President Obama Launches Change the Equation at White House Event

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. – The Motorola Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Motorola, announced today that it has joined Change the Equation (CTEq), a corporate-led initiative to cultivate widespread literacy in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). CTEq will not only achieve the President’s Educate to Innovate campaign mission to increase private and philanthropic involvement in STEM education, but also will meet a critical need for a workforce and a citizenry fluent in science and math.
Bringing Together Corporate STEM Leaders
Change the Equation is bringing together top companies like Motorola across multiple sectors, all of which are dedicated to preparing students for STEM-related careers as an investment in their business, the economy and our democracy. Through innovative and effective company-led programs, Motorola, the Motorola Foundation and CTEq aim to fill the opportunity gap with capable and enthusiastic STEM-literate young people. It is the first and only STEM education group that brings so many corporate leaders together in collaboration with the White House, State Houses nationwide and the foundation community. The Motorola Foundation joins founding members Time Warner Cable, Sally Ride Science, Kodak, Intel and Xerox.
“Investing in and collaborating on STEM education has been a priority for the Motorola Foundation,” said Eileen Sweeney, director of the Motorola Foundation. “STEM literacy is a business imperative for our nation’s economic excellence, success and citizenship. Our collaboration will not only help students, but also will revive our economy, fuel our competitiveness and ultimately empower our nation.”
According to a report by the Center on Education and the Workforce, there will be 8 million jobs available in STEM-related fields by 2018. However, the report also finds that the next generation of employees in America will be unprepared to take advantage of these positions.
Future Agenda of CTEq
Linda Rosen, chief executive officer of CTEq announced that CTEq will establish a set of criteria that guides the organization and its member companies in defining program success. “It has been said that conscience is a person’s compass,” Rosen said. “CTEq can and will fire the nation’s conscience on STEM education. We will monitor our own progress and the progress of others, identifying what is working and what isn’t. CTEq will apply the lessons we learn so that the nation continues to move towards a future where every American is literate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics."
CTEq has an ambitious agenda for its first year, including creating a snapshot of existing STEM investments by its 100 member companies to establish a baseline of STEM programs. The Motorola Foundation will develop CTEq’s STEM initiatives with a focus on Motorola Foundation’s Innovation Generation grant program, a collaborative grant program that supports Pre-K through University level student and teacher STEM education programs in the US and encourages STEM leaders to network with each other.
CTEq also will create a self-evaluation mechanism for member companies to measure the effectiveness of their STEM programs. It will also launch an ambitious plan to initiate a core set of very effective programs in 100 new sites across the country to broaden the philanthropic reach of CTEq members and to create a state-by-state scorecard that can assess the condition of STEM education in all 50 states.
The Evolution of CTEq
CTEq evolved as a result of the first Educate to Innovate Event in November 2009, when President Obama named five leading business and thought leaders (Sally Ride, Craig Barrett, Ursula Burns, Glen Britt, and Antonio Perez) to head an effort to improve American student participation and performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Gates Foundation generously provided challenge grants to launch the organization.
CTEq’s goals are to:
1. Improve STEM teaching at all grade levels, with a larger and more racially, ethnically and gender-diverse pool of highly-capable STEM teachers
2. Deepen student appreciation and excitement for STEM programs and careers to increase enrollment and success, especially among females and students of color
3. Achieve a sustained commitment to the STEM movement from business leaders, government officials, STEM teachers and other stakeholders through communication, collaboration and data-based decision making