Project Lead The Way is the nation’s leading provider of rigorous STEM education for elementary, middle and high school students. The curriculum emphasizes critical thinking, creativity, innovation and real-world problem solving. The hands-on, project-based program engages students on multiple levels, exposes them to areas of study like engineering technology, civil engineering and biomedical science and provides them with a foundation for college and career success in STEM-related fields.
PLTW 2020-21
PLTW in Kansas City
Many area schools participate in PLTW, with availability growing rapidly over the past seven years:
KC Area Districts/Schools Offering PLTW
This list details PLTW offerings by individual schools and is organized by state and then alphabetically.
PLTW Teacher Connections
Teacher Talks replace Teacher Mentor Days for 2020-21
KC STEM Alliance typically offers annual professional development events called Teacher Mentor Days, organized by field of study or grade level. For the 2020-21 academic year, these opportunities will shift to more frequent virtual networking opportunities for educators, tentatively called Teacher Talks.
What: A series of Zoom gatherings for middle and high school PLTW teachers hosted by KC STEM Alliance and rotating guest post-secondary or industry partners who will provide 10 minutes of STEM content that complements a different featured PLTW curriculum each session, followed by 50 minutes of smaller breakout sessions where teachers can share best practices, pain points, resources, and tips.
Who Should Attend: PLTW middle and high school teachers. Although teachers associated with each session’s featured curriculum presentation will want to attend, the sessions are open to all PLTW teachers!
When: Sessions will take place from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. every other Thursday this fall:
- 10/8/2020: co-hosted by KU Engineering, PLTW curriculum focus: Aerospace Engineering (AE)/ Gateway Flight & Space
- 10/22/2020: co-hosted by UMKC SCE, PLTW curriculum focus: Civil Engineering & Architecture (CEA), with attention on Civil Engineering
- 11/5/2020: co-hosted by Burns & McDonnell, PLTW curriculum focus: Principles of Engineering (POE), with attention on Electrical Engineering/ Gateway Magic of Electrons with attention on Electrical Engineering/Day in the Life of an Electrical Engineer. Sign up for 11/5 here.
- 11/19/2020: co-hosted by SS&C Technologies, PLTW curriculum focus: CSP/CSA/Gateway App Creators/CS for Innovators & Makers with attention on Software Development/Day in the Life of a Software Developer. Sign up for 11/19 here.
- 12/3/2020: co-hosted by KU Edwards, PLTW curriculum focus: Medical Interventions (MI)/Biomedical Innovation (BI)/Gateway Design & Modeling/Medical Detectives, with attention on Biotechnology and Industry Insights. Sign up for 12/3 here.
- 12/17/2020: co-hosted by UMKC School of Nursing & Health Studies, PLTW curriculum focus: Principles of Biomedical Science (PBS), with attention on Health Careers. Sign up for 12/17 here.
Real World Learning Experiences for Students
PLTW Capstone Innovation Events & Competitions
KC STEM Alliance’s Senior Capstone Innovation model provides targeted events and awards to inspire PLTW engineering and biomedical science senior capstone students; recognize and reward a job well done; and help students connect with resources and mentors in the business community.
PLTW Civil Engineering & Design Careers Day
Plans for this opportunity for PLTW Civil Engineering & Architecture (CEA) students are pending.
For More Information: Contact Teri Kriege, STEM Outreach Consultant
KC HealthTracks
KC HealthTracks is a community partnership that uses PLTW to bring awareness and opportunities in health science careers to students in 11 under-resourced high schools in seven Kansas City-area school districts. Learn more.
Industry Partner Connections
KC STEM Alliance connects volunteer mentors from the business and entrepreneurial community with PLTW students to provide guidance, insight and resources for their senior capstone projects. These connections give STEM professionals and entrepreneurs a way to give back and help industry partners with workforce development initiatives.
Connect with PLTW Students
KC STEM Alliance provides targeted support for students enrolled in Project Lead The Way, with special attention on activities during the senior year capstone course. Kansas City’s STEM professionals who volunteer and engage with these students make a real difference in their experience. As PLTW enrollment grows, KC STEM Alliance needs more volunteers to support these innovative STEM students, especially this year when in-person events are not available.
Connecting for College and Career Readiness
KC STEM Alliance convenes quarterly meetings with school and district PLTW coordinators, state education representatives, state and national PLTW leadership and others in the STEM learning ecosystem. During these meetings, educators share best practices and receive policy updates, funding opportunities, post-secondary and certification pathway information, career insights and more.