Contact: Dr. Jenni Norlin-Weaver
Director of Teching & Learning
952-848-4951
jenweaver@edina.k12.mn.us

Media Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Project Lead the Way classes receive certification to offer college credit

Edina, Minn., Dec. 21, 2009 – Edina Public Schools students interested in science, technology, engineering and math, now have the opportunity to earn college credit for their coursework. The Project Lead The Way (PLTW) pre-engineering and engineering technology program was certified Dec. 16, and by the 2011-2012 school year four total courses – Introduction to Engineering Design, Principles of Engineering, Civil Engineering and Architecture and Digital Electronics – will be eligible for three college credits each.   

“Edina students will be able to earn up to 12 college credits before they graduate high school, said Peter Grimm, a nationally accredited PLTW teacher at South View Middle School. “This opportunity provides students with a competitive edge; they will enter college pre-equipped with technological and engineering-specific skills.”

PLTW is a national organization that prepares students to be the most innovative and productive leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and to make meaningful, pioneering contributions to our world. Edina Public Schools offered PLTW classes for the first time during the 2008-2009 school year. There are currently more than 1,300 students involved in PLTW classes in Edina, and the program is growing at a rapid rate.

“The STEM movement about enriching students learned skills in 21 century technologies using methods of applied learning through project and activity based coursework,” said South View PLTW teacher Fred Mutchler. The next step is to bring these same opportunities to the high school level and be able to offer students college credit capable classes.”

The certification team was comprised of Jim Mecklenburg, program director of Minnesota PLTW, Nancy Louwagie, Normandale Community College, and Dr. Katherine Cramer, University of Minnesota.

For more information about PLTW, visit www.mnpltw.org.

About Edina Public Schools:
Edina Public Schools is comprised of six elementary schools (K-5), two middle schools (6-9) and one senior high (10-12). Total enrollment is approximately 7,800 students. The District serves a large portion of Edina, a first-tier Minneapolis suburb comprised of approximately 47,450 people.

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