Programs
Advanced Functions and Modeling
Duke Energy Foundation
Since 1983, the Duke Energy Foundation has been a valued friend of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and the NCSSM Foundation. Through the years, Duke Energy has given financial support to various NCSSM programs and, at times, has assumed a leadership role on the NCSSM Foundation board. In 2007, the Duke Energy Foundation once again renewed its financial support by providing funding for the School's 2007 summer workshop in Advanced Functions and Modeling. This marked the fourth time the Duke Energy Foundation provided significant funding for the program.
Advanced Functions and Modeling (AFM) became a part of the North Carolina high school math curriculum in the 2005-2006 academic year. Since AFM was a completely new course, many North Carolina teachers lacked adequate training to teach it to their students. With this in mind, NCSSM set out to design a summer 2004 workshop to prepare teachers statewide for the new course. The Duke Energy Foundation eagerly responded to our request for assistance. The workshop was so successful, and demand for its services so high, that it was continued in subsequent years with the Duke Energy Foundation remaining one of the program's lead donors. With their assistance, and the assistance of other funders, the workshop exceeded all initial expectations, having served almost 200 math teachers throughout the state by the close of the 2007 workshop.
SITE: Science
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
For several years, the NCSSM Foundation and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation have worked closely to implement a number of enrichment and development programs that have helped North Carolina students and teachers become more accomplished in their roles and responsibilities. In 2008, NCSSM implemented a series of professional development workshops for science teachers called SITE: Science, which was made possible by the significant support of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation and other funders.
The SITE: Science workshops, offered on NCSSM's campus, helped kindergarten through eighth-grade teachers hone their content knowledge and classroom skills so they could better implement the North Carolina Standard Course of Study in Science. Though the workshops are open to teachers throughout the state, Z. Smith Reynolds' support focused on assisting teachers from low-performing schools. Quite often, these schools are located in underserved and economically distressed areas. Though most in need of assistance, these districts are typically the least able to support the continuing education of their teachers.
Thanks to Z. Smith Reynolds, NCSSM is able to reach teachers in these communities.