Toyota Funds Kentucky K-12 STEM
Toyota has had its share of rotten press lately, what with faulty accelerators and brakes, the millions of subsequent recalls, and a huge government fine. But the Japanese car manufacturer has managed to garner some positive headlines in central and northern Kentucky, where it is a major donor, providing $500,000 to help improve K-12 science and mathematics teaching.
The money was given to the University of Kentucky’s Partnership Institute for Mathematics and Science Education Reform (PIMSER), which will use it to help math and science teachers in 13 urban school districts develop more effective ways to teach their subjects, according to Business Lexington. Bluegrass State schools have struggled to keep abreast of the fast evolution of the digital technologies that are changing how kids learn and schools teach, the paper says. Plus, too many college-bound students arrive on campus ill-prepared to study math and science. One study found that 45 percent show up at state universities in need of at least one remedial course; 33 percent need two or more.
PIMSER grew out of a $24 million, National Science Foundation program at the university to improve science and math teaching in rural schools. The program was so successful in boosting test scores that it’s now expanding, funded by private donations. While the positive headlines surely pleased Toyota executives in Kentucky, the grant wasn’t just an exercise in good community relations. Increasingly, major carmakers like Toyota must rely upon a workforce with a firm grounding in science, math and technology.
Filed under: K-12 Education News
