Teachers College, Columbia University, is launching an effort to improve instruction in math- and science-related subjects in its backyard, with the help of a corporate gift.
The GE Foundation has given Teachers College $5 million to boost teacher training and classroom work that is tied to relevant academic standards at 10 schools in Harlem. Teachers College will work with the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, also at Columbia, and the Morningside Area Alliance, a neighborhood organization.
Corporations and their philanthropic branches have taken a major interest in “STEM” topics in recent years, supporting teachers’ academies, the hiring of new teaching staff, the purchase of science lab equipment in schools, and student contests and competitions. That support makes sense, given those businesses’ calls for improved students skill in math and science.