NACME Partners with Project Lead the Way, Expands Pre-Engineering Efforts
The National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. has expanded its pre-engineering efforts with a new partnership with Project Lead The Way, Inc. to create engineering career pathways for African American, American Indian and Latino students.
White Plains, NY, October 28, 2009 --(PR.com)-- The National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. (NACME) has announced a partnership with Project Lead The Way, Inc. (PLTW®) to create engineering career pathways for underrepresented minority students.
The NACME/PLTW® Urban Initiative combines PLTW’s curriculum with resources provided by NACME to provide the ultimate support system for students. The Initiative was launched in September in the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) system.
Its goal is to provide support to students, parents and teachers in schools in selected urban areas in a national effort to increase the representation of successful African American, Latino and American Indian women and men in engineering technology, math and science-based careers.
“NACME’s goal is diversity with equity, our metric is parity in the workforce, and our methodology is the formation of partnerships,” said Dr. Irving Pressley McPhail, NACME President and CEO.
“The NACME/PLTW® Urban Initiative effort in Milwaukee fulfills all three requirements in a dynamic and innovative manner. This initiative ensures the growth and development of a stronger pathway from middle school through higher education into the STEM workforce for African American, Latino and American Indian women and men,” Dr. McPhail said.
NACME will provide up to $90K over the next three years for pre-engineering scholarships for top performing students and teacher innovation grants, along with engineering awareness materials and a linkage to NACME board companies and partner universities.
Milwaukee Public Schools were selected because of their exemplary implementation of the PLTW® curriculum and outstanding outreach to minorities. The Initiative plans to expand to other targeted regions in the 2010-11 school year.
John Lock, CEO of Project Lead The Way, said, “Every student is capable of becoming an innovator if they are in the right learning environment. Students of all backgrounds have performed extremely well in PLTW classrooms around the country, particularly in Milwaukee. We are very excited about the opportunity to add the NACME partnership to our other ongoing efforts to engage more minority students in STEM fields that are so critical to our nation’s prosperity.”
According to Lauren Baker, Coordinator, Career and Technical Education, MPS, more than 3,700 students are currently enrolled in the PLTW® program – more than any other school district in the nation.
“Project Lead The Way is a significant effort in Milwaukee Public Schools,” Baker said. “We are proud to boast that over 88 percent of the participants in our PLTW courses are students of color and almost 47 percent are female.”
Research shows that only four percent of underrepresented minority students nationally who graduate from high school have taken the requisite math and science courses to study engineering in college. The NACME/PLTW® Urban Initiative looks forward to upping that percentage and producing a more diverse engineering graduating class and workforce.
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About NACME
Since 1974, the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) has provided leadership and support for the national effort to increase the representation of successful African American, American Indian, and Latino women and men in engineering and technology, math-, and science-based careers. Over the past 35 years, more than 22,000 underrepresented minority students have received in excess of $120 million in scholarships grants and program support at 160 colleges and universities in all regions of the United States.
About Project Lead The Way, Inc.
PLTW is a national, non-profit organization that provides rigorous and innovative science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education for middle schools and high schools. The PLTW® comprehensive curriculum, which is collaboratively developed by PLTW teachers, university educators, engineering and biomedical professionals, and school administrators, 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 that they typically do not pursue, and provides them with a foundation and proven path to college and career success in STEM-related fields. PLTW began in 1998 in 12 high schools in upstate New York as a program designed to address the shortage of engineering students at the college level and has grown to a network of almost 3,400 middle and high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. More than 300,000 students are enrolled in PLTW® courses.
The NACME/PLTW® Urban Initiative combines PLTW’s curriculum with resources provided by NACME to provide the ultimate support system for students. The Initiative was launched in September in the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) system.
Its goal is to provide support to students, parents and teachers in schools in selected urban areas in a national effort to increase the representation of successful African American, Latino and American Indian women and men in engineering technology, math and science-based careers.
“NACME’s goal is diversity with equity, our metric is parity in the workforce, and our methodology is the formation of partnerships,” said Dr. Irving Pressley McPhail, NACME President and CEO.
“The NACME/PLTW® Urban Initiative effort in Milwaukee fulfills all three requirements in a dynamic and innovative manner. This initiative ensures the growth and development of a stronger pathway from middle school through higher education into the STEM workforce for African American, Latino and American Indian women and men,” Dr. McPhail said.
NACME will provide up to $90K over the next three years for pre-engineering scholarships for top performing students and teacher innovation grants, along with engineering awareness materials and a linkage to NACME board companies and partner universities.
Milwaukee Public Schools were selected because of their exemplary implementation of the PLTW® curriculum and outstanding outreach to minorities. The Initiative plans to expand to other targeted regions in the 2010-11 school year.
John Lock, CEO of Project Lead The Way, said, “Every student is capable of becoming an innovator if they are in the right learning environment. Students of all backgrounds have performed extremely well in PLTW classrooms around the country, particularly in Milwaukee. We are very excited about the opportunity to add the NACME partnership to our other ongoing efforts to engage more minority students in STEM fields that are so critical to our nation’s prosperity.”
According to Lauren Baker, Coordinator, Career and Technical Education, MPS, more than 3,700 students are currently enrolled in the PLTW® program – more than any other school district in the nation.
“Project Lead The Way is a significant effort in Milwaukee Public Schools,” Baker said. “We are proud to boast that over 88 percent of the participants in our PLTW courses are students of color and almost 47 percent are female.”
Research shows that only four percent of underrepresented minority students nationally who graduate from high school have taken the requisite math and science courses to study engineering in college. The NACME/PLTW® Urban Initiative looks forward to upping that percentage and producing a more diverse engineering graduating class and workforce.
###
About NACME
Since 1974, the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) has provided leadership and support for the national effort to increase the representation of successful African American, American Indian, and Latino women and men in engineering and technology, math-, and science-based careers. Over the past 35 years, more than 22,000 underrepresented minority students have received in excess of $120 million in scholarships grants and program support at 160 colleges and universities in all regions of the United States.
About Project Lead The Way, Inc.
PLTW is a national, non-profit organization that provides rigorous and innovative science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education for middle schools and high schools. The PLTW® comprehensive curriculum, which is collaboratively developed by PLTW teachers, university educators, engineering and biomedical professionals, and school administrators, 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 that they typically do not pursue, and provides them with a foundation and proven path to college and career success in STEM-related fields. PLTW began in 1998 in 12 high schools in upstate New York as a program designed to address the shortage of engineering students at the college level and has grown to a network of almost 3,400 middle and high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. More than 300,000 students are enrolled in PLTW® courses.
Contact
National Action Council for Minorities In Engineering, Inc.
Velma G. Lewis
914.539.4010 ext.229
www.nacme.org
Velma G. Lewis
914.539.4010 ext.229
www.nacme.org
Contact
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