Corey Alderdice, director of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, became president of the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools Board of Directors on July 1.
Alderdice will serve as president of the organization’s board through the 2023-24 academic year, with his term set to expire in November 2024. He was installed as the board’s president-elect in November 2022 and was set to become president in November 2023. Alderdice stepped into the role early as the previous president retired from their school at the end of June. Alderdice has served on the NCSSS Board of Directors since November 2019.
NCSSS was established in 1988 to provide a forum for specialized secondary schools focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics to exchange information and program ideas. It includes approximately 100 member high schools, many ranked among the best in the country, along with 55 affiliate and associate members (colleges, universities, summer programs, foundations and corporations) located in 32 states and four countries.
“NCSSS was one of the first organizations I plugged into nearly two decades ago at the outset of my career in residential STEM education,” Alderdice said. “Connecting with passionate teachers, support professionals and administrators from a variety of residential, regional magnet, school-within-a-school and other model programs has given me a space to not only share the incredible innovations and approaches that ASMSA’s community of learning develops but also to bring back new strategies, lessons and ideas that further enrich and enhance our own community of learning."
Alderdice said NCSSS also serves as an advocate for STEM education with various national and local leaders as well as other organizations.
"NCSSS has been doing tremendous work advocating with elected officials, policymakers and other national organizations to advance STEM education. Whether the focus is on advanced research, technological innovation, workforce training or opportunities for students and educators in the classroom, the consortium's leadership and board are not only committed advocates for their own schools but also what education can be across the country,” he said.
NCSSS’ educator and student events allow participants to network with and learn from each other. One of Alderdice’s goals during his tenure as president will be to encourage member schools to collaborate directly with each other on projects and initiatives outside of those events.
"One of the greatest feelings is having colleagues who know the unique challenges and opportunities that are associated with working in a specialized high school. I want to ensure that all members feel like they have a network of peers who are no more than a call or text away when a need or question arises. There's always so much we can learn from each other and so many ways we can offer our support," he said.
Todd Mann, who serves as NCSSS’ executive director, said the organization expects “great things to come over the next year” during Alderdice’s term.
“We could not be more enthused about Corey Alderdice assuming the role of president of NCSSS,” Mann said. ““Corey has incredible vision, which will be very important to NCSSS as we navigate the future. Moreover, he has proven to be an excellent leader of the board as well as steward of NCSSS.”
Alderdice has served as ASMSA’s director since July 2012. He is the school’s longest-serving executive. During his tenure, ASMSA has been recognized among the nation’s top and “public elite” high schools by Newsweek, The Daily Beast, The Washington Post and the Jay Mathews Challenge Index as well as the top public high school in the state by Niche.com.