MAXWELL AFB, Ala. — Atlanta will host the 37th annual National Congress on Aviation and Space Education (NCASE), March 24 – 27, 2004.

This 2004 conference at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, “Teaching Today for Tomorrow,” will focus on preparing students for future aerospace industry careers. Presenters will also address methods for meeting new accountability standards set by such federal initiatives as those in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002.

Among the speakers at NCASE 2004 will be Anthony Fowler, interagency coordinator for the U.S. Dept. of Education, who will discuss the “culture of achievement” defined under the No Child Left Behind Act. Fowler is an advocate of aerospace education as a catalyst for learning across the curriculum.

“Aviation and space educators must carry their message to the mainstream education community,” Fowler said. “Aerospace educators can accomplish this objective – and show how they are relevant to education reform – by linking their efforts to President Bush's No Child Left Behind initiative. Indeed, the Bush administration's strategic plan for its No Child Left Behind initiative is a pathway for aviation and space educators.”

NCASE is a national standards-based conference and draws educators from throughout the nation each year. It is jointly sponsored by Civil Air Patrol and the United States Air Force.

The conference is rated for 30 contact hours of continuing education credit. At only $90 per person, the registration fee is a bargain for the three-day event. Until May 31, however, attendees can receive a 40 percent discount on the registration fee. Registration information is posted online at www.capnhq.gov/conference.

Civil Air Patrol sponsors NCASE each year to fulfill its mission to provide aerospace education for both its members and the general public. The official Air Force auxiliary, CAP is a nonprofit organization with more than 64,000 members nationwide. It performs 95% of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members also serve as mentors to the almost 27,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 60 years.