school
districts.
At the time of his initial announcement in 2006, Governor Rendell said,
"'Science: It's Elementary' brings science to life in the classroom. It
allows children to learn by doing—one of the most effective and engaging
ways to teach and foster a love of learning. Thousands of elementary school
children benefited from this innovative teaching tool last year. Now,
thousands more will enjoy this hands-on learning experience.
"'Science: It's Elementary' goes beyond traditional textbook instruction,
allowing elementary students to learn by doing," the Governor explained.
"Classrooms are provided with science kits enabling children to experiment
and see the 'big picture' of how science impacts our lives, studying topics
such as weather, water, balance and motion, electricity and rocks and
minerals."
This approach allows children to not only observe the practical aspects
of science, but also to experiment, interpret, propose solutions and test
their own scientific theories.
"Pennsylvania students aren't just competing with peers in other states,
they are competing with students around the world," Education Secretary
Gerald L. Zahorchak said in July 2007. "It is our responsibility to ensure
our children receive a cutting-edge education that will prepare them to
succeed in a high-tech workforce."
Year One SIE Results Report is Positive
SIE is being benchmarked each year by Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI), an
independent educational evaluation firm based in Chapel Hill, N.C. The
first-year assessment report, released recently by HRI, indicates SIE is
on track to making science education come alive in Pennsylvania's
elementary schools.
For example, in evaluating student performance, HRI's research shows:
In four of six comparisons, students receiving instruction using SIE
modules by teachers who participated in SIE professional development
scored significantly higher than students not receiving instruction from
that module—with impressive results from 16 to 44 percent higher.
Students of teachers who participated in all three days of SIE
professional development scored even higher on the post-test
(approximately 5 percent) than those of teachers who participated in only
two days of professional development—pointing to a significant and
positive relationship between full participation in SIE professional
development and student achievement.
For additional results, please visit www.assetinc.org.
About the Bayer USA Foundation
The Bayer USA Foundation is an endowed 501(c)(3) entity and is the
primary source of Bayer Corporation’s philanthropy in the United States.
With a programmatic focus on the environment and sustainability; education
and workforce development; arts and culture; and health and human services,
the Foundation creates and supports partnerships that improve communities
in which Bayer employees live and work, as well as society at large.
About Bayer Corporation
Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is a subsidiary of Bayer
AG, an international health care, nutrition and innovative materials group
based in Leverkusen, Germany. In North America, Bayer had 2007 net sales
of 8.1 billion euros and employed 16,800 at year end. Bayer's three
subgroups, Bayer HealthCare, Bayer CropScience and Bayer MaterialScience,
improve people’s lives through a broad range of essential products that
help diagnose, prevent and treat diseases; protect crops and enhance
yields; and advance automobile safety and durability.
About ASSET
ASSET (Achieving Student Success through Excellence in Teaching) Inc. is
an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to continuously improve
teaching and student learning, with an initial focus on K-8 science
education. Established in 1994 by Bayer Corporation and several community
partners, ASSET also received substantial funding from the National
Science Foundation. Today, ASSET has achieved sustainability as a
fee-for-service organization with ongoing support from several local and
national foundations and corporate partners.
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