The program supports STEM-focused peer-to-peer professional development for teachers
Palm Beach County, FL – Florida Power & Light Company recently awarded more than $11,400 to Education Foundation of Palm Beach County as part of its statewide EmPOWERing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Educators Program. The program’s goal is to increase teacher knowledge of effective math and science instructional practices that align with Florida Standards through peer-to-peer learning of best practices within a district.
The funding will support the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County’s “EmPOWERing STEM Educators in PBC” project, which aims to address the clear need for science education support, especially in urban districts, as well as provide teachers with the tools to implement hands-on learning during science periods. Classroom visits and observation followed by debriefs and professional planning sessions, as well as additional coaching and support, will be incorporated. The schools that will benefit from this grant include Frontier Elementary School, Jupiter Farms Elementary School, Elbridge Gale Elementary School, Forest Hill Elementary School, Morikami Park Elementary School and Addison Mizner Elementary School.
“High-quality, engaging, standards-based instruction is critical for students to build strong foundations in math and science,” said Mary Chance, president and CEO, Consortium of Florida Education Foundations. “Through this program, we are grateful to provide our teachers with a valuable learning opportunity that will benefit both their professional development and the education of students across six schools in Palm Beach County.”
FPL is partnering with the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations (Consortium) to bring the EmPOWERING STEM Educators Program to school districts throughout the state. Since 2010, the Consortium has administered hands-on, workplace-based STEM classroom learning experiences to increase student awareness and interest in STEM careers. Together, the Consortium and FPL developed this program specifically for math and science teachers.
“We know that when you invest in teacher development, you are also investing in every student they will instruct and inspire for many years to come,” said Sarah Marmion, education and outreach centers manager for FPL. “Supporting our local students and educators’ education helps better prepare tomorrow’s leaders and innovators while also making Florida an even better place to live, work and raise a family.”
Including Education Foundation of Palm Beach County, FPL is awarding a total of $131,000 to 11 local education foundations across the state.
As part of a continued commitment to STEM education, FPL and the NextEra Energy Foundation will also award up to 5 schools this year in Florida each a $50,000 classroom makeover grant to improve technology, equipment and resources to empower for the next generation of leaders, thinkers and innovators. Applications are open until October 15, 2022. For more information visit FPL.com/Education.
About Florida Power & Light Company:
As America’s largest electric utility, Florida Power & Light Company serves more customers and sells more power than any other utility, providing clean, affordable, reliable electricity to more than 5.8 million accounts, or more than 12 million people. FPL operates one of the cleanest power generation fleets in the U.S and in 2021 won the ReliabilityOne® National Reliability Award for the sixth time in the last seven years. The company received the top ranking in the southern U.S. among large electric providers, according to J.D. Power’s 2021 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySM and 2021 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction StudySM. The company was also recognized in 2020 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities by Escalent for the seventh consecutive year. FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), a clean energy company widely recognized for its efforts in sustainability, corporate responsibility, ethics and compliance, and diversity. NextEra Energy is ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry in Fortune’s 2022 list of “World’s Most Admired Companies” and recognized on Fortune’s 2021 list of companies that “Change the World.” NextEra Energy is also the parent company of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a world leader in battery storage. For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.
About the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations:
The Consortium is the membership organization for Florida’s school district-wide local education foundations. Established in 1987, the Consortium connects individuals, organizations, and financial resources to build the capacity and effectiveness of Florida’s local education foundations. Together, Consortium members raise more than $83 million annually for a variety of locally driven initiatives and are led by 1,200 board members, 80% of whom are local business and community leaders working in partnership with school district leaders. The Consortium manages the nation’s only 1:1 legislative match for education foundation initiatives and a variety of privately funded grant programs. To learn more about the Consortium or connect with any member local education foundation, visit https://educationfoundationsfl.org.