PROMOTING INNOVATION IN SCIENCE,

MATHEMATICS, AND TECHNOLOGY LEARNING

The North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center (SMT Center)
promotes and supports innovation in science, mathematics, and technology learning. Founded in 2002,
the SMT Center focuses on the state’s elementary and secondary schools to provide all children in
North Carolina with the necessary knowledge and skills to have successful careers, be good citizens,
and advance the economy of the state. These goals are increasingly dependent on a student’s
proficiency in science, mathematics, and technology.
 www.ncsmt.org

The SMT Center advances its mission by:

U Serving as a catalyst for innovation and change in education
U Advocating for research-based instructional programs in schools
U Providing tools, learning methods, and technical help to educators
U Recruiting community and business leaders to promote advanced science
and mathematics learning in North Carolina for citizens of all ages
CONNECT Through the Teacher Link Program,
scientists across North Carolina are working with teachers
to integrate inquiry-based science into the curriculum.
Teachers collaborate with mentor scientists and engineers
(Teacher Link Fellows) in N.C. communities to bring science
to life in the classroom. With these exciting, interactive
lessons, young people develop a thirst for knowledge
and look forward to learning even more science and
mathematics.
CONVENE The SMT Center has launched a statewide
science education reform effort to support school districts
as they develop strategic plans for their science curricu-
lum. By partnering with the National Science Resources
Center, the SMT Center is offering LASER training to all
North Carolina school districts. LASER is a proven model
of technical assistance and training in which superintend-
ents, principals, and teachers develop and implement
research-based science programs. With this model,
teachers receive the tools, training, and support they need
to integrate inquiry-based science in their K-8 classes.

COLLABORATE One way to engage students and
get them excited about science is to get them involved in
competitions. Statewide science competitions allow
students the opportunity to put what they’ve learned in the
classroom into practice in a challenging and rewarding
way. The SMT Center works to make schools and students
aware of the different competitions and also to connect
the competitions with scientists and engineers who serve
as judges or volunteers.
The SMT Center also supports the North Carolina
International Science Challenge, which sends a team of
students to Beijing, China to compete in an international
science competition. This once in a lifetime opportunity
not only gives students a chance to practice their science
skills, but also a chance to experience another culture.
For more information contact:
Samuel H. Houston Jr., Ed.D.
President & CEO
919.991.5111
919.991.0695 fax
www.ncsmt.org
CATALYZE The SMT Center advocates extensive
reform to create an inquiry-based science curriculum in
order for our students to be globally competitive. Science
should be interactive and include lab experiences, kit-
based materials, experiments, science fairs, museum visits,
and science competitions. The SMT Center is working
with various policymakers, nonprofit organizations, and
school and community leaders to rethink what makes a
quality science and mathematics program.
A current area of focus is on developing an instruc-
tional tool that will allow learners to demonstrate their
knowledge and capabilities. This tool will allow students
to go beyond simply answering multiple choice questions
and show how they can use prior knowledge and access
new information to answer challenging questions. By
answering the questions, students will not only learn but
deepen their problem solving skills.
P.O. Box 13901
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3901