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Georgia Innovation Fund Supports PLTW Programs

ATLANTA – Gov. Nathan Deal and the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) announced Thursday a significant Innovation Fund Grant to Project Lead The Way (PLTW), a nonprofit organization that provides a transformative learning experience for K-12 students and teachers across the United States. Through the Innovation Fund grant, schools in Southwest Georgia will have the opportunity to implement PLTW’s K-12 pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science for students.

Funds from the GOSA/PLTW grant partnership are available to schools in the Southwest Georgia, Coastal Plains, and Chattahoochee-Flint RESA districts for the 2016-17 school year.

"Between now and the year 2020, STEM fields will introduce more than 79,000 new jobs to Georgia,” said Deal. "With this multi-million dollar partnership between Project Lead The Way and the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement in place, schools in the southwestern region of our state will be able to implement strategies that will better prepare our students of today to be our workforce of tomorrow.”

PLTW’s programs in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science engage students in hands-on learning, encouraging them to apply knowledge from a variety of disciplines to address real-world challenges and scenarios. The STEM-based curriculum helps students develop problem-solving strategies, critical and creative thinking, and how to communicate and collaborate. In addition to curricula, PLTW provides teachers with extensive professional development which gives them the support and resources they need to engage and inspire students.

“Project Lead The Way is proud to partner with the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement and districts throughout Georgia to prepare students with the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in an evolving world,” said PLTW President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Vince Bertram. “We commend Governor Deal for his leadership and focus on increasing student achievement. Together, we are committed to shaping the innovators, creators, and designers of today and tomorrow.”

Interested schools must submit an application by Nov. 15, 2015, at pltw.org/grant-opportunities, and schools will be notified of their acceptance in December 2015.

About PLTW Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a nonprofit organization that provides a transformative learning experience for K-12 students and teachers across the U.S. PLTW empowers students to develop in-demand, transportable knowledge and skills through pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science. PLTW’s teacher training and resources support teachers as they engage their students in real-world learning. More than 8,000 elementary, middle, and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia offer PLTW programs. For more information on Project Lead The Way, visit pltw.org.

About the Georgia Innovation Fund The Georgia Innovation Fund is committed to dramatically advancing student academic achievement throughout Georgia. GOSA accomplishes this goal by investing in public education entities that aggressively develop and scale programs that enable Georgia educators to improve student performance and to tackle our state’s most significant challenges in education.

The Innovation Fund began as a $19.4 million fund under Georgia’s Race to the Top plan. During Race to the Top, the Innovation Fund provided 23 grants to programs focused on providing applied learning opportunities, creating teacher and leader induction programs, growing the teacher and leader pipeline, or developing or expanding charter schools.

To continue the Innovation Fund’s Work beyond Race to the Top, Governor Deal has appropriated state funding in Fiscal Years 2015 and 2016. With this funding, GOSA administers grants to organizations focused on planning, implementing or scaling programs aligned with the Innovation Fund’s priority areas.

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Press Contacts:

Project Lead The Way
Jennifer Cahill
Senior Director of Media and Public Relations
jcahill@pltw.org 317.669.0871

Office of Gov. Nathan Deal
Jen Talaber
Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications
404.651.7774