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HOPKINTON, Massachusetts: Information management and storage firm EMC Corporation today began hosting a two-day math and science education workshop at its global headquarters here.
EMC chairman, president and CEO Joe Tucci, together with US Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and TechNet president and CEO Lezlee Westine, welcomed national and state officials, local business leaders and more than 150 teachers representing school districts across New England to discuss the region’s math and science competitiveness and share best practices.
“Here at EMC, you can see firsthand how much technology has changed the world over the last decade,” said Spellings. “Information is travelling around the globe faster than ever. Today what you know means far more than where you live. The same job can be and is being done from Bangalore just as easily as it can be done in Boston. And the common currencies everyone needs to compete are math and science skills.”
The US Department of Education’s teacher-to-teacher initiative is composed of 14 regional workshops to enhance teaching skills in math, science and critical foreign languages. The workshops provide teachers with an opportunity to learn from fellow educators who have had success in raising student achievement.
EMC also announced an expansion of the Massachusetts Mathematics Institute (MMI). The MMI teacher training program, run by Mass Insight Education and co-sponsored by EMC and the Massachusetts Department of Education, provides elementary teachers with a unique opportunity to deepen their understanding of mathematics content and thereby improve their teaching.
Now in its fourth year, MMI is expected to include 60 educators this year, more than double the amount participating in last year’s program. EMC sponsored MMI’s launch in 2003 and has been a major supporter of the program ever since.
To encourage area students to explore scientific, engineering and information technology fields, EMC also sponsors educational partnerships and programs including a partnership with Worcester’s North High School and its Technology and Business Small Learning Community (SLC), co-op internships for promising high school students and computer donations through the Catholic Schools Computers and Networks program. EMC also supports science and math competitions such as FIRST Robotics and the Massachusetts State Science Fair.
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