09 July 2010
US Education Secretary Arne Duncan visits Aviation High School
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and U.S. Senator Patty Murray joined students, teachers, and business and education leaders at Aviation High School (AHS) to discuss educational innovation and the unique science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program offered at AHS. Following a student presentation, Senator Murray and Secretary Duncan participated in a panel discussion highlighting the success of Aviation High School.
"We need more schools like Aviation High School," said Duncan.
On the panel was Peter Morton, a former Boeing executive and a member of the boards of Aviation High School and The Museum of Flight. "We are doing something special to create a replicable example of STEM education in a public/private partnership," said Morton. "Every community can organize a similar partnership around their local industries, museums, or other institutions. It is a worthy investment for government agencies at the national, state, and local level to support our example as a contribution to a technologically savvy workforce."
Seventy-seven percent of AHS graduates intend to pursue STEM careers, compared with 48% statewide. "We want to prepare our students to fill critical jobs in STEM fields throughout the nation," said Aviation High School Principal and CEO Reba Gilman. "We believe that the students who attend Aviation High will help our nation remain competitive in an increasingly technology-driven world where the US is not producing technically-trained workers at the same rate as other nations."
Aviation High School is the only college-prep aviation-themed high school in the Northwest. AHS is open to students from across the state, and many commute from outside King County. All subjects are taught in the context of aviation and aerospace.
In 2009, AHS was third among 415 state public high schools on the math and science WASL, though the number of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch was almost 20 times the rate of the number one and two schools.
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