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ExxonMobil and Teach for America--South Louisiana team up to train teachers

ExxonMobil announced a $125,000 grant to Teach for America--South Louisiana to assist with recruiting and training new teachers for local public schools.  The grant is part of a $500,000 donation from the ExxonMobil foundation to strengthen math and science education for more than 25,000 students in low-income communities in Dallas, Houston, South Louisiana and Washington D.C.

Teach for America will utilize the grant to recruit new math and science teachers, as well as provide intensive training, ongoing support and career development.  Teach for America corps members are hired as leas classroom teachers at schools in low-income communities.

"We are committed to increasing the number of students who are prepared to compete in today's global economy," said Steve Blume, ExxonMobil Baton Rouge refinery manager.  "Teach for America teachers make a significant impact in the Baton Rouge area by building core competencies in math and science, which are also critical for our youth."

Teach for America has been a member of the South Louisiana community for 20 years and now supports 150 corps members reaching some 8,000 local students.  More than 130 Teach for America alumni call the region home and, in partnership with other local leaders, work from all sectors to create educational opportunity for all students.

 "ExxonMobil's generous support will fuel Teach for America's leadership pipeline in the fields of math and science," said Michael Tipton, executive director of Teach for America--South Louisiana.  "It will fuel our teachers' work alongside other committed educators to give every student the excellent education they deserve."

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, even though math achievement scores are improving, the gap between low- and high-income students has remained nearly constant during the past decade.  The ExxonMobil Foundation grant extends a 17-year partnership with Teach for America and enable improved education for students living in low-income communities.

The Teach for America grant is part of a long-term commitment to education by ExxonMobil and the ExxonMobil Foundation, including programs that support the professional development of highly qualified teachers, encourage students to take an active interest in careers in the math and science fields, and promote involvement of women and minorities.  Locally, ExxonMobil supports the Baton Rouge community through direct financial support as well as employee volunteerism. ExxonMobil Baton Rouge ended 2011 with nearly $5 million in direct financial support to the community through contributions, matching grant programs, ExxonMobil Foundation support and funding for the Capital Area United Way.  Hundreds of employees and retirees spent more than 40,000 hours volunteering in the Baton Rouge area schools and nonprofit organizations last year, alone.  Employee and retiree contributions to higher education draw a three-to-one match from the ExxonMobil Foundation, and generated $1.8 million to LSU and Southern University in 2011.

 

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For more insights on the issues, policies, technologies and trends that are shaping the energy industry check out ExxonMobil's Perspectives blog at www.exxonmobilperspectives.com.

 

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