Published in Midwest Flyer – June/July 2018 issue
The Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association (AOPA) is inviting high schools to apply for AOPA’s free, innovative, aviation-based, ninth-grade science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum. The ninth-grade courses are the first of a four-year program that includes three career and technical education pathways – pilot, aerospace engineering, and drones.
Each fall, a new level of courses will become available to schools for implementation until all four high school grade levels of curriculum are presented. Schools that decide to apply will have the option to select individual courses to use as stand-alone electives or to implement one or more complete aviation pathways.
Over the past 12 months, AOPA tested the ninth-grade curriculum in nearly 30 schools with more than 700 students, before unveiling the program. The courses are aligned with Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and includes everything a teacher will need. Lesson plans, presentations, assessments, and other learning opportunities will be presented as engaging, enlightening, and fun student activities.
Donations to the AOPA Foundation allow the program to be offered free of charge to any public or private high school and would likely engage some students who may never have considered aviation before.
For additional information, visit www.aopa.org.
