SILVER SPRING, Maryland – A contract competitively awarded by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) to IBSS, Corporation is bringing the Museum of Science Engineering is Elementary® (EiE®) curriculum and professional learning opportunities to teachers and students on military bases across the world. DoDEA’s Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary School System (DDESS) serves 2,300 education professionals and 28,000 students in 65 schools in seven states and Puerto Rico. While the DoDEA Pacific consists of 49 schools serving over 23,500 children on U.S. military and eligible DoD civilian personnel families stationed throughout the Pacific Area. The DoDEA Pacific includes more than 3,400 full-time professionals serving 22 U.S. military installations.

The award-winning elementary curriculum, which boosts student achievement in science and engineering along with student interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers, was developed by the Museum’s National Center for Technological Literacy® (NCTL®). EiE integrates engineering and technology with science, language arts, social studies, and math for 1st – 5th graders via storybooks featuring children from different countries and hands-on design activities that engage them in solving real-world problems.

“We are excited to have been selected for this competitive award,” says Museum of Science president and director Ioannis Miaoulis. “STEM is key to creating and maintaining the systems and technologies that ensure our national security. This award greatly increases our ability to introduce young children to the engineering design skills so essential to innovation and technological literacy.”

“DoD has made it a priority to spark student interest in STEM careers, and we think EiE will be a powerful addition to the DDESS curriculum,” says Museum vice president and EiE director Christine Cunningham. “We chose ten EiE units that map to DDESS education standards and made recommendations on the best units for each grade level.” They include such engaging and practical activities as improving a process for making play dough and engineering a wall to keep hungry rabbits out of a garden.

A total of 23 DDESS schools have already received EiE units under the five-year contract and will begin to implement the curriculum this academic year. While a total of 28 the Pacific schools are currently receiving EiE units as part of a one-year contract. “I think the most exciting part of this opportunity is the scalability,” says Mary Sprecher, senior executive director of the education division at IBSS. “There’s great potential for EiE and STEM support structures to reach every elementary classroom in every DoDEA elementary and primary schools.” The scope of the contract has the potential to expand in the future to include comprehensive STEM teacher professional development.

Press contact: Mark Ennis: mark.ennis@ibsscorp.com

14-12-05