Project Lead The Way(R) Receives National Recognition from the Education Commission...

Project Lead The Way(R) Receives National Recognition from the Education
Commission of the States

Organization Works to Strengthen Math and Science Education

DENVER, June 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Education Commission of the
States (ECS) is pleased to award Project Lead The Way(R) (PLTW) the 2009 ECS
Corporate Award. The tribute honors for-profit corporations or non-profit
organizations with sustained commitment to and investment in improving public
education. The award will be presented by Minnesota Governor and ECS Chair Tim
Pawlenty as part of the 2009 National Forum on Education Policy, July 8-10 in
Nashville, Tenn.

Collaborating with schools, industry, state government and universities, PLTW
works to build future generations of successful engineers and technology savvy
graduates. PTLW supports a series of middle and high school courses that are
project-centered, problem-based and technology-integrated, preparing students
to excel in high-tech fields. With rigorous and relevant context tied to
national standards, the program responds to a common student question: "Why do
I have to learn this?"

"This is a perfect example of a public/private partnership engaging and
challenging students to apply their skills and knowledge to real life
situations," notes ECS President Roger Sampson.

Project Lead The Way leadership believe that when schools apply activities and
problem-based learning, they generate an "increase in student motivation, an
increase in cooperative learning skills, higher-order thinking and an
improvement in student achievement." Research has shown this to be true.
According to an evaluation by High Schools That Work, PLTW students scored
significantly higher in both mathematics and science high school assessments.
The National Center for Education Statistics 2006-07 True Outcomes report
explains that students who participate in PLTW are five times more likely to
graduate college as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
majors than those who do not.

The organization was started in the 1980s in upstate New York by Richard Blais
and Richard Liebich, becoming an independent not-for-profit organization in
1997. Today, the program is expanding across the country with an eye to new
and engaging curriculum.

"We are extremely honored to receive this award, particularly at a time when
our country needs a new generation of innovators to remain economically
competitive in the 21st century global economy," said John Lock, CEO of
Project Lead The Way. "We remain committed to attracting more students to
science, math, engineering and tech fields in the coming years by expanding
the reach of PLTW's critical-thinking and project-based curriculum to more
schools around the country. By helping students apply what they learn in math
and science to innovation and real life problem-solving, we can create
America's next "Innovation Generation' and regain our economic competitive
advantage."

The Education Commission of the States (ECS) is the only nationwide,
nonpartisan interstate compact devoted to education. ECS helps governors,
legislators, state education officials and others identify, develop and
implement public policies to improve student learning at all levels. A
nonprofit organization, ECS (www.ecs.org) was formed in 1965 and is located in
Denver, Colorado.
Project Lead The Way(R) is a national 501c3, not-for-profit educational
program that helps give middle and high school students the rigorous
ground-level education they need to develop strong backgrounds in science and
engineering. For more information, please visit: http://www.pltw.org.

SOURCE Education Commission of the States

Mary Ann Strombitski, +1-303-299 3609, mstrombitski@ecs.org, or Ashley Zaleski
+1-303-299-3698, azaleski@ecs.org, both of the Education Commission of the
States