Fort Worth Independent School District and Lockheed Martin announced Sept. 23 a $1 million multi-year grant to expand college- and career-focused science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs for all schools across the district.
The STEM curriculum is offered through Project Lead The Way (PLTW), a nonprofit organization that provides STEM programs nationwide to students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Fort Worth ISD is the third urban school district to expand STEM programming through Lockheed Martin’s national agreement with PLTW. Through the grant, six schools will begin offering PLTW programs for the 2015-2016 school year. Over the course of the grant, with matching support from other community partners, every Fort Worth ISD school will have the opportunity to implement a PLTW program of study.
Lockheed Martin has committed $6 million nationally to expand PLTW programs in select U.S. urban school districts. In addition to Fort Worth, Lockheed Martin has similar partnerships with Orange County, Fla.; Huntsville, Ala.; and Washington, D.C. The grant funding covers implementation costs, including PLTW teacher professional development training, software, classroom equipment and supplies. In addition, Lockheed Martin engineers will volunteer in classrooms at the participating schools, building relationships with students as role models and mentors.
“This partnership gives our talented workforce the opportunity to share the excitement of STEM directly with the students and provide another connection between the classroom and real-world application,” said Orlando Carvalho, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. “This is another aspect of our commitment to our Fort Worth community, where Lockheed Martin and its predecessor companies have had a presence for more than 70 years.”
Betty Dillard
bdillard@bizpress.net