Project Lead the Way

Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is the leading provider of rigorous and innovative Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) education curricular programs used in middle and high schools across the U.S. More than 400,000 students in more than 4,200 schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia are taking PLTW STEM education courses during the 2011-12 academic year. Students have enjoyed success in a variety of fields and disciplines and have taken what they learned with PLTW far beyond the classroom. Since 2004, PLTW has used an independent service to conduct follow-up student testing and measure the programs’ impact. Student assessments are gathered at the end of each PLTW course, rating student interest and engagement. Participating schools also conduct surveys on a local and state level, while our other partners contribute wider education assessments. What we’ve found is that, across the board, PLTW works.

• PLTW alumni are 5 to 10 times more likely to pursue engineering and technology classes than other first-year college students.
• On average, PLTW alumni have a GPA 0.21 points higher than the average GPA of all first-year college students. PLTW students surveyed in Wisconsin middle schools and high schools reported being more engaged in schoolwork than did non-PLTW students.
• PLTW students outscored a random sample of other career/technical students by 10 points in reading, 11 points in mathematics, and 10 points in science.
• 79 percent of PLTW graduates completed four years of college-preparatory mathematics and 63 percent completed four years of college-preparatory science.
• 97 percent of PLTW alumni said they planned to pursue a four-year degree as opposed to 67 percent of non-PLTW students.

Learn more at www.pltw.org