Kern Family Foundation
A private foundation in Waukesha, WI is inviting public and private schools to apply for funding to implement a program called Project Lead the Way (PLTW). PLTW is a non-profit organization focused on preparing the future technical and engineering workforce in America. PLTW offers a middle school “Gateway to Technology” curriculum and a five-course high school curriculum. Teacher training, project-based curriculum meeting national science and math standards, equipment specifications, software, post-secondary articulation and a comprehensive support structure make PLTW an excellent program. Further, PLTW gets results. In early data, 73% of students taking three or more high school PLTW courses entered post-secondary engineering or technical programs. Of those students, 85% continued into their second year in their technical or engineering program. This “persistence” rate is well above the 50% national average expected.
The network of PLTW schools has grown to 1300 in 45 states. It is important to the Foundation trustees that students in the Midwest not get left behind. The trustees believe the United States cannot stay competitive in the global marketplace without a well-trained technical workforce and citizenry. Project Lead the Way is a response to this need.
The Foundation trustees recognize that resources are tight for all schools and school districts. Therefore the Foundation may help high schools with up to $35,000 in grant funding, over four years, to establish a PLTW program. Since the program sequence can be phased in, one course at a time, your school may want to consider becoming part of the PLTW network beginning in fall 2007 or fall 2008. The middle school curriculum, which is a series of four, nine-week modules, can be phased in or added all in one year as an elective or as part of the required science or technology program. The maximum grant for middle schools may be $20,000. Districts with multiple high schools or high school/middle school combinations in PLTW have further grant award restrictions (see the grant application).
Small schools can apply to the foundation in a consortium – either as an independent group or in collaboration with a larger school or two-year college in order to provide a five-course sequence of PLTW. These grant limits will be negotiated based on the number of courses offered and the number of schools involved. There are many consortia models for small school implementation.
In addition, all schools should consider involving local business partners early in conversations about PLTW in addition to coming to the foundation for funding. Schools that demonstrate initiatives to bring local business or state leaders into their planning will ultimately be more successful in sustaining the PLTW program.
Details for the PLTW program can be found at www.pltw.org. In general, a high school needs to have a philosophy of college prep/workforce development, an enthusiastic technical education, math or science teacher willing to teach the first PLTW course, a student population with algebra-level math skills, a computer lab with at least 15 Pentium 4- 3.2GHZ computer stations running Windows XP Pro, and some standard equipment generally found in tech ed departments. Many schools have one pre-engineering, physics or CAD course which a willing teacher can convert to the first course using the PLTW curriculum.
Schools interested in applying for funding to start PLTW in fall 2008 should contact Mark Schroll at the Kern Family Foundation at to receive a grant application. Applications are due on or before November 7, 2008. Grant awards are increasingly competitive, so be aware that not every school that applies receives funding. The plan is to announce grant awards in early February 2009.
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