HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 127 Offered January 9, 2008 Prefiled January 8, 2008 Encouraging the school divisions of the Commonwealth to consider launching a Project Lead the Way program in the division's high schools. ---------- Patron-- Nutter ---------- Committee Referral Pending ----------

WHEREAS, Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a not-for-profit organization that promotes hands-on pre-engineering courses for middle and high school students by forming partnerships with public schools, higher education institutions, and the private sector to increase the quantity and quality of engineers and engineering technologists graduating from the educational system; and

WHEREAS, PLTW programs are currently offered in over 1,300 schools in 45 states and the District of Columbia; including high schools in 14 of 132 school divisions in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the six courses offered in the high school pre-engineering program include introduction to engineering design, principals of engineering, digital electronics, computer integrated manufacturing, civil engineering and architecture, and engineering design and development and such courses will serve to allow students to apply and reinforce their study of math and science; and

WHEREAS, one of PLTW's stated goals is to work with four and two-year engineering and engineering technology programs to reduce the future college engineering program attrition rate, which currently exceeds 50 percent nationally; and

WHEREAS, the Joint Subcommittee to Study Science, Math, and Technology Education in the Commonwealth at the Elementary, Secondary, and Undergraduate Levels (HJR 25, 2006) heard extensive testimony regarding the necessity for innovative instruction in math, science, engineering, and engineering technology; and

WHEREAS, the joint subcommittee made final recommendations at the final meeting of the 2007 interim to: (i) encourage local school divisions that have not yet launched Project Lead the Way, to do so; and (ii) propose legislation creating a Project Lead the Way Launch Program to provide matching grants to local school divisions launching a PLTW program in the division's high schools; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the school divisions of the Commonwealth be encouraged to consider launching a Project Lead the Way program in the division's high schools; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to the Superintendent of Public Instruction of Virginia, requesting that the Superintendent further disseminate copies of this resolution to all local school boards so that they may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter.