Fattah Speaks on STEM, College Access this Week in Washington

The Congressman will speak to alumni leaders of GEAR UP and address educators at the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program

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Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah

Jun 17, 2014, 04:52 ET

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) will champion his college access and STEM education agendas in two separate speeches to student leaders and educators convened in Washington this week.

Tomorrow, June 18, Fattah will address a briefing for 28 college students and young professionals who are alumni of the Fattah-created GEAR UP program. The remarks are part of the GEAR UP Alumni Leadership Academy (GUALA) training; in its second year, GUALA trains and engages emerging leaders from GEAR UP programs nationwide to advocate on behalf of the program and serve as mentors to current and future GEAR UP cohorts. This week's training academy includes briefings, workshops, meetings, and networking opportunities with educational policy stakeholders in the nation's capital, and serves as the kick-off to the 12-month program.

Introduced by Congressman Fattah and signed into law in 1998 by President Clinton, GEAR UP is the nation's largest college readiness and access program, and to-date has served approximately 13 million students around the country. Currently, GEAR UP programs operate at high-poverty middle and high schools in 42 states, Puerto Rico and 1 U.S. Territory.

On Thursday, June 19, Fattah will give the welcome address to more than 500 educators, administrators, and faculty representing 257 schools at the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Conference. A Congressional champion for boosting America's commitment to science and innovation through STEM education, Fattah has pushed for increasing funding for STEM and coordinated partnerships to expand the number of STEM programs available to students around the country.

Co-sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and NSF, the Noyce Scholarship Program seeks to increase the number of K-12 teachers with STEM backgrounds in high-need school districts. By providing funding to colleges and universities for scholarships, stipends, and programmatic support, the program recruits and prepares STEM majors and professionals to become K-12 educators.

www.fattah.house.gov

SOURCE Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah