Perspectives Charter Schools Partners with Illinois Institute of Technology to Open New Math & Science Academy
New Renaissance 2010 School is First Secondary Education Initiative for IIT;Support from Motorola Foundation Will Help Prepare Chicago Students for Science and Technology Fields
Perspectives Charter Schools and Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) announced today that they have partnered to create a ground-breaking, new math and science academy dedicated to improving students’ achievement in these important fields.
Opening in Fall 2008 for grades 6, 7 and 9, the Perspectives Charter Schools/IIT Math & Science Academy represents the first time that IIT has joined with a secondary school to develop a unique math and science education program. The new school, which will expand to grades 6 through 12 over a four-year period, is supported through a $500,000 grant from the Motorola Foundation in partnership with the Renaissance Schools Fund. It will be based within the Benjamin W. Raymond School, which is located in close proximity of IIT at 3663 S. Wabash Ave.
“Our partnership with IIT is a significant milestone that will provide students with a rigorous and relevant education that will prepare them for life in a changing world,” said Diana Shulla-Cose, co-founder and president of Perspectives Charter Schools. “Together, we are creating a world-class laboratory school, built upon Perspectives’ guiding principles of ‘A Disciplined Life©,’ that will give students the tools to achieve both personal success and academic success.”
The Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy’s strong curriculum includes a focus on technology and engineering skills and will be the first Chicago charter school to offer a four-year Chinese language program. The school will provide students with a unique learning experience that prepares them for college and advanced careers in the sciences and will teach important problem-solving skills. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs requiring science, engineering or technical training will increase 24 percent to 6.3 million positions between 2004 and 2014, thereby creating greater demand for critical thinkers fluent in technology.
Perspectives Charter Schools is working in full partnership with Norman Lederman, chair, and Judith Lederman, director of teacher education, of the Mathematics and Science Education Department at IIT to develop a comprehensive curriculum and mentorship initiative.
“This partnership offers an unprecedented opportunity to unite Perspectives’ expertise in creating school culture and commitment to instructional improvement with the curricular expertise of IIT’s internationally recognized scholars and teacher educators,” said IIT President John L. Anderson. “Together, we will provide students exposure to challenging and engaging curricula based on real-world problems that will help prepare them for college and advanced careers in the science and engineering.”
The Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy continues to receive strong support from individual, foundation and corporate donors, including the Motorola Foundation, which has donated $500,000 and committed the time and talent of its employees to support curriculum design, teacher professional development and student after-school programs.
“The Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy will bring to life the subjects that equip what we call the Innovation Generation with critical skills they will need to solve the challenges of the future,” said Eileen Sweeney, director of the Motorola Foundation. "Motorola supports programs like the Perspectives/IIT partnership not only with financial support, but also with expertise inside the classrooms and by building relationships throughout the community.”
The Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy is the fourth Renaissance 2010 school developed by Perspectives Charter Schools and supported by The Renaissance Schools Fund, the private partner to Renaissance 2010 for strategy, fundraising and accountability. Mayor Daley began Renaissance 2010 four years ago to create 100 new, high-performing CPS schools in designated communities by 2010.
“The Renaissance Schools Fund is proud to have been able to partner Perspectives and Motorola, bringing Motorola’s expertise and resources to the community in an immediate and innovative way,” said Phyllis Lockett, President & CEO, The Renaissance Schools Fund. “This partnership is infusing the intellectual capital found at Motorola into the school system and providing Chicago children with access to scientists, technology and resources they would not otherwise have.”
The innovative new school is attracting some of the top educators in the Chicago area. The principal for the Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy will be Mary Cummane, a seasoned Perspectives science teacher and administrator who is earning a doctorate at IIT.
Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting university with more than 6,700 students in engineering, sciences, architecture, psychology, design, humanities, business and law. IIT's interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum is designed to advance knowledge through research and scholarship, to cultivate invention improving the human condition, and to prepare students from throughout the world for a life of professional achievement, service to society, and individual fulfillment.
