One Nation Under Taught by Vince M. Bertram

Author:Vince M. Bertram
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Beaufort Books
Published: 2014-12-03T16:00:00+00:00

4

I Am Convinced We Can Do This

To be clear, there is no shortage of organizations trying to address the issues I have written about. Home-grown school programs have sprouted across the country, organizations have developed local or regional programs, and a few have aspired to implement programs on a national scale.

But scaling to a national level requires more than just good intentions. Many organizations underestimate the importance of robust data systems, partner networks, and generally lack the human and financial capital to create an infrastructure necessary to grow the organization. Then there is the essential question of program efficacy. Many organizations lack research and measurable student outcomes, and the systems to collect performance data. And even if a program achieves positive results in an isolated implementation, can those results be replicated without quality degradation on a national level?

Even with these issues addressed, fledgling organizations now face the significant challenge of sustainability, particularly as the philanthropic support gap widens within an organization and they are challenged to raise more capital to expand and sustain operations. This is at a time in which companies and foundations are embracing accountability, proven strategies, and making high value-add investments from which they expect a return.

Project Lead The Way has navigated these issues. That is why Change the Equation, a CEO-led organization, recently endorsed PLTW as one of only four STEM programs of high quality and ready to be taken to scale nationally; the Social Impact Exchange named PLTW to its S&I 100 Index of non-profit organizations providing widespread impact and great promise of scalability; and PLTW received the national CLASSY award for educational advancement. PLTW is the only STEM organization endorsed by the Aerospace Industries Association.

PLTW was the vision of teacher Richard Blais and began in 1997 in twelve high schools in upstate New York. The mission was to inspire students and address the shortage of engineering students at the college level. Mr. Blais earned the support of the Liebich Family, and their Charitable Leadership Foundation provided substantial support to develop and expand the program. Over the years, PLTW has enjoyed tremendous support from several companies and foundations. Most notably, in 2007, the Kern Family Foundation, believing in PLTW’s potential to transform K-12 education and students’ lives, began a multi-million-dollar strategic investment to help take PLTW to a national scale.

Now based in Indianapolis, Indiana, PLTW has nearly 8,000 programs operating in more than 6,500 schools serving hundreds of thousands of students in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. PLTW is growing rapidly because it is effective, and because of a vast network of business and philanthropic partners, excellent teachers, and college and university affiliates.

The need for highly effective, nationally scalable STEM solutions could not be greater. The Department of Commerce estimates that the number of STEM jobs will grow seventeen percent by 2018 versus 9.8 percent for all other fields. Employers, however, report they are unable to find the talent required to fill these STEM jobs, leaving the United States, by 2018, with more than 1.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.