A message from the Director of Elementary & Secondary Education

Dr. Shelley Canright   + View Biography

NASA believes that by increasing the number of students involved in NASA-related activities at the elementary and secondary education levels more students will be inspired and motivated to pursue higher levels of study in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, courses.

To achieve this objective, NASA will engage students, educators, families, and institutions. When students are inspired, they are motivated to learn more and assume more difficult challenges, such as those posed in the study of higher levels of mathematics and science. To continue challenging these students, educators must be provided with the tools, experiences, and opportunities to further their education and participate in unique NASA learning experiences to enhance their knowledge of STEM. NASA programs will emphasize family involvement, which has been shown to enhance student achievement. Finally, NASA will support the role of educational institutions, which provide the framework to unite students, families, and educators for educational improvement.

Programs are in place to:

• Increase the rigor of science, technology, engineering, and math experiences provided to K-12 students through workshops, summer internships, and classroom activities;
• Provide high quality professional development to teachers in science, math, engineering and technology through NASA programs;
• Develop technological avenues through the NASA web site that will allow families to have common experiences with learning about space exploration;
• Encourage inquiry teaching in K-12 classrooms;
• Improve the content and focus of grade level/science team meetings in NASA Explorer Schools; and
• Share the knowledge gained through the Educator Astronaut Program with teachers, students, and families
  

The Office of Education strives to ensure that underrepresented and underserved students par­ticipate in NASA education and research pro­grams to encourage more of these students to pur­sue STEM careers. NASA recognizes the role of teachers, faculty and families in the development of successful students.

The Office of Education will continue to focus on enhancing the capabilities of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities to contribute to the research needs of the NASA Mission Directorates. The Office of Education also will work to encourage these institutions to collaborate with K-12 teacher preparation programs to improve the quality and diversity of STEM teachers.