Mason to Lead Partnership on $28.5 Million Education Grant
August 14, 2010
George Mason University has been selected to receive a $28.5 million Investing in Innovation (i3) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant will fund the Virginia Initiative for Science Teaching and Achievement (VISTA), a partnership among 47 Virginia school districts, six universities, SRI International and the Virginia Department of Education. University partners include the College of William & Mary, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and James Madison University.
"I want to congratulate George Mason University on receiving this award, which will put Virginia at the forefront of the national movement to better prepare K-12 students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)," says Governor Bob McDonnell. "Targeting rural and underperforming schools, schools that are too often overlooked, the VISTA program will go into classrooms all across the Commonwealth to implement innovative learning and teaching in science education. In our competitive global economy, it is absolutely critical that we educate Virginia's students for the high-demand, high-paying jobs that center around the STEM subjects."
The VISTA project will be led by Donna R. Sterling, professor of science education and director of Mason's Center for Restructuring Education in Science and Technology (CREST). The goal of VISTA is to improve science teaching and student learning throughout Virginia, especially in high-need (high-poverty, high-minority) schools.
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