As a company that utilizes advanced technology in every aspect of its business, ExxonMobil understands that the United States’ future success depends on the best and brightest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). But declining proficiency among American students in math and science – the building blocks of innovation – is posing a direct and potent threat to U.S. competitiveness.

Reversing that trend is the mission of the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI). NMSI takes innovative educational programs with a proven track record of success and scales them up in colleges and schools across the country. It was ExxonMobil’s $125 million commitment as a founding partner that helped NMSI get started.

In just its first two years, I have to say NMSI has achieved some pretty remarkable results.

Take, for instance, the Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program, which encourages high-school students to take college-level AP classes in subjects such as calculus, chemistry and physics. The track record of college students who took AP classes in high school is very impressive – particularly among minorities. In fact, among minority students, there is a 300 percent increase in college graduation rates if they pass an AP exam.

Last year, NMSI’s AP program was running in 140 high schools in six states. There, the results speak for themselves:

• Students at NMSI schools achieved an overall 98 percent increase in math, science and English AP exams passed, more than seven times the national average.
• The program has been particularly effective at closing the achievement gaps for minority and female students.  NMSI schools showed a 155 percent increase in AP exam passing rates among African-Americans and Hispanics in all subject areas, and a 116 percent increase among female students in math and science.

At the core of this incentive program’s success are two key elements: enhanced training for teachers of AP courses, including support from teachers who are masters in their subject areas; and support and  incentives for students to do well on the tests.  These are supported by partnerships NMSI has established with state organizations, school districts, superintendents and teachers.

Given the success of the AP program, I am excited to say that NMSI is expanding it. This fall, the AP Training and Incentive Program was implemented in a record 229 U.S. public schools and is expected to reach 350 high schools by fall of 2012.

NMSI is also expanding its other flagship program, UTeach, which encourages college students to pursue careers as math and science teachers. Founded at the University of Texas, UTeach offers compact degree plans, master faculty support and intensive field experiences to develop highly qualified teachers. The number of graduates in secondary math and science education has more than doubled at UT as a result of this program, and the program is now being replicated in 22 U.S. universities.

In my opinion, this is only the beginning of what we can achieve through our partnership with the National Math and Science Initiative. NMSI is helping U.S. students be better prepared for college and for the highly competitive and highly technological global marketplace they will enter. And as a result, American companies – ExxonMobil included – will have the talent and technologies to keep the U.S. economy competitive in the future.

You can read more about the AP Training and Incentive Program’s success on NMSI’s website, or feel free to submit a question to the blog and we’d be happy to pass it on to NMSI.