High School Engineering Courses in Colorado

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a highly successful K-12 pre-engineering program taught in high schools across the country. The High School Program is a four year sequence of courses which, when combined with traditional mathematics and science courses in high school, introduces students to the scope, rigor and discipline of engineering prior to entering college. The PLTW curriculum was first introduced to 12 New York State high schools in the 1997 – 98 school year and was developed at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. A year later, PLTW field tested its four unit Middle School Program in three middle schools. Today, the programs are offered in over 1,300 schools in 45 states and the District of Columbia. At least 20 high schools in Colorado have implemented the program into their curriculum. The purpose of this paper is to describe the benefits and implementation of the program in Jefferson County Schools in Colorado. The benefits and problems with the program will be identified. Students and teachers will be interviewed.