Lessons learned in a university-public school partnership for teaching engineering in grades 2-6

Abstract

Worcester Polytechnic Institute is conducting an NSF-funded GK-12 program titled "K-6 Gets a Piece of the PIEE (Partnerships Implementing Engineering Education)." The goals include (1) assisting the Worcester Public School System to implement curricula in engineering and technology at the elementary level, and (2) providing in-depth involvement with K-6 education to WPI graduate and undergraduate students as they pursue their own technical education. At the mid-point of the project, this paper reports the lessons learned in managing this rather large and complex project which brings together two quite different educational institutions. The results to date have been quite positive.