Sacramento, CA | The Sacramento Promise Zone will host a STEM forum on November 15, 2016 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at Washington Elementary School, 520 18th Street, to focus on creating an effective and broad pathway for students in the Promise Zone to engage in STEM related academic preparation.  The event brings Sacramento’s non-profit organizations, academic institutions, businesses, corporations, civic leaders and residents together to chart a course for collectively moving forward. Promise Zone officials say the goal is to elevate STEM programs and partners to reach a broader and diverse group of students who live or attend school in the Promise Zone.

Promise Zone Director Tyrone Roderick Williams says the event is unprecedented in terms of what organizers expect to accomplish with input from the participants.

“The pathway starts in elementary school and extends through college and career, and right now there are some disconnects,” said Williams. “We’re coming together to strategize on how to connect the dots to create a STEM training pathway. Our goal is to equip students in the Promise Zone to be prepared for the current and future STEM job market in Sacramento.”

The forum will feature a special presentation by Dr. Karl Reid, Executive Director of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Dr. Reid is leading a national coalition of STEM organizations that include the National Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and the National Society of Women Engineers. They are national leaders in creating and supporting successful programs that target students of color and their parents in STEM programs and activities. NSBE has a goal to graduate 10,000 Black engineers annually by 2025.

Washington School is the newest elementary school in the Sacramento City Unified School District which opened a year ago. A tour of its state of the art STEM classrooms and resources will be offered after the forum. The event will also provide an opportunity to identify current Science, Technology Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs offered by local partners, identify national partners, and expand funding sources.

Last spring a team from Sacramento met with Dr. John King, Secretary of the Department of Education along with his STEM staff. The group discussed the goals of the Promise Zone and how Sacramento could maximize the STEM opportunities with federal agencies. Secretary King and his staff offered assistance in moving the effort forward in Sacramento.

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