Michael Barney, of Lunenburg, Mass., director of the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science at WPI, was elected to the board of directors of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology (NCSSSMST) during the annual national professional conference of the consortium in Indianapolis. His three-year term began Nov. 9, 2013.
Board members conduct strategic planning, implement initiatives, and manage the business of the consortium. NCSSSMST is an alliance of secondary schools and programs preparing students for success and leadership in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Its mission is to serve members' students and professionals, to foster collaborations, to inform STEM policy, and to advocate transformation in education.
The consortium fosters, supports, and advances the efforts of those specialized schools whose primary purpose is to attract and academically prepare students for leadership in mathematics, science, and technology.
NCSSSMST was established in 1988 to provide a forum for schools to exchange information and program ideas and to evolve alliances among them. There are approximately 100 institutional members (secondary schools), representing nearly 40,000 students and 1,600 educators. These are joined by more than 75 affiliate members (colleges, universities, summer programs, foundations, and corporations) who share the goals of transforming mathematics, science, and technology education.
About Mass Academy of Math and Science at WPI
The Massachusetts Academy of Mathematics and Science at WPI is a public, co-educational school of excellence program which enrolls about 100 academically accelerated 11th and 12th graders. The school emphasizes math and science within a comprehensive, interactive academic program. The rigor of the junior year classes exceeds high school honors and AP, emphasizing depth over breadth, engaging students in project based learning and more than 1,100 hours of instruction. Seniors complete a full year of college, enrolling in classes at WPI, a nationally ranked engineering school, thus making the Academy the only public school in Massachusetts whose students attend a private university full-time as seniors in high school. The Academy is a collaborative effort among the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and the high schools of Massachusetts.
