The Technological Research & Development Authority, an agency of the State of Florida, sought and received funding from the United States Department of Education and the Florida Department of Education to create an organization that would meet the needs of Florida educators. And so began The Endeavour Academy…

Although our main office is in East Central Florida, The Endeavour Academy provides workshops everywhere across the state and Online. From our opening in February 2002 through today, we have:

• Driven an estimated $750,000 in materials, assistance and course instruction directly into Florida classrooms;
• Completed more than 60,000 contracted in-service hours of Sunshine State Standard compliant courses in math, science, technology and reading;
• Created customized professional development workshops as requested by more than half of Florida’s school districts;
• Partnered with school districts to obtain nearly $2.5 million in Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) grant funding for their schools; and
• Tapped the professional development resources of more than 40 vendors including NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Sea World, Florida State University, Texas Instruments, the Miami Seaquarium and many more.

The Technological Research and Development Authority leadership envisioned a teacher training academy that would break new ground in the field of education. Educators’ experiences through this new organization would be unparalleled in the world of professional development. The search to find a name conveying the foundations of adventure and exploration upon which this new organization would be based, led to a pioneering explorer, navigator and astronomer, Captain James Cook.

Captain Cook, an 18th Century British explorer, sailed the South Pacific on a magnificent ship named the Endeavour. During his voyages, Cook observed and recorded Venus passing between the Earth and Sun. Determining the transit of Venus enabled early astronomers to find the distance of the Sun from the Earth, which was then used as a unit of measurement in calculating the parameters of the universe. His voyages also established the value of bringing scientists on sailing vessels. His team is credited with charting New Zealand, the Great Barrier Reef and using diet to cure scurvy.

In 1989, a nationwide competition named the fourth orbiter in NASA's fleet, the Endeavour in honor of Captain Cook and his explorations. For the Technological Research and Development Authority, the search for a name conveying the spirit of adventure and exploration was complete.

The Endeavour Academy links Captain Cook’s historical thirst for exploration and NASA’s current mission toward discovery through experiences that prepare teachers to educate our future.