K-12ProgramsHigherEducationProgramsToolsforEngagingStudentsConclusion
AtMicrosoft,ourfocushasalwaysbeenonenablingpeoplearoundtheworldtorealizetheirfullpotential.Forsometime,animportantpartofthatcommitmenthasinvolvedhelpingindividu-alsdeveloptheskillsnecessarytosucceedinaworld—andaworkplace—thatismorecomplex,technologicallyadvancedandcompetitivethaneverbefore.
Theseskillsarepredominantlyconcentratedinscience,technology,engineeringandmathematics(STEM)disciplines.Gonearethedayswhenabasicunderstandingofmathorsciencewassuf-ficientformosthigh-schoolorcollegegraduates.Today’sstudentswillneedastrongfoundationinthesesubjectsregardlessoftheirpost-high-schoolplans.
Intheglobalmarketplace,Americanbusinessesareincreasinglydependentoninnovationandincreasingproductivitytoremaincompetitive.Asaresult,thevastmajorityoffamily-wagejobsinthe21stcenturywillrequireemployeeswitharangeoftechnicalskillsandacapacityforlifelonglearning.
Consider themanychallenges confronting society:globalwarming,AIDSandotherdiseases,hungerandpoverty.Science,technology,engineeringandmatharecentraltoaddressingalloftheseissues—throughdevelopmentofnewenergysources,medicalbreakthroughs,moreeffec-tiveagriculturalpracticesandthecreationofneweconomies.
TheU.S.Departmentof Laborhasprojected thatby2014, therewillbemore than2millionjobopeningsinSTEMfieldsintheUnitedStates.Yet,acrosstheU.S.,studentperformanceoninternationalmathandsciencebenchmarkslagsbehindthatoftheirpeersfromothernations.Multiplestudieshavefoundthatmanystudentsbegintoloseinterestinthesesubjectsasearlyasmiddleschool.AndcollegesarefindingtoofewstudentswiththeinterestandpreparationtopursueSTEMdegrees.
STEM:AFoundationfortheFutureImprovingstudentskillsinscience,technology,engineeringandmathisthefoundationofAmerica’seconomicfuture
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AsBillGatesnotedin2008testimonybeforetheU.S.HouseCommitteeonScienceandTechnology:“Toomanyofourstudentsfailtograduatefromhighschoolwiththebasicskillstheywillneedtosucceedinthe21stCenturyeconomy,muchlesspreparedfortherigorsofcollegeandcareer.Althoughourtopuniversitiescontinuetorankamongthebestintheworld,toofewAmericanstudentsarepursuingdegreesinscienceandtechnology.”
FortheU.S.tocontinuetobealeaderininnovation,andcompetitiveglobally,wemustworkespeciallyhardtopersuadeyoungwomenandminoritystudents—whoareunder-representedintheSTEMfieldstoday—thattheircontributionsareneededandthatexcitingandrewardingcareeropportunitiesexist.Expandingthetalentpooltoincludemorewomenandminoritiesisnotsimplyamatterofensuringthatallmembersofsocietyhaveaccesstoeconomicopportunities.ItisabusinessimperativeiftheU.S.economyistomaintainitsleadership.
AddressingtheSTEMchallengeisaresponsibilitysharedbyboththepublicandtheprivatesector.Astheworld’slargestsoftwarecompany,wearekeenlyawareoftheimportanceofexpandingthetalentpool.It’simportanttoourbusiness,ourpartnersandourcustomers,andtothecom-munitiesinwhichour91,000employeesworkandlive.
That’swhyMicrosofthasinvestedsignificantlyintoolsandresourcesthatenableeffectiveteach-ingofSTEMsubjects,andinprogramsthatencourageyoungpeopletobecomeproficientandconsidercareersinSTEMfields.Onanannualbasis,ourcommitmentofcash,softwareandem-ployeevolunteertimetotalshundredsofmillionsofdollars.
Aswithanyprudentinvestmentstrategy,wehavediversifiedourefforts.Someoftheprogramswe support, like ImagineCup,help students and thepublicunderstand the transformationalrolethesetechnologiesplayinourdailylives.Others,suchasDigiGirlz,dispelstereotypestypi-callyassociatedwithcareersintechnology.PartnersinLearning,theMicrosoftMathPartnershipandGames4LearningprovideeducatorsandstudentswithinnovativenewapproachestoSTEMlearning.
Fromourearliestdays,Microsofthasbeencommittedtochangingthewaypeoplework,learnandlive.WeareproudtosaythatourinterestinSTEMeducationisanextensionofthatcom-mitment.WehopeyouwilltakeafewminutestolearnmoreaboutourbusinessandcitizenshipprogramsthatsupportSTEM.
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Partners in Learning
PartnersinLearningisa10-year,$500millioncommitmenttohelplocalschoolsincreasetheiraccesstotechnologyandimproveitsuseinlearning.Since2003,PartnersinLearninghastouchedthelivesofmorethan90millionstudents,teachersandeducationpolicymak-ersin101countries.ThroughtheInnovativeSchoolsprogram,wearepartneringwith12schoolsindifferentpartsoftheworldtomovebeyondthelimitsoftheclassroomandtraditionaleducationmodelstowardnewap-proachesthatmakelearningmoreengaging,inspiringandrelevant.Theresultingeduca-tionaltoolsandmethodsareavailableforotherschooldistrictstoadaptanduse.OurInnovativeTeachersprogramisdedicatedtohelpingeducatorsdevelopandsharesuccess-fulteachingmethods,lessonplans,practicesandprofessionaldevelopmentresources.AspartofourInnovativeStudentsprogram,weworkwithgovernmentsandschoolstohelpdelivertechnologyproductsandsupportingcurriculadirectlyintothehandsofstudentstoenrichtheirlearning.
Club Tech at the Boys and Girls Clubs of America
Formorethanadecade,Microsofthaspart-neredwiththeBoys&GirlsClubsofAmericatoteachessentialdigitalliteracyskillstochil-drenacrossthecountryandonU.S.militarybasesabroad.ClubTechusesfun,interactivelessonstogiveyouthofallagesandback-groundstheskillstheyneedtoshowcasetheircreativity,performbetterinschoolandeven-tuallytaketheirtechnologyknow-howintotheworkplace.Todate,Microsoft’s$150mil-lionpledgehasreached4.5millionchildrenin4,300locations.MicrosoftalsoprovideslocalClubswithtechnologyandsupportservicestohelpruntheiroperations,andmanyofouremployeesvolunteeratClubs.
K–12ProgramsEducationisthefoundationofourcommunities,andkeytoAmerica’sabilitytoremaincompetitiveintheglobaleconomy.MicrosoftisworkingtostrengthenK–12educationworldwidethrougharangeofprogramsthatsupportstudents,teachersandschoolleaders.
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The Microsoft Math Partnership
TheMicrosoftMathPartnership(MMP)workstoraisemiddle-schoolstudents’participa-tionandachievementinmath,scienceandtechnologystudies.Throughpartnershipswithlocalschooldistricts,universitiesandothereducationalorganizationsinthePugetSoundareaofWashingtonstate,MMPpro-videsprofessionaldevelopmentopportuni-tiesforteachersthatwillincreasetherigorofsecondaryandpost-secondarymathandscienceeducation.MMPalsoadvocatesforpolicychanges,withtheultimateobjectiveofencouragingstudentstobecomecriticalthinkerswhoareproficientinmathemati-calskillsandconcepts,includingnumeracy,algebra,statisticsandproblemsolving.Overtime,theplanistoexpandMMPprogramstootherstatesandtoworkwithschooldistrictstoimprovescienceeducation.
Washington STEM initiative
TheWashingtonSTEMInitiativeseekstoim-provestudentachievementandopportunityinscience,technology,engineeringandmath-ematics.Launchinginspring2010,theinitia-tivewillprovidetechnicalassistance,teachertraining,accesstoSTEMcurriculaandotherresourcesandleadershiptohelpspurinnova-tioninWashingtonState’sK–12education
system.Microsoft,theBillandMelindaGatesFoundation,TheBoeingCompany,Battelle,theWashingtonRoundtableandthePartner-shipforLearningareprovidingthecriticalinitialsupportfortheseefforts.Thegoalistoimproveteachereffectivenessandsignificant-lyincreasethenumberofhigh-schoolgradu-ateswhoarepreparedtosucceedinSTEMdegreeprogramsincollege,withaparticularemphasisonacceleratingtheachievementoflow-incomeandminoritystudents.
digiGirlz
Startedin2000,theMicrosoft®DigiGirlzprogramisdesignedtodispelthestereotypestypicallyassociatedwithcareersintechnol-ogy.DigiGirlzDaysandDigiGirlzHigh-TechCampsgivehigh-schoolgirlsachancetolearnaboutcareersintechnology,connectwithMicrosoftemployees,andparticipateinhands-oncomputerandtechnologywork-shopshostedonmanyofMicrosoft’scam-pusesaroundtheworld.Participantsreceivecareerplanningassistance,exploretechnolo-gyandbusinessroles,engageinthought-pro-vokingexercisesandviewin-depthMicrosoftproductdemonstrations.
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imagine Cup
Encouragingyoungpeopletoapplytheirimaginationandtheirpassiontocreatetechnologyinnovationstosolvereal-worldproblemsisthegoalbehindImagineCup.In2009,morethan300,000studentsfrom142countriesparticipated.Thecompetitionhelpsstudentsstrengthentechnical,problem-solvingandcommunicationskillsthatcanaidtheminafuturecareer.IntheeightyearssinceMicrosoftcreatedImagineCup,studentshavecreatedtechnologysolutionstoimprovesoftwareaccessibilityforthevisuallyimpaired,increasefoodproductionandimproveaccesstohealthcareinremoteareas.UsingtheUN’sambitiousMillenniumDevelopmentGoalsasaguidingframework,thethemefor2010is“Imagineaworldwheretechnologyhelpssolvethetoughestproblems.”
Students to Business
TheMicrosoftStudentstoBusiness(S2B)programhelpsuniversitystudentswhoarepursuingtechnologycareerstoconnectwithMicrosoftpartnersandcustomersforentry-
levelandinternshippositions.MicrosoftS2Bprovidesuniquetrainingandcertificationopportunitiesaswellasotherresourcesthatfuelinnovationandhelpstudentsgaintheskillsrequiredtobecomemoreemployable.Since2006,theprogramhasprovidedmorethan300,000studentswithnewcareerskillsandhasledtointernshipsandjobsfor15,000students.
dreamSpark
Tosupportadvancedtechnicallearningandunlockstudents’creativepotential,theMicro-softDreamSpark™programenablesuniver-sityandhigh-schoolstudentstodownloadprofessionalMicrosoftdeveloper,designerandgamingsoftwareatnocost.Since2007,DreamSparkhasprovidedmorethan2.3mil-liondownloadsofMicrosoftsoftwaretools.Theprogramalsooffersonlineinstructionalresources,trainingvideos,specialoffersonMicrosoftCertifiedTechnologySpecialistexamsandaccesstoMicrosoftITAcademylearningopportunities.
Higher-EducationProgramsMicrosoft-sponsoredcompetitionsandtechnology-accessprogramsaredesignedtohelpyoungpeopledevelopcollaborationandproblem-solvingskillsthatwillbeusefulinanyworkenviron-mentwhileinspiringthemtopursueopportunitiesinscience,technology,engineeringandmath.
2008 Imagine Cup software design
winners
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MSdn Academic Alliance
Tohelpimproveteachingandlearningataccrediteduniversities,technicalschoolsandhighschools,theMSDN®AcademicAllianceprovidesaccesstoprofessional-levelsoftwaredevelopmentanddesigntools.StudentsenrolledataschoolwithanMSDNAcademicAlliancesubscriptionalsocanobtainfreeMicrosoftsoftwarewithalicensethatneverexpires.TheprogramisdesignedtogivestudentsaheadstarttowardanITcareerbyhelpingfamiliarizethemwiththetoolsandpracticesthatemployerswillexpectthemtouse.Initseight-yearhistory,theMSDNAcademicAlliancehasdistributedmorethan4.4milliondownloadsofsoftwareandotherresourcestosubscribers.
Microsoft iT Academy
TheMicrosoftITAcademyprogramprovidescomprehensiveITtrainingcurriculaandresources,aswellasMicrosoftcertificationopportunities,tohelppreparestudentsfortoday’sworkplace,encouragelifelonglearn-ingandenhanceemployability.Theprogramgiveseducatorsthetoolstheyneedtodelivertechnologycoursesthatalignwithindustryhiringneedsandtoofferdynamiclearningex-periencestoadiversecommunityofstudents.Theprogramisavailableinthousandsofloca-tionsinmorethan100countries.
ToolsforEngagingStudentsinSTEMIneducation,there’snothingmorevalu-ablethanhands-onexperience.MicrosoftisworkingwitheducationandresearchpartnersaroundtheU.S.todeveloptoolsthatmakeSTEMeducationmoreengagingandrelevantforstudentsofallages.
robotics
Educatorshavefoundthatonewaytostimu-latestudentinterestinSTEM-relatedsubjectsisthroughtheuseofhands-ontoolssuchasrobots.Overthepastfiveyears,MicrosoftExternalResearchhassponsoredmorethanadozenroboticsprojectswithuniversitiesaroundthecountry.Inmanyofthoseprojects,educatorsandstudentsutilizedMicrosoftRoboticsDeveloperStudio(RDS),ageneral-
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purposesoftwaretoolkitthatcanbeusedtodevelopeverythingfromeducationaltoystoindustrialrobots.AnacademiceditionofRDSisavailabletostudentsthroughtheDream-Sparkprogram.
MicrosoftExternalResearchco-foundedtheInstituteforPersonalRobotsinEducation(IPRE),incollaborationwithresearchersattheGeorgiaInstituteofTechnology(GeorgiaTech)andBrynMawrCollege.IPREusespersonalrobotstomakecomputersciencemorerel-evant,funandinterestingforstudents.Whiletheproject’sinitialfocusisonundergraduatestudents,IPRE’sultimatemissionistoemployrobotsineducationatalllevels—frommiddleschooltograduateschool.Toensurebroadaccesstotheprogram,IPRE’sprototyperobotiseasytouseandaffordable—aboutthesamepriceasatypicaltextbook.
Microsofthasalsosponsoredroboticscompe-titionshostedbyFIRST,forK–12students,andRoboCup,aninternationalroboticscompeti-tionforuniversitystudents.
Games for Learning
TheExternalResearchDivisionatMicrosoftResearchhasteamedupwithresearch-ersfromsevenU.S.universitiestoformtheGamesforLearningInstitute,basedatNewYorkUniversity.Researchersareexploringnewwaystousecomputergamingtomoreeffectivelyteachscience,math,literacyandotheracademicskills.Thestudyresultswillbesharedwitheducators,softwaredevelopersandotherresearchersinterestedindevelop-
inggamesthatwillbemoreusefulaseduca-tionaltools.
Teaching Tools and Curricula
Microsoftishelpingtodeveloptoolsandcur-riculathatareopeningvastnewopportunitiesforteachingandlearningscience.OnegreatexampleisMicrosoftResearch’sWorldwideTelescope,whichcompilesenormousamountsofimagedatafromland-andspace-basedobservatories.ThroughaWeb-basedbrowser,userscanpanacrossthenightskyorzoominongalaxies,starsandplanets.Sinceitslaunchin2008,theWorldwideTelescopehasbeendownloadedmorethan2milliontimesinresearchfacilities,classroomsandhomesaroundtheworld.AnewWebsitecalled“BeaMartian”isanotherexcitingexploratorytool.AjointeffortofNASAandMicrosoft,itgivesstudentsofallagesachancetoviewhundredsofthousandsofimagesoftheRedPlanet.Oneoftheprimaryobjectivesistospurinterestinscienceandtechnologyamongstudents.
STEMeducationalresourcesarealsoassociat-edwithaprojectcalledLifeUnderYourFeet.WithfinancialandtechnologysupportfromMicrosoft,researchersatJohnsHopkinsUni-versityarepioneeringtheuseoflargearraysofwirelesssensorgridsinsoilscience.Thesensorgrids,combinedwithpowerfuldatamanagementtools,areenablingstudentstolearnaboutundergroundecosystemsbyusingthesamedatathatprofessionalscientistsuse.
ConclusionSocialtrendsandglobalcompetitionhavecreatedbothchallengesandopportunitiesforAmerica’sbusinessesandforourworkforce.U.S.studentsarefallingbehindinmathandscience,whileothercountriesaregraduatingmoreengineersandscientiststhaneverbefore.ThegoodnewsisthattheU.S.isstillaleaderinscientificandtechnologicalinnovation,andjobsinscience,technology,engineeringandmathfieldswillcontinuetobeavailableforthosewhoarequalified.
ImprovingmathandscienceeducationandinspiringyoungpeopletostudyandpursuecareersinSTEMfieldswillrequirevisionandcommitment.IncommentsrecognizingPresidentObama’sleadership inmakingSTEManationalpriority,MicrosoftCEOSteveBallmer said: “PublicandprivatepartnershipstopromoteSTEMarecriticallyimportant.Weallhaveavestedinterestinadvancingourcountry’sproficiency inthedisciplinesofscience, technology,engineeringandmathasameanstodrivinginnovationandjobs—whicharekeytofuelingoureconomicgrowthandglobalcompetitiveness.”
