Advocating for U.S. Competitiveness

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Company/Organization: Intel Corporation
CEO/Board Chair: Craig Barrett, Chairman of the Board; Paul Otellini, President & CEO
State: Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington
Level of Involvement: National, State, District, Student
Type of Initiative: Leadership, Advocacy, Expertise
Target Education Priority: All Graduates Ready for College and Careers, More Innovation Workers in the Pipeline, Maximize Data-Driven Decision Making

There’s nothing more important in the United States today than the discussion of international competitiveness…And there are three key things involved there. Number one is education. You have to have an educated workforce. Number two is you have to have ideas for the next generation of products, services and companies. That’s where basic investment and research and development are important. Number three is you have to have an environment where smart people get together with smart ideas and do something. But none of that has a chance to begin unless you have smart people. And that’s why education is always the number one priority.” Craig Barrett, Chairman of the Board, Intel Corporation, Speech before the National Higher Education Leadership Summit, January 22, 2007.

Overview
Intel believes that it is critical for the U.S. to maintain its lead in technical innovation, built on excellence in math and science. Innovation drives our standard of living and keeps the U.S. competitive. As Chairman of the Board of Intel, Dr. Craig Barrett has been personally committed to ensuring that the U.S. bolster the innovation pipeline by attracting more students, including women and underrepresented minorities, to pursue science, math, and engineering in school and in their careers. Barrett is passionate in his commitment to opening the gates of opportunity for students by raising academic standards, improving school quality and ensuring access to higher education and technology for a wider range of students. He has testified before Congress about strengthening math, science and technology education; advised President Bush on education issues; and has been an outspoken advocate for higher standards in state capitols where Intel has a significant presence.

Strategies for Success
Helping educators develop students' 21st century skills is the focus of Intel® Education programs. As a corporate leader, Intel recognizes that future success depends on helping young people prepare to contribute fully to the knowledge-based economy. Intel, under Barrett’s leadership, believes that it can best address the issue of U.S. competitiveness and encouraging more students to study and pursue careers in the STEM fields by developing and supporting initiatives that enhance teacher quality and improve teaching and learning through access to and the effective use of technology. These initiatives excite and challenge students through inquiry and research based hands-on science, math and engineering, including science competitions and other initiatives that increase students’ awareness of the creativity and opportunities to change the world.

Intel and Barrett have developed and sponsored programs that reflect the company’s strategic goals for education. For instance, the Intel® Teach Program is the most successful educator professional development program of its kind. Working with local governments, this unparalleled public-private collaboration has trained more than 250,000 U.S. teachers in 50 states and 4 million teachers globally. Intel is committed to training an additional 10 million teachers worldwide by 2011.

To expand students’ knowledge of and enthusiasm for the STEM fields, since 1998 Intel has sponsored the Intel Science Talent Search. The Intel Science Talent Search is the oldest and most highly regarded pre-collegiate science competition. In 2008, there were 1602 entrants from 45 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands competing for the $1.25 million in scholarships and prizes awarded. Since 1996, Intel also has sponsored the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, the world’s largest pre-collegiate science fair. Young scientists from over 50 countries participate; there are approximately 466 affiliated fairs in the United States representing 46 states, with nearly $4 million in scholarship and awards given.

Intel also sponsors “Design Squad,” a PBS reality television series that shows middle school students how engineering touches everyday lives; kids participate in a series of engineering challenges as they compete for a $10,000 scholarship prize. The show is geared towards sparking interest in children and teenagers and encouraging them to study math, science and engineering.

In 2000, Barrett personally kicked off the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network in Boston, one of Intel’s key programs to close the “digital divide” by allowing young people in underserved communities to use the latest technologies to connect with adult mentors and to complete projects that reflect their personal interests and passions, such as computer-generated art and video production. There are now over 80 clubhouses in the U.S. in 17 states and Washington, D.C. Intel also is working collaboratively with school leaders and teachers through programs such as the Intel Mathematics Collaborative which has provide professional development to over 5000 educators.

Intel and Barrett also advance the company agenda by advocating for policy and education reforms that will increase rigorous academic expectations for all students to ensure success in college and the workplace, improve access to higher education and get more students in the innovation pipeline. In addition to speaking publicly and testifying before Congress, in 2000 Barrett served as a co-chair of the Business Coalition for Excellence in Education and on the National (Glenn) Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching in the 21st Century. More recently, he has served on the No Child Left Behind Commission, a bi-partisan, independent group that made recommendations to Congress and the Bush Administration on how the federal law can be improved. He currently is serving as a co-chair of the Business Coalition for Student Achievement, a business led group committed to improving K-12 performance, and as a co-chair of Achieve, Inc.

Barrett and Intel exemplify corporate leadership for education reform in several strategic ways recommended by Business Toolkit for Better Schools, including:

Use the bully pulpit to make the case that the global economy demands higher expectations, a renewed commitment to math and science investments and data-driven decision making
Communicate with the public, media, employees and students about the importance of public education reform to companies, America's competitiveness, individual citizens and society at large
Invest corporate resources, including charitable giving programs, dedicated staff positions and employee time, to public education
Identify and support senior staff to focus their time on education policy and reform
Serve on local, statewide and national school boards, commissions and task forces
Keep the public conversation focused on the vision for the public education system
Sustain the public's commitment to school reform over time
Rigorously evaluate education programs to ensure that there is continuous, targeted improvement that meets company objectives

Indicators of Success
Barrett and Intel have helped to improve education by advancing public policies that increase academic rigor for all and grow the pipeline of innovation workers. While working on advancing public policy, Intel has made strategic investments that spark the imagination of students and encourage the study of math, science and engineering. And Intel has dedicated sizeable resources to rigorous program evaluation in order to ensure continuous, targeted improvement of all of their education products and activities.

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Updated: June 2008