2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

In Texas, the engineering program of study is one of multiple Career and Technology Education pathways a school district may offer. The curriculum for these pathways can be adopted from commercial providers or locally developed by school districts. Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Engineering is a curriculum that can be adopted by schools in Texas to fulfill the Engineering STEM pathway. This study followed cohorts of PLTW students to determine what impact, if any, does the PLTW curriculum have on the graduation rates of high school students. The likelihood to graduate with a STEM major or engineering major after high school was also examined. Program impact on traditionally disadvantaged groups was examined when compared to matched non-PLTW students. The sample for student included three cohorts of students who completed PLTW in high school and were tracked post-graduation. Outcomes for over 43,000 students enrolled in PLTW were examined. Results indicate Project Lead the Way has shown to improve student outcomes in terms of increased high school graduation rates, including improved graduation outcomes for underrepresented groups. PLTW was also shown to increase the share of college graduates with a STEM degree, and specifically also increasing the share of students graduating with an engineering degree. There is also an increased share of students for groups that are underrepresented in STEM and engineering fields.