Wichita State University has new funding to help more middle and high school students in Wichita and surrounding areas enroll in pre-engineering courses at their high schools and middle schools through Project Lead the Way, a national pre-engineering program administered in Kansas through WSU.

Almost $400,000 in funding to help support or initiate Project Lead the Way programs in Kansas schools was provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, in partnership with WSU and a U.S. Department of Labor WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) grant.

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) offers a rigorous, hands-on, project-based curriculum that provides students with real-world applications in pre-engineering courses.

Starting in fall 2009, with funding from the Knight Foundation and WIRED, Wichita Public Schools will add a fourth PLTW high school program at Southeast High School, as well as implementing the PLTW Gateway to Technology program in seven middle schools.

Derby Public Schools will offer PLTW courses at Derby High School, Middle School and the Sixth Grade Center. New programs will be implemented at Arkansas City High School and Newton High School, and Hutchinson will expand its existing program.

PLTW exposes students to engineering careers and prepares them for college majors in engineering and other technical fields.

Students can earn college credit for some PLTW courses while still in high school. Teachers are required to complete PLTW summer training that strengthens their knowledge and skills, introduces them to the curriculum and encourages collaboration and partnerships.

Wichita State, the Kansas affiliate for PLTW, will offer three two-week summer training classes for teachers in July 2009.