The ET 3 TEC Champion Leadership Awards program derives its name from Technology to Empower Community (TEC), the primary mission of the ET 3. The awards honor visionary leaders who foster an ecology of community transformation and establish a legacy of education and economic empowerment in traditionally underserved communities across America. Norm Goldstein won this award by providing opportunities for the nation’s schoolchildren to express their creative and critical thinking skills through national deployment of the BKFK Inventive Thinking Program.

BKFK Co. was also among the winners of the ET 3 TEC Champion Partnership Awards. BKFK was one of three exemplar private-public partnerships that demonstrate the power of synergy to close the education excitement gap for our nation’s youth and invent a future that inspires aspiration, academic accomplishment and civic engagement. BKFK received this congressional honor for partnering with “Youth Inventors across America.” Other partnerships recognized were: NASA Office of Education and its Partners, United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation & Office Max; and the NetGeneration of Youth Learning Community and its partners the Verizon Foundation and PCS Edventures.

On the Congressional Honors for Mr. Goldstein and BKFK, ET 3 President Ronnie Lowenstein commented: “We are delighted to recognize Norm Goldstein and BKFK for pioneering new paradigms and innovative programs that expand access to enriching education, foster 21st century innovation skills and cultivate the STEM education and workforce pipeline.”

“It is truly an honor to have my work with BKFK, especially our NEA-endorsed ‘Inventive Thinking” educational program, recognized by Congress and the ET 3 ,” added Norm Goldstein, “We were inspired by all the exciting CBC Education Braintrust Symposium activities last week, and were gratified and humbled to be considered an education partner ensuring America’s competitiveness.”

About BKFK

BKFK Co., a closely held corporation based in Stamford, Conn., is the leading global marketing, branding and licensing company dedicated to making kids’ ideas a reality. Their mission is to inspire, motivate and stimulate the innovative spirit within all kids. In addition to providing free support and educational resources to the world’s children, BKFK provides entrepreneurial experiences for young inventors and supports the entire ideation through commercialization process.

The BKFK Inventive Thinking Program was created to stimulate kid innovation and encourage new inventions. The BKFK Inventive Thinking program was recently endorsed by the National Education Association and will be distributed free of charge this autumn to their 2.8 million members. The program builds on the Project XL curriculum, developed by the United States Patent & Trademark office. The program was aligned to national education standards, including No Child Left Behind, by an advisory board of inventors, educators, researchers and practitioners from around the country. The 2006 BKFK Inventive Thinking program is available free for download at: www.bkfk.com

About the Education Technology Think Tank, ET3

The Education Technology Think Tank (ET 3) is a national collaborative of business, civic and government-sector representatives committed to harnessing technology and telecommunications for economic and educational empowerment of traditionally underserved communities. ET 3 is an affiliate project of the Minority Legislative Education Program, Inc. (MLEP), a non-profit organization committed to advocacy education for civic participation by minorities and representatives of groups that represent their interests.

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