The PLTW Network

 The PLTW Network is a nationwide support system comprised of the following groups:

Affiliate Directors
An Affiliate Director is the college or university staff or faculty member assigned to run a University Affiliate.

Affiliate Professors
An Affiliate Professor is a Core Training Instructor who is a professor at a University Affiliate and has attained mastery status in one or more PLTW courses. They are assigned by the university’s Affiliate Director.

Classroom Partners
A variety of organizations play an integral role in the delivery of PLTW’s engaging and dynamic curriculum. Partners provide PLTW students and teachers with state-of-the-art equipment, classroom resources, and software used by industry professionals.

Core Training Instructors
Core Training Instructors are Affiliate Professors, Lead Teachers and Master Teachers who lead Core Training sessions and provide ongoing professional development and outreach in conjunction with PLTW and University Affiliates. CTIs act as local and national best practice resources and assist in the development of curricula, instructional support materials and course assessments. They possess a rich understanding of PLTW course curriculum and how the subject matter is created, organized and linked to other disciplines, as well as its applications outside of the classroom.

Corporate & Foundation Partners
Corporations along with philanthropic organizations generously contribute financial support and provide classroom mentors and workplace experiences to engage students in STEM fields.

Lead Teachers
A Lead Teacher applied and was accepted as a Core Training Instructor without prior teaching experience in their course of mastery. Lead Teachers are from PLTW schools and support the training of teachers in a brand new course.

Master Teachers
A Master Teacher is an educator who has taught a PLTW course for at least one complete year and has been approved to become a PLTW Core Training Instructor. Master Teachers train new teachers and also contribute to the writing and revising of the PLTW curriculum.

Partnership Teams
This team is comprised of teachers, counselors, administrators, post-secondary representatives, business and industry professionals, and other community members who support the PLTW curriculum within a school. They actively promote the program, serve as mentors who share their real-world experiences with students, and provide extra curricular activities for students and teachers.

PLTW Staff
The PLTW National staff consists of more than 50 innovators who create, support and update its rigorous curriculum. Positioned across the country, these dedicated professionals provide network support and development to advance STEM education. A portion of this staff consists of the finest curriculum writers nationwide who are passionately revolutionizing STEM education for America’s urban, suburban and rural secondary schools.

PLTW Teachers
At the core of our mission are the teachers who ignite the imaginations of students in PLTW classrooms, aka Innovation Zones. They share best practices and classroom experiences, collaborate with other PLTW teachers, and are strong advocates for innovation and STEM education.
 
School Counselors
Counselors play a key role in the recruitment of students into PLTW courses and guide them to pursue careers in STEM fields. 

School District Delegate
This district or school employee is the main contact between PLTW and the district’s participating school(s). The Delegate registers new schools, adds new programs, and is responsible for keeping school information up to date in the PLTW Extranet. Typically, this individual is the CTE Director, Science Coordinator, or someone in an equivalent position.

State Leaders
State Leaders serve as the liaisons between PLTW, the State Leadership Team for PLTW, and the schools that have adopted or are considering adopting PLTW in their state. They are involved in new school recruitment and provide support for existing schools within the PLTW Network. Ideally, each state has an individual designated to serve in this position. Usually this representative is an employee at the State Department of Education.

STEM Associations and Organizations
Organizations partner with PLTW to provide grants and support for PLTW’s initiatives.

University Affiliate
University Affiliates are the colleges and universities that have agreements with PLTW to facilitate the delivery of a specific PLTW program. They provide and coordinate the activities related to administration, college-level recognition, program quality initiatives, professional development, outreach and awareness.