New York- This week Teach NYS welcomed Knesset Member Ofir Akunis, the Israeli Minister of Science, Technology and Space to Manhattan Day School to visit the school’s STEM lab and discuss New York’s investment in nonpublic school STEM programs.
In 2017 Teach NYS championed the first in the nation program to begin to reimburse schools for the cost of qualified STEM instructors. The bill was increased by 200% in the 2018 budget.
“This school is a beautiful example of the Jewish people, combining our traditions with Science and technology, the past with the future” , said Minister of Science and Technology Ofir Akunis, “I was extremely moved meeting these brilliant children. We are an ancient nation with a great future.”
During the tour Minister Akunis visited the Manhattan Day School STEM lab and interacted with students across different grade levels working on STEM projects including dash and dot coding and robotics and complex problem solving and analysis.
“We were honored to host Minister Akunis and his team celebrating our shared commitment to STEM education beginning with the youngest learners, and the active and powerful partnership between our communities” said head of school Mrs. Raizi Chechik, “Our students were delighted to have the opportunity to discuss their projects with the Minister. We are really grateful to the Teach Advocacy Network for their ongoing work to sustain and enhance our schools.”
“We were so happy to welcome the cabinet minister this morning to Manhattan Day School on behalf of the Teach Advocacy Network of schools and the larger New York Jewish community” said Annie Watman, Grassroots Director for Teach NYS, “It is gratifying to see our statewide advocacy work make an impression in Israel.”
Schools that wish to apply for the STEM program should contact Teach NYS at (646) 459-5158 . Applications for the first year of the program are due on August 1st 2018.
About Teach NYS: Teach NYS is part of Teach Advocacy Network, a nonpartisan organization advocating for equitable funding in nonpublic schools. Since launching in 2013, Teach NYS has successfully advocated for significant policy breakthroughs to benefit nonpublic schools. Teach Advocacy Network operates in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland and California, covering 186,000 children. Teach Advocacy Network is a project of the Orthodox Union.
For more information, visit: www.teachadvocacy.org.