EMC Hosts More Than 150 Educators at New England’s First Teacher-to-Teacher Conference

EMC Corporation, the world leader in information management and storage, today began hosting a two-day math and science education workshop at its global headquarters here. EMC Chairman, President and CEO Joe Tucci, together with U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and TechNet President and CEO Lezlee Westine, welcomed national and state officials, local business leaders and more than 150 teachers representing school districts across New England to discuss the region’s math and science competitiveness and share best practices.

"Here at EMC, you can see firsthand how much technology has changed the world over the last decade," said Spellings. "Information is traveling around the globe faster than ever. Today what you know means far more than where you live. The same job can be and is being done from Bangalore just as easily as it can be done in Boston. And the common currencies everyone needs to compete are math and science skills."

The U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher-to-Teacher Initiative is composed of 14 regional workshops to enhance teaching skills in math, science and critical foreign languages. The workshops provide teachers with an opportunity to learn from fellow educators who have had success in raising student achievement.

"Over the past year, TechNet has been proud to partner with Secretary Margaret Spellings and the Department of Education in their work to ensure that America today lays the foundation for educating the innovators of tomorrow," said Westine. "We thank Secretary Spellings for keenly recognizing this competitive priority and EMC for holding this important event with New England’s educators to raise this issue to the top of the agenda. There’s no doubt that education holds the key to our future growth and competitiveness. If our nation is to remain the global innovation leader, we must instill in our young people a lifelong love of math and science."

"EMC is proud to be continuing its partnership with the U.S. Department of Education to promote higher academic achievement for all students," said Tucci. "High-quality math and science instruction is essential for developing students’ analytical skills in high school and college and for shaping their overall attitude about math and science. By working together, we can help provide our nation’s students with a strong foundation in math and science, enabling them to excel in these fields of study and encouraging many of them to pursue careers in science and engineering."

4th Annual Massachusetts Mathematics Institute

EMC also announced an expansion of the Massachusetts Mathematics Institute (MMI). The MMI teacher training program, run by Mass Insight Education and co-sponsored by EMC and the Massachusetts Department of Education, provides elementary teachers with a unique opportunity to deepen their understanding of mathematics content and thereby improve their teaching. Now in its fourth year, MMI is expected to include 60 educators this year, more than double the amount participating in last year’s program. EMC sponsored MMI’s launch in 2003 and has been a major supporter of the program ever since.

MMI is an intensive professional development course taught by mathematics specialists and professors from New England. It addresses the immediate need to improve math achievement among elementary students and raise Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) scores in Massachusetts. The program will be held at Worcester State College in Worcester, Mass., July 31-August 7. Teachers who participate in the program receive a stipend, professional-development program credits and optional graduate credit from Worcester State College.

To encourage area students to explore scientific, engineering and information technology fields, EMC also sponsors educational partnerships and programs including a partnership with Worcester’s North High School and its Technology and Business Small Learning Community (SLC), co-op internships for promising high school students and computer donations through the Catholic Schools Computers and Networks program. EMC also supports science and math competitions such as FIRST Robotics and the Massachusetts State Science Fair.

EMC’s Joe Tucci serves on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. He is one of 160 CEO members of the Business Roundtable and the former chairman of its Task Force on Education and the Workforce. Under Tucci’s leadership, the Task Force released "Tapping America’s Potential: The Education for Innovation Initiative," a significant report on the U.S. talent pipeline in science, technology, engineering and math. The report was co-sponsored and signed by presidents of 15 major national business organizations. Tucci is also one of nine chief executives who steers The Technology CEO Council, the IT industry’s leading public policy advocacy organization, and he is a member of the Executive Committee of TechNet, a network of CEOs who work to advance U.S. global leadership in innovation.

For further information about EMC’s math and science programs, visit www.EMC.com. Teachers interested in learning more about the Massachusetts Mathematics Institute program should contact representatives at corporatecommunityinvolvement@emc.com.

About EMC

EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) is the world leader in products, services and solutions for information management and storage that help organizations extract the maximum value from their information, at the lowest total cost, across every point in the information lifecycle. Information about EMC’s products and services can be found at www.EMC.com.