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Newsroom
Silicon Valley Education Foundation Hosts Algebra SummitAs part of its campaign to focus attention on the math achievement gap among California students, the Silicon Valley Education Foundation will host an all-day Algebra Summit on Friday, Oct. 10, at National Semiconductor in Santa Clara. The event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., will feature many of the top education leaders in the state and in Silicon Valley, including Dr. Michael Kirst, Stanford University professor emeritus and former president of the California Board of Education; Dr. Patrick Shields, director of the Center for Education Policy at SRI and past director of the Urban Math Director’s Network, and Dr. Chuck Weis, new superintendent of the Santa Clara County Office of Education. The gathering will be held in the Building E Conference Center at National Semiconductor, 2900 Semiconductor Drive, Santa Clara. Topics to be discussed include finding better methods to successfully teach algebra, defining better teacher training and recruitment and how to implement the state Board of Education’s recent Algebra mandate that all eighth grade students take the standardized Algebra I proficiency test, starting three years from now. The conference, sponsored by National Semiconductor, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and the San Jose Mercury News, has invited teachers, school administrators and board members, parents, business leaders and elected officials to attend. “Participants will have access to the brightest minds in education in the state and from Silicon Valley who will lead a solution-driven conversation around the tough question of how to get more students to succeed in math,” said Muhammed Chaudhry, SVEF president and CEO. SVEF took the lead before the state mandate was issued in August and launched a math enrichment program for middle school students at the beginning of summer 2008, called “Stepping Up to Algebra.” The program’s goal is to boost student achievement by teaching 6th and 7th grade students pre-algebra concepts so they are ready to take Algebra I in eighth grade, a year ahead of schedule. “Stepping Up to Algebra” is the first program launched by SVEF under its $3 million Silicon Valley STEM Initiative. The campaign funds programs aimed at improving student performance in science, technology, engineering and math, known as STEM. Silicon Valley business leaders have expressed concern that a high number of Santa Clara County students are falling behind in STEM subjects, especially math, and may not be able to provide area companies with the future skilled workforce they demand. SVEF partners with a number of Silicon Valley tech firms in sponsoring the “Stepping Up to Algebra” program, which this summer provided free classes to 500 middle school students in four local school districts. The morning segment of the Algebra Summit begins at 9 a.m. with speakers discussing such topics as why kids need algebra, classroom strategies and the unique challenges of teaching adolescents. The afternoon session starting at 1:30 will feature a host of panel discussions led by local and state educators. Participants are encouraged to join the conversations. The Silicon Valley Education Foundation is a non-profit organization that serves students, families and teachers across the valley. It strives to create strategic partnerships in education by connecting school districts to businesses and community organizations.
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