Project Lead The Way is up and running in more than 50 middle schools and high schools across Kansas, rescuing students and teachers from the grind of lecture and schoolwork with hands-on innovation and learning.

PLTW is a national pre-engineering program designed to develop science, technology, engineering and math skills (STEM). In the program, students work in teams and get the chance to use technology and critical thinking skills to work through projects.

As the Kansas affiliate for PLTW, Wichita State University advises schools and trains teachers to teach PLTW courses. The program is a win-win situation for students and WSU.

“PLTW students come to WSU with STEM skills that help them in whatever career path they take,” said Karen Reynolds, assistant director of K-12 engineering education at Wichita State University. “It’s definitely helped (recruitment) and that’s one of our goals.”

“The students love it, the teachers love it,” she said.

“This experience inspired me to choose my major in engineering. It opened doors for me and broadened my horizons,” said Anh Le, a WSU freshman aerospace engineering major who was in PLTW at Wichita West High School.

Le said PLTW increased her interest in engineering, taught her to work in a team, gave her background knowledge on the program and made her more comfortable in her engineering classes.

“PLTW impacted my education by giving me tools that I would have never gotten in high school if it wasn’t for this program,” she said.

Real world setting
At Mayberry Cultural and Fine Arts Magnet Middle School in Wichita, PLTW students are working on a project where they’re using engineering concepts in a real world setting.

Maneth took advantage of PLTW’s curriculum to have his students design a floor display for The Sewing Center in Wichita. The designs were presented to the Sewing Center’s owner, who chose two winners from the designs created by Mayberry students.

Maneth’s students are finalizing their designs on the computer. Students who finish early will help him construct the display in class. The winners will autograph their names on the display.

“I think it can help kids realize that engineers aren’t these super geniuses. They’re just folks who can look at something and create something,” said Maneth. “They just have to know the process.”

Maneth discussed the importance of instilling a love for creativity in students.

“I think if they can get that idea and get that spark in them, then I think you’d see a lot more people getting into engineering.”

When asked about the students’ response to PLTW, Maneth said, “They just jump on it. When it comes down to it, it’s theirs, they made it.”

For real world experience, hands-on training and an exciting new classroom, PLTW lays a foundation for engineering in the future. Maneth and his middle school class epitomize that.

“He’s taking a lesson that they’re already doing, but he’s adapting it to do something really meaningful in the community and form a partnership with a local business,” said Reynolds.

“You can’t get any more real than that.”

PLTW is the largest nonprofit provider of STEM education programs. Almost 350,000 students in about 4,000 schools nationwide benefit from the program. For more information on PLTW, visit www.pltw.org or call the WSU College of Engineering at (316) 978-3400.