DuPont Pioneer and the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) announced today that Pioneer will award $175,000 in grants to agriscience educators to fund training and classroom resources that will help them implement advanced agriculture curriculum. Grant recipients are teachers who are implementing Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE) in their classrooms. CASE is a multi-year approach to agriscience education with rigorous educator training requirements and hands-on, inquiry focused learning activities. Teachers will use the grants to attend training, purchase equipment and materials, and conduct end-of-course assessments through CASE Online.
“CASE trains agriculture teachers to deliver high-level science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) principles to their students,” said Dan Jansen, CASE project director. “Teachers often have minimal resources to equip themselves and their classrooms to provide this rigorous, STEM-focused instruction. These grants from DuPont Pioneer are exactly what they need to fully implement the unique model of interactive, inquiry-based learning that we know is so effective.”
“Students learn teamwork, communication skills and hands-on science through the CASE curriculum, all of which provides the foundation for a career in science,” said Robin Habeger, academic outreach manager, DuPont Pioneer. “Supporting agricultural science teachers through continuing education and classroom equipment is one way we are striving to assure food security for the projected 2050 population of 9 billion people.”
The DuPont Pioneer Global Giving Program is intended to improve food security by advancing agriculture through science, education and innovation, and to enhance the quality of life for farmers and their communities globally. Addressing the unique challenges of our local communities promotes economic growth, improved health and overall quality of life — all factors important to a healthy and strong business climate.