07 STEM Terry Sanford HighA two-year College Readiness Program from the National Math and Science Initiative is launching at Terry Sanford High School, a military-connected school near Fort Bragg. The U.S. Department of Defense funds the program.

After one year in NMSI's CRP, students at military-impacted schools average a 45% increase in mastery of college-level concepts in math and science — compared to the national average increase of 5.6%. That increase is 81.5% for Black students, 34% for Latinos and 38.4% for females.

Students with family members serving in the military move an average of six to nine times while they're in elementary and secondary school. NMSI's CRP leverages the College Board's proven Advanced Placement framework, preserving local control and creating consistent learning across all schools. That means students are on pace from their first day in a new school — making all those moves a little easier.

More than 13,000 students enrolled in the Cumberland County School system are military/federally-connected. As one of the founding members of the Military Compact and Military Child Educational Coalition, the district has built a support system for the military child.

“At Cumberland County Schools, we are proud to serve the third largest concentration of military-connected students in the world,” said CCS Superintendent Dr. Marvin Connelly, Jr. “We remain committed to providing all students with high-quality resources and crucial support to help them be successful. The partnership with NMSI will encourage STEM learning and help our students prepare for college and life.”

The DOD STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) program seeks to attract, inspire and develop exceptional STEM talent across the education continuum and advance the current DoD STEM workforce to meet future defense technological challenges.

"Cutting-edge educational opportunities for our DoD students is a combat-multiplier for Fort Bragg," said Col. Scott Pence, Fort Bragg Garrison Commander. "Programs that enrich education for military families support the CSA's Army People Strategy. When we take care of our families, we will have a stronger and more committed Army. We appreciate our local school districts, NMSI and DoD STEM for providing this educational initiative to our military families."

As a nonprofit whose mission is to advance STEM education so all students, especially those furthest from opportunity, can reach their highest potential, NMSI has served more than 250 U.S. schools that have significant enrollment among military-connected students. Based in Dallas, NMSI has a presence in 40 states, serving more than 1,300 high schools to improve student access and achievement through teacher training, collaboration with campus leaders and student-focused resources. Schools that participate in the nonprofit’s CRP see rapid and dramatic increases in the number of students taking AP exams and earning qualified scores

NMSI is a member of the Defense STEM Education Consortium, which is committed to helping improve access for all students to pursue STEM careers and to consider Defense laboratories as places of employment.

Pictured left to right: Howard Lattimore, CCS Military Family & Youth Liaison; Gerhard Guevarra, Fort Bragg School Liaison Officer; Dr. Shevelle Godwin, Fort Bragg School Liaison Officer; Tom Hatch, Principal of Terry Sanford High School