East Ridge to Participate in National Project Lead the Way Pilot Program

From District 833:

Project Lead The Way (PLTW), a national provider of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum and professional development, announced that East Ridge High School has been selected to pilot a new PLTW course in the 2013-14 school year.

The course, Computer Science and Software Engineering, addresses an ever-growing need for students across all career paths to explore the new questions and tools opened up by massive data collection and processing.

The course also exposes students to the high-demand career paths within Computer Science and Information Technology.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 50% of the 1.4 million job openings in STEM through 2018 will be for computer specialists (PCAST Report to The President: Engage to Excel, 2012.)

Donald Winston, instructor at East Ridge High School, is among approximately 50 teachers nationwide participating in the pilot program. These 50 teachers will help construct the professional development for the teachers who wish to implement the Computer Science and Software Engineering course when it becomes available in the 2014-15 school year.

Both East Ridge and Woodbury High Schools offer a number of other PLTW courses to high school students in science and technology.