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Local Voices

Maryland Business Roundtable for Education Impacts More Than 75,000 Students During 2013-2014 School Year

Baltimore, MD – The Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (MBRT), a nonprofit coalition of leading employers that have made a long-term commitment to support education reform and improve student achievement in Maryland, today announced that their programs and resources have impacted more than 75,000 students during the 2013-2014 school year.

In partnership with Governor Martin O’Malley, State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lillian Lowery, and local school superintendents, MBRT developed Maryland’s STEM Innovation Network – STEMnet – an unprecedented online platform that pulls together in one place, the people, resources, tools and services that teachers and students can access to strengthen teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Two MBRT flagship programs included on the STEMnet platform are STEM Specialists in the Classroom, where STEM professionals engage students in hands-on learning experiences that demonstrate the real-world application of STEM content and skills; and the Maryland Scholars Speakers Bureau, which is a cadre of volunteers from varying backgrounds who bring students the message that achievement in school will pay off in college, the workplace and in life.

MBRT joined forces with hundreds of corporations, federal and state agencies and institutions of higher education to recruit over 700 volunteers who engaged over 30,000 students in high quality interactions offered through Maryland Scholars and STEM Specialists in the Classroom.

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During the 2013-2014 school year, 49 high schools across Maryland were designated as STEM Innovation Schools and began utilizing STEMnet professionals, resources and programs. Over 500 educators were trained in effective use of programs on STEMnet. In addition, MBRT provided its Maryland Scholars Speakers Bureau program to middle and high schools across the state, including 44 of the highest need middle schools in Baltimore City, Allegany, Baltimore, Prince George’s and Somerset counties.

In partnership with educators and industry professionals, MBRT also develops STEM Challenges in order to engage students in meaningful learning experiences and real-world problem-solving. In 2013-2014, MBRT hosted 8 STEM challenges and received over 10,000 solution submissions. Participating students were recognized by MBRT and sponsoring organizations. 

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Maryland has the people, the programs and the platforms that will strengthen STEM teaching and learning, and will transform how schools and employers interact to ensure student success,” said June Streckfus, Executive Director of the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education. “We are proud of our accomplishments this year and are very grateful for the time and energy our volunteers have dedicated to our programs. Meanwhile, we continue to look ahead as we build the capacity to scale our programs and resources statewide – to all schools, to all teachers, to all students. To become world-class in STEM, every Maryland school needs to be a STEM Innovation School.”

Recent research shows that the more students interact with workplace professionals throughout their education, the more they earn later in life.  According to the study, students who recalled at least four school-mediated employer contacts between ages 14-19 earned 18% more three years out of high school than students who could not recall such interactions.1

Through STEMnet, MBRT offers multiple opportunities for students to interact with workplace professionals throughout middle and high school. MBRT is dedicated to the success of Maryland’s students and is continuously working to improve upon and expand programs that will help our youth succeed in college and in life. The heavy lift of preparing for even greater progress in the next school year is already underway.

About MBRT:

Founded in 1992, MBRT is a non-profit coalition of leading employers that have made a long-term commitment to support education reform and improve student achievement in Maryland. For more information, visit www.mbrt.org.

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1         Mann, Anthony.  Journal of Education and Work, 2013.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2013.769671

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