Donohue & Associates, Inc. is proud to be a partner in the innovative engineering program “Project Lead The Way” now being implemented in the Sheboygan (Wis.) Area School District.

Project Lead The Way® (PLTW) is a non-profit organization that promotes pre-engineering courses for middle and high school students. PLTW is now being used in 1,700 schools across 46 states.

Donohue & Associates, together with other Sheboygan employers and foundations, has helped the District equip middle and high schools with the tools to handle the new curriculum. The initial phase included a Design & Modeling course for 6th graders at Farnsworth Middle School. The District plans to expand the program to all three middle schools and the two high schools within the next school year.

By getting students interested in a pre-engineering curriculum in the middle and high school years, the program's goal is to improve the number, quality, and diversity of engineers graduating from the educational system. This program also offers students the opportunity to find out if engineering is the right career for them before college. PLTW's curriculum, one third theory and two-thirds application, gives students meaningful, hands-on experience in problem-solving, teamwork and project-based learning with an emphasis on math, science and technology.

A recent editorial in the Sheboygan Press summed up their support of the program stating, "While not every student taking part in the Project Lead the Way program will pursue a career as a scientist or engineer, the idea of having all middle school students exposed to science and technology is a great way to expand their career choices for the future."