Education Rainbow Challenge exists to help k-12 students learn skills for life
Introduction
- The Education Rainbow Challenge Inc (ERC) is a non-profit organization geared to stimulate interests in math and science for average (non gifted/talented) students in Houston.
- ERC has held semi-annual math and science challenges for students in grade 3 to grade 8 since 1998. There were 540 students from 36 HISD schools participating in the latest challenge.
- Both funding and volunteers for each challenge have come from Houston area companies including CenterPoint Energy, Deloitte, Hess Energy and American Chemical Society.
- On June 5, 2000, the ERC was granted the status of anon-profit organization, classification 501(C3), by the Internal Revenue Service, Department of Treasury (Organization's Tax ID number 76-0622845).
- ERC plans to build this community service model and expand in:
- The content of the challenge in order to make both math and science interesting and challenging to the students
- Greater coverage of the schools in Houston.
- In order to achieve the objectives of helping average students succeed in education and reward schools and teachers in their effort, ERC needs community and corporate support and therefore seeks funding and resources from the community.
- ERC is a leading role model in our community in helping average students to improve their academic achievement and to motivate and recognize their efforts and accomplishments.
Our Vision and Goals
- The Education Rainbow Challenge (ERC) is to be a catalyst for math and science education of young children in public schools in the Greater Houston areas. Our goals are to:
- Promote student development in mathematics and science
- Reward teachers and assist schools
- Provide opportunities for area companies to give back to the community
Our Focus & Mission
Through math contests and hands-on science experiments, we want to:
- Promote the mathematics skills of average students in inner city schools - "Average students" are students who are not enrolled in gifted/talented programs.
- Encourage these students in math and sciences and work with their parents/families to improve their education
- Current focus is in HISD, but we hope with sufficient funding, to expand to include more schools and students in the Greater Houston Areas
