NEWS RELEASE

The Consortium of Florida Education Foundations (CFEF) recently awarded the Education Foundation of Indian River County $5,050 for a STEM-focused teacher peer-to-peer learning opportunity grant. It is made available through a Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) EmPOWERing STEM Educators program.

Lead science teachers from Gifford, Oslo, Sebastian and Storm Grove Middle Schools will collaborate with District Science and Instructional Technology Specialists to encourage critical thinking, improve student achievement and enhance personal growth.  These 12 teachers will co-develop a learning platform that blends core science curriculum, technology and hands-on learning. The two-day workshop begins in January.  “We felt it was important to have one lead science teacher from each grade level at the four schools participate,” said Becky Teske, Science Specialist for Indian River County. “That way they will take take what learn back to share with every middle school science teacher in our county.”

The goal of the FPL program is to increase teacher knowledge of effective math and science instructional practices that align with Florida Standards through classroom-based, teacher-to-teacher learning of effective instructional strategies.

Since 2010, the CFEF has administered hands-on, workplace-based STEM classroom learning experiences to increase student awareness and interest in STEM careers. These projects are managed at the school level through local education foundations that understand the needs and capacity of district schools and teachers and are able to target the funds for largest impact.

The CFEF and FPL together developed EmPOWERing STEM Educators to offer this type of professional growth specific to math and science teachers throughout FPL’s service territory in six initiatives supported in the inaugural year.

For more information about the statewide program visit: https://educationfoundationsfl.org/partner-programs/fpl-empowering-stem-educators

About the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations

The CFEF is the membership organization for Florida’s school district-wide local education foundations. Established in 1987, the CFEF maximizes the individual and collective strength of Florida local education foundations to support local partners and schools. The CFEF now has 64 member foundations with 1,100 business and community leaders serving as volunteer board members. Collectively, they raise more than $64 million annually to support students, teachers and schools through a variety of programs. The CFEF has provided nearly $52 million to local education foundations since 2002 through various private- and public-sector partnerships, including the State of Florida School District Education Foundation Matching Grants Program. For more information about the CFEF, visit: www.educationfoundationsfl.org