The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has announced MIT for America, a new initiative to strengthen science, technology, engineering and maths education from pre-school through to community colleges. President Sally Kornbluth presented the project as grounded in a belief in “potential over pedigree”.
One strand builds on a project launched about a year ago in which MIT students and alumni volunteer to tutor secondary school pupils in calculus. According to MIT, only about half of the country’s school districts offer the subject.
Another strand is dedicated to learning with artificial intelligence, including teacher training and programmes for technical schools. The RAISE programme, which leads this area, brought together around a million pupils at its Day of AI event in early 2026.
The third strand focuses on design and hands-on making, through fabrication labs, maker spaces and national challenges. “Talent is everywhere. We think opportunity should be too,” said co-director Cynthia Breazeal.
