Stafford Technical Center announced today that it has adopted Project Lead The Way (PLTW) and will begin offering courses in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) at the beginning of the 2014-15 school year. PLTW is the nation’s leading provider of STEM curricula to middle and high schools with more than 5,100 programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, including seven in Vermont.
Stafford Technical Center will offer PLTW’s Pathway To Engineering program, a high school engineering program that prepares students for post-secondary success in engineering and technology. The Pathway To Engineering (PTE) curriculum includes eight courses; Schools may choose to offer anywhere from two courses to the full eight-course curriculum. Throughout PTE, students learn and apply the design process, acquire strong teamwork and communication proficiencies, and develop organizational, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills. Students apply the concepts they are learning in math and science in order to find solutions to real-world problems. Students who take courses in the PTE program enter college better prepared, knowing what to expect of the college engineering courses. They often have the opportunity to earn college credit, admissions preferences, or scholarships for completed PLTW courses.
“PLTW has a long history of successfully engaging students in STEM subjects,” said Fieh Chan. “Stafford Technical Center is proud to offer PLTW to our students, giving them an advantage over their peers when it comes to high school, college and career readiness. We believe our community will also see the benefits of PLTW as the pool of highly-skilled workers for local businesses increases.”
In addition to providing world-class STEM curricula to middle and high schools, PLTW provides ongoing, high quality professional development training for middle and high school teachers so they can effectively implement – and teach – the engaging hands-on, project-based curriculum. PLTW schools also benefit from the organization’s engaged network of Fortune 500 companies, state leaders, and university affiliations, which provide students opportunities for college credit, scholarships and admissions preferences. School-based PLTW Partnership Teams complement the curriculum by recruiting local business and industry professionals to serve as mentors and share their real-world experiences with students.
“In today’s global economy, Americans are competing not just against each other but against their peers in countries like China and India,” said Vince Bertram, CEO of PLTW. “It is more critical now than ever for our education system to help students develop the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills to prepare them for the global economy.”
For more information on Stafford Technical Center’s new PLTW courses or to set up a school visit, contact Fieh Chan at 802-770-1068.
About PLTW
Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is the leading provider of rigorous and innovative STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education curricular programs used in schools. As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, PLTW exists to prepare students for the global economy through its world-class curriculum, high quality professional development, and an engaged network of educators, students, universities and professionals. PLTW’s comprehensive curriculum has been collaboratively designed by PLTW teachers, university educators, engineering and biomedical professionals, and school administrators to promote critical thinking, creativity, innovation and real-world problem solving skills in students. The hands-on, project-based program engages students on multiple levels, exposes them to areas of study that they typically do not pursue, and provides them with a foundation and proven path to college and career success. More than 4,700 schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are currently offering PLTW courses to their students. For more information, visit www.pltw.org.
