A coalition of teachers and industry leaders, led by BMW, are meeting in Greenville this week as part of an effort to fuel science education reform in the state. The partnership, which formed two years ago, includes BMW Manufacturing Corp., Clemson University-based Anderson Oconee Pickens Hub, the School District of Greenville County, DuPont and Michelin North America. It also includes the S.C. Statewide Systemic Initiative, the National Science Foundation and the National Science Resources Center, a part of the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academy of Science. The hands-on activities offered to students through this partnership will make learning about science fun and relative.
Science is an important educational element for South Carolina's future work force.
This partnership is just one tool to ensure that businesses and industries have a strong skilled pool from which to draw future employees. What makes this unique is the focus on early learning, said Tom Peters, director of the AOP Hub, the Clemson-based math and science reform initiative helping spearhead the institute. Good science is more than that. It's got to engage the students but also tie together science concepts and hands-on activities so that children really understand and learn. The institute, which opened Sunday despite a major winter storm, runs through Friday.