Over 180 students and teachers benefit from MathMovesU program
WALTHAM, Mass., May 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Raytheon Company (RTN:
NYSE) seeks to show students, at an age when they begin to give up on math,
that it can lead to rewarding, fun careers. Through its MathMovesU
initiative, the company has awarded $500,000 in scholarships and grants to
students and teachers nationwide. Launched in November 2005, the program
combines interactive online contests and activities, grants, prizes and
community outreach.
Students score $1,000 grants for sharing ideas to promote math
For 150 middle and high school students from Arizona to Wisconsin,
elevating math to "cool" has earned them more than a gold star or an A+.
Their award winning ideas, to help rehabilitate math in the eyes of their
fellow students, earned them a $1,000 scholarship for themselves and a
matching grant for their school.
"By helping young people connect the dots between learning math now and
having an exciting career later, we can help turn interest into
achievement." said Pam Wickham, vice president of corporate affairs &
communications for Raytheon Company.
"Math Heroes" honors dedicated math educators
Raytheon believes that for students to excel in math, they need
passionate instruction and encouragement, so the company has also
recognized 33 educators across the nation as "math heroes" for their
ability to instill a love of math in their students. Winners were nominated
by students, parents and other teachers. Recipients received a $2500 grant
with a further matching grant either going to their school or to their
local MATHCOUNTS(R) chapter.
America's math problem
The National Assessment of Educational Progress found that less than
one- third of eighth graders reached a level of proficiency in math. The
fundamentals -- like homework -- are at the core of the issue. About
one-third of the fourth-graders and one-fifth of eighth-graders cannot
perform "basic mathematical computations," and U.S. high school seniors
recently tested below the international average for 21 countries in
mathematics and science(1). As a result, fewer American students than ever
are graduating from college with math and science degrees, causing a
shortage of hundreds of thousands of engineers and scientists needed for
American companies.
Making math meaningful
In a Raytheon-sponsored survey, an overwhelming majority of students
(93%) said they knew they would need to use math later on in life, but
couldn't directly link it to their dream jobs. In fact, many students
couldn't name a compelling career that uses math.
MathMovesU takes a unique approach by reaching out to students on their
own terms. The web-based program features weekly prizes for solving math
problems linked to today's teen-favorite celebrities, including soccer star
Mia Hamm, BMX biker Dave Mirra and gold medalist Apolo Ohno. Messages focus
on how these celebrities use math to stay at the top of their game.
MathMovesU also highlights other appealing careers that rely on math,
including concert tour promotion and fashion and video game design.
MathMovesU is also proud to partner with MATHCOUNTS, a nonprofit
organization that has promoted excellence in math among U.S. middle school
students through competitions and coaching since 1984.
Editors' Notes:
About Student Scholarships
The Student Scholarship Awards are part of Raytheon's $1 million
MathMovesU grant program to provide grants to teachers, schools and
students to support math education. Students receive individual grants of
$1000. In addition, a grant of $1000 is awarded to their school or the
local MATHCOUNTS(R) program. You can learn more about MathMovesU and its
sponsors by visiting http://www.mathmovesu.com, http://www.mathcounts.org,
http://www.raytheon.com. The next deadline for applications is October 15,
2006.
About Math Hero Grants
The Math Hero Awards are part of Raytheon's $1 million MathMovesU grant
program to provide grants to teachers and schools to support math
education. Math Heroes receive individual grants of $2500. In addition, a
grant of $2500 is awarded to their school or the local MATHCOUNTS(R)
program.
About Coach/mentor Stipends
High school and college students who mentor their younger colleagues by
coaching a MATHCOUNTS team in their local community can each receive a
$1,000 stipend towards their education.
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2005 sales of $21.9 billion, is an industry
leader in defense and government electronics, space, information
technology, technical services, and business and special mission aircraft.
With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 80,000 people
worldwide.
A list of winners' names, cities and states is available upon request.
(1) National Center for Education Statistics
Contacts:
Gina Johnson
312-988-2367
gjohnson@webershandwick.com
Steve Brecken
781-522-5127
brecken@raytheon.com
SOURCE Raytheon Company
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Related links:
http://www.raytheon.com/
CONTACT:
Gina Johnson, +1-312-988-2367,
gjohnson@webershandwick.com; or Steve Brecken, +1-781-522-5127,
brecken@raytheon.com, both for Raytheon
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