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Education foundation launches program for middle school students
The Fairfax Education Foundation is launching a model technology innovation program, in partnership with the commonwealth of Virginia, to benefit middle school students in Fairfax County Public Schools. Technology and 21st Century Careers: Preparing Students for the Future, a three-year program, will premier at Glasgow Middle School this winter.
The project will bring career-oriented technology applications into the classroom to deepen and sustain students’ interest in science, math and technology as well as strengthen their global awareness through geography.
Geographic information software introduced as part of the project will help students learn geospatial awareness and, ultimately, how to use the software in career-type settings. The skills used in GIS or in global positioning software are listed frequently in help wanted ads for positions, especially in government contracting in the area.
“There is more to this than just future jobs,” said James Rosebush, chief executive officer of the Fairfax Education Foundation in a release. “We want students to become deeply engaged in the more sophisticated uses of technology at the middle school level when their use of basic technology is already well-grounded and when their interest in science, math, and engineering may begin to wane. We hope to reverse this trend and sustain students’ interest in and commitment to further studies in technology and the sciences in order to equip them for 21st century careers.”
Underwriters of the project, in addition to the commonwealth of Virginia, which has donated licenses for the GIS software, include Intel Corporation, Exxon Mobil, and Northrop Grumman. Other businesses are expected to provide sponsorship as the program grows.
To accompany the new software, special curricula will be developed, and teachers will be trained to use the GIS software. After the initial rollout at Glasgow Middle School, the program will be introduced to all FCPS middle school students over three years.
“For many years, our foundation has funded and helped manage extraordinary, innovative technology projects in Fairfax County Public Schools,” said Marty Irving, chairman of the Fairfax Education Foundation Board of Directors. “As a result, we have helped to make this region more and more attractive to companies and families, many of whom are engaged, in some way, in the technology industry. This new project fits right in with our current focus on the impact of technology on life skills. Technology is ubiquitous; now we want to make sure it is relevant to careers.”
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