SACRAMENTO – NBA all-time leading scorer, New York Times best-selling author and California’s After School STEM Ambassador Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will discuss the importance of STEM – science, technology, engineering and math -  education with parents, educators and administrators at the 114th California State PTA Annual Convention in San Jose on Friday, May 3.

“Kareem is an inspirational leader and a passionate advocate for health and education, and we’re thrilled to have him take part in our annual convention,” said California State PTA President Carol Kocivar.

In 2012, Abdul-Jabbar was named California’s After School STEM Ambassador by California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. 

“PTA believes every child should have access to a quality education in science, technology, engineering and math as well as the arts,” continued Kocivar. “Parents and educators, in particular, need greater awareness about how important it is for students to advance their proficiency levels and become highly skilled in STEM fields.”

As the state’s largest parent-engagement event, thousands of parents, educators, administrators and advocates from across the state will converge in San Jose on May 2-5 for the annual convention to tackle key issues affecting California students such as school funding, Common Core Standards, family engagement, STEM and arts education, summer learning loss, campus safety, bullying prevention, healthy lifestyles and more.

With nearly 900,000 members throughout the state, PTA connects families and schools by advocating for the health, safety and education of all children. Additionally, as school districts continue to face major budget cuts, PTAs in every community are playing a more vital role than ever in helping schools keep or bring back programs that help enrich their student’s educational experience.

For more information about the 2013 California State PTA Annual Convention, visit www.capta.org. You can also get the latest convention news and updates by following @CAPTAConvention on Twitter, and liking the California State PTA on Facebook.

To learn more about the importance of STEM education and California State PTA’s resolution, visit http://www.capta.org/sections/programs/e-stem.cfm.

About California State PTA
The California State PTA has nearly 900,000 members throughout the state working on behalf of public schools, children and families, with the motto, “every child, one voice.” The PTA is the nation’s oldest, largest and highest profile volunteer association working to improve the education, health and welfare of all children and youth. The PTA also advocates at national, state and local levels for education and family issues. The PTA is nonprofit, nonsectarian and noncommercial. For more information: www.capta.org.

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Hear from exciting and powerful keynote speakers and special guests during the annual convention in all our action-packed general meetings including:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer, New York Times Best-Selling Author and Community Activist

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a global icon that changed the game of professional basketball and went on to become a New York Times best-selling author, award-winning filmmaker and ambassador of education. As one of the NBA’s all-time greatest players, the 7-foot-2 Hall of Fame center, famous for his indefensible skyhook, dominated the NBA for 20 years and is the NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer.

In 2012, Abdul-Jabbar was named California’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Afterschool Ambassador by California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. He is an inspirational leader and passionate advocate for health.

In addition to serving as a columnist for ESPN and Huffington Post, Abdul-Jabbar has written seven New York Times best-sellers including the children’s book, What Color is My World, which earned him two 2013 NAACP Image Awards. Read the rest of this entry »