KANSAS CITY – Project Lead The Way (PLTW) and TEALS (Technology Education and Literacy in Schools), supported by Microsoft Philanthropies, launched a partnership this school year to expand high school students’ access to real-world, computer science (CS) learning. Through the partnership, PLTW and TEALS are bringing high-quality computer science curricula, co-taught by PLTW teachers and CS professionals, into PLTW classrooms in several schools across the U.S., including those in the Kansas City, Missouri, and Wichita, Kansas, areas.
“Project Lead The Way is excited to partner with the TEALS program to continue our mission of connecting students to real-world career learning experiences,” said PLTW President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Vince Bertram. “As more companies and industries rely on employees with in-depth computer science knowledge and skills, it becomes critical that our students have access to early CS learning and develop the computer science skills and knowledge that will prepare them for any career path they choose.”
PLTW, a nonprofit organization that provides a transformative learning experience for K-12 students and teachers, serves more than 10,500 schools across the U.S. TEALS helps high schools build and grow sustainable computer science programs by pairing trained CS professionals from across the tech industry with classroom teachers to team-teach computer science.
In this pilot program, CS professionals volunteer in PLTW’s Computer Science Principles (CSP) course, helping to facilitate real-world learning experiences alongside PLTW-trained CSP teachers. The program will expand across the U.S. for the 2018-19 school year.
“It’s a real privilege to partner with Project Lead The Way and local schools to bring computer science education to students,” said TEALS founder Kevin Wang. “TEALS industry volunteers complement the work PLTW does with their teachers by bringing industry CS experts to PLTW students, teachers, classrooms, thereby completing a virtuous circle of passing on their knowledge and real-world experience to the future generation of computer scientists.”
Over the summer, PLTW teachers and TEALS volunteers completed professional development training to prepare for the team-led, in-school experience. On Thursday, those in Kansas City had a chance to visit one of the pilot sites to see the partnership in action.
“Teaching PLTW has brought career learning into my classroom, and this partnership with TEALS has expanded the opportunities my students have to see the connections between what they’re learning and what employers are looking for,” said Kevin Clevenger, PLTW Computer Science teacher at Blue Springs High School.
The following schools are implementing the PLTW/TEALS pilot program this year:
MISSOURI (All in Kansas City-area)
- Blue Springs High School
- Cristo Rey High School
- William Chrisman High School
KANSAS
- The Independent School (Wichita)
WISCONSIN
- Pulaski High School (Pulaski)
- Preble High School (Green Bay)
MICHIGAN
- Cass Technical High School (Detroit)
- Advanced Technology Academy (Dearborn)
Nationwide, there are over 1,000 TEALS volunteers from more than 500 companies. PLTW and TEALS invite companies and their employees to join the TEALS effort by volunteering. For more information, visit https://www.tealsk12.org/volunteers/.
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 10,500 elementary, middle, and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia offer PLTW programs. For more information, visit pltw.org.
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Media Contact:
Project Lead The Way
Jennifer Erbacher
Sr. Director of Media and Public Relations
jerbacher@pltw.org
(317) 669-0871