Burns secures $200K to bring STEM teacher training to local schools
Funding will help teachers with training, coaching and development
Rep. Frank Burns September 21, 2022
EBENSBURG, Aug. 21 – Always on the lookout for ways to strengthen education in Cambria County, state Rep. Frank Burns, D-Cambria, today announced he has secured $200,000 in grants to bring a national teacher training and development program to two local school districts.
“When a school superintendent from an adjoining county told me this was hands-down the best teacher training and development they’d ever had for their staff, I worked to get it started in Cambria County,” Burns said. “From getting grants for classroom technology to forging partnerships with local businesses and industry, I’m committed to working with our local schools to make sure our students have the best opportunities -- and I’ll never stop fighting for them.”
The National Math and Science Initiative is a group that works to increase and improve STEM education as well as access to and success in Advanced Placement classes. NMSI focuses on teacher training and coaching so classroom teachers are efficient and effective at covering material – not making students do unnecessary or unhelpful work.
Burns helped secure $200,000 in funding to bring the program to the Westmont and Central Cambria school districts.
NMSI also has a strong emphasis on getting more students into AP classes and then supporting those students with resources, study guides and enrichment opportunities. They believe that increasing participation in AP courses not only gives students the chance to earn college credits while in high school, but also that the increased rigor better prepares them for university coursework. The national program is in place in about 33 school districts in Pennsylvania currently.