Project Lead The Way - A model program for initiating, funding and maintaining a successful pre-engineering program in the nation´s high schools

A new initiative, Project Lead The Way (PLTW) takes aim at changing the focus of technology education at the high school level. The program offers a four-year sequence in engineering and engineering technology. The program was first developed in the 1980s by Richard Blais. Blais and his staff began a process of reviewing, developing and testing a series of courses that incorporated the skills needed in engineering with the latest high-technology equipment and software. He and his department were supported by a Technology Advisory Board that he established in order to gain the expertise of people in industry and to garner support for the changes that were to be implemented in the curriculum. The members of the board went beyond their initial objectives, locating funds to help purchase equipment and materials for the program in its experimental stage. Over the next three years it became apparent that the program was attracting an increasing number of students, many who would not have enrolled in any technology course until college. Project Lead The Way has been presenting its program to selected schools in New York State and New Hampshire. They have developed an effective organization, goals and strategies that have resulted in over thirty school districts signing contracts to participate in the program.