National Math and Science Initiative Selects Mississippi High School for its Advance Placement Program for Military Families

Innovative program, open to all students, will begin this fall at Ocean Springs High School, home of Kessler Air Force Base

DALLAS, March 11, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) announced today that its highly successful Advanced Placement program for military families is being expanded this fall to public high schools serving families stationed at Kessler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss., thanks to a grant from the Office of Naval Research.

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"This innovative program can open doors to college for more students and give them skills they will need to not just be in position to find good jobs in fields such as engineering and technology, but to have successful and rewarding careers," said Gregg Fleisher, Chief Program Officer for NMSI.  "Ocean Springs will serve as a catalyst for many more schools throughout the state. Most importantly, having NMSI's AP program in place can help make a huge impact on young students' lives."

A special event was held at Ocean Springs High School to announce the expansion of the program to the school in fall 2013. The expansion will bring the total of schools implementing the NMSI program for military families to 54 schools in 16 states. Further expansion is anticipated to 75 schools next year.

"The Ocean Springs School District is delighted to partner with the National Math and Science Initiative to increase opportunities for our students and educators. This grant will provide the professional development that is needed to increase rigor in our classrooms to meet the demands of our new Common Core state standards and assessment systems coming to Mississippi," stated Dr. Bonita Coleman-Potter, Superintendent of Schools at Ocean Springs School District. "In addition, the opportunity to reward our students, teachers and school leaders for achieving higher levels of academic excellence serves to further our district goal of being a nationally recognized school system."

The addition of Ocean Springs High School was made possible by a $982,000 grant from the Office of Naval Research (ONR), which also is supporting the NMSI AP program in four other military-impacted schools.  The ONR is the office within the United States Department of the Navy that coordinates, executes and promotes the science and technology programs of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps through schools, universities, government laboratories, nonprofit and for-profit organizations.

The program is open to all students in participating high schools who are eligible for AP classes.  Program components include study sessions outside of normal school hours as well as intense training for the teachers who will build the pipeline of students who are AP-ready. Access to college-level AP courses not only gives students the opportunity to earn college credit, but increases their chances of succeeding in college. Students who pass an AP exam are three times more likely to complete their college education.

Major funding for NMSI's program for military families has been provided by Lockheed Martin Corporation, the Army Education Outreach Program, BAE Systems, The Boeing Company, the Department of Defense Education Activity, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and Northrop Grumman. 

NMSI, a non-profit organization launched in 2007 to transform math and science education in the United States, is leading this public-private effort in partnership with the Military Child Education Coalition, the Military Impacted Schools Association, and the White House Joining Forces campaign to support military families.

 For more information, please visit www.nms.org.

*Advanced Placement and AP are registered trademarks of the College Board.

SOURCE National Math and Science Initiative

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