“Our  mission  is  to  give  people  the  power  to  share  and  make  the  
world  more  open  and  connected  –  and  we  need  to  find  the  best  
talent  to  get  there.  I  had  great  classes  and  teachers  in  science,  
technology,  engineering  and  mathematics.    Everyone  should.”  
  -­‐-­‐  Mark  Zuckerberg,  Facebook  Founder  and  CEO  
 
Facebook  is  pleased  to  join  Change  the  Equation  (CTEq),  a  CEO-­‐led  initiative  to  cultivate  
widespread  literacy  in  science,  technology,  engineering  and  math  (STEM).  CTEq  will  not  only  
achieve  President  Obama’s  Educate  to  Innovate  campaign’s  mission  to  increase  private  and  
philanthropic  involvement  in  STEM  education,  but  also  will  meet  a  critical  need  for  a  workforce  
and  a  citizenry  fluent  in  science  and  math.  
 
Change  the  Equation  is  bringing  together  top  companies  across  multiple  sectors,  all  of  which  
are  dedicated  to  preparing  students  for  STEM-­‐related  careers  as  an  investment  in  their  
business,  the  economy  and  our  democracy.  CTEq  members  aim  to  fill  the  opportunity  gap  with  
capable  and  enthusiastic  STEM-­‐literate  young  people.  CTEq  is  the  first  and  only  STEM  education  
group  that  brings  so  many  corporate  leaders  together  in  collaboration  with  the  White  House,  
State  Houses  nationwide,  and  the  foundation  community.  
 
CTEq’s  goals  are  to:  
 
1.  Improve  STEM  teaching  at  all  grade  levels,  with  a  larger  and  more  racially,  ethnically  and  
gender-­‐diverse  pool  of  highly-­‐capable  STEM  teachers.  
·∙  U.S.  15-­‐year-­‐olds  scored  below  18  (out  of  24)  nations  in  math  and  below  12  nations  in  science  in  2006.  
Source:  OECD  2006  PISA  Exam  
·∙  Black,  Hispanic,  low-­‐income,  and  low-­‐performing  students  are  significantly  less  likely  to  be  taught  by  
teachers  with  advanced  degrees  in  math  and  science.  Source:  National  Science  Board    
 
2.  Deepen  student  appreciation  and  excitement  for  STEM  programs  and  careers  to  increase  
enrollment  and  success,  especially  among  females  and  students  of  color.    
·∙  Nine  in  10  Americans  believe  that  studying  advanced  math  and  science  is  useful,  even  for  students  who  
don’t  pursue  a  STEM  career.  Yet  more  than  half  of  parents  (52%)  say  the  math  and  science  their  child  is  
getting  in  school  is  "fine  as  it  is."  Source:  Public  Agenda  (2010).  Are  We  Beginning  to  See  the  Light?    
 
3.  Achieve  a  sustained  commitment  to  the  STEM  movement  from  business  leaders,  
government  officials,  STEM  teachers  and  other  stakeholders  through  communication,  
collaboration  and  data-­‐based  decision  making.  
·∙  Last  year,  Change  the  Equation’s  100  corporate  members  devoted  hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars  and  
millions  of  volunteer  hours  to  direct  or  support  STEM  education  initiatives  in  almost  every  state  across  
the  country.  Their  efforts  reached  millions  of  American  students  nationwide.  In  its  first  year  and  
henceforth,  CTEq  will  be  a  catalyst  for  greater  coherence  and  quality  in  corporate  STEM  investments.  

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