5 Educational Initiatives Parents and Caretakers Should Know About

Over the last several years, the Obama Administration has announced several educational initiatives to help students succeed in the classroom and prepare for long-term success. So with students across the country heading back to school, check out 5 educational initiatives for parents, educators, administrators, and students.

Promote Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics Fields
Promoting STEM education in the classroom is a hot topic in corporate boardrooms, as well as the White House. So if you have a student who is an aspiring engineer,

digital artist, or designer, Autodesk is giving students free access to the tools they need to succeed. Autodesk’s Design the Future program offers free 3D design software, project-based curricula, training, and certification, which will help secondary school teachers teach critical problem-solving. Students, teachers, and academic institutions worldwide are eligible for free access to Autodesk software.

[Related: Changing the Habits That Got You Into Debt]

Read More: Auto desk.com 

Provide E-books for Low-Income Students
Over a three-year period, major publishers, including Bloomsbury, Candlewick, Cricket

Media, Hachette, HarperCollins, Lee & Low, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, and Simon & Schuster are committing thousands of popular and award-winning titles to students. These contributions will create a new book collection for students aged 4-18 from low-income families. Additionally, teachers and caregivers who predominantly serve low-income children will be able to access the materials and provide them to their students.
Read More: Whitehouse.gov 

Encourage International Education, and Study Abroad in High School with the U.S. Department of State

Through programs such as the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, empowers the next generation of leaders, primarily U.S. graduating college seniors, graduate students and young professional and artists to conduct research and/or teach abroad.

Read More: Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

Encourage Student Creativity
In March 2015, President Obama announced The Call to Arts initiative to help inspire and mentor young artists around the country. In a statement released by the Whitehouse, the President announced that the American Film Institute (AFI) and

Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) answered his call and are working toward a goal of one million mentor hours over the next three years together with the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS).

Read More: Call to Arts

Promote Peer-to-Peer Mentoring
First Lady Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher initiative, “encourages campus groups and college students to connect with high schoolers and other near-peers who do not always see themselves completing higher education.”

Read More: Reach Higher Initiative