Summer is a time for teachers
To help middle- and high-school students understand engineering, Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a national program, was introduced to Wisconsin four years ago and has taken off with more than 100 schools now offering PLTW pre-engineering courses - one of the highest numbers in the country!
Held at MSOE every summer, the teacher training and curriculum development are key to the success of the program.
Bryan Kind, a teacher at Kettle Moraine High School, has been involved with PLTW since its inception and now trains other teachers to use the PLTW curriculum.
"We give physics an application, such as a bridge, when we test designs," he said, referring to PLTW classes. "You can practically see the light bulb over students' heads."
Students get excited about math and science while determining if engineering is the right career path. Students who do enter a college engineering program are twice as likely to graduate than non-PLTW students. Whether they become engineers, PLTW students realize higher scores in math, science and reading.
"That's a strong part of Project Lead the Way. You're not just dealing with math, science or tech ed. You're mingling all the strong points and allowing kids to see all the possibilities for themselves," Kind added.
He pointed out the strict regulations the program has for schools, adding that such certification is important to MSOE, which offers college credit to PLTW students. "Students need to get the same education at each school. That happens with Project Lead the Way."