The Structure Of High School Academic And Pre Engineering Curricula: Mathematics

Our curriculum content analysis examines how the pre-engineering curriculum Project Lead The Way as compared to the academic curricula focus high school students' understanding of mathematics that would prepare them for future studies and careers in engineering. We address the mathematics topics that are presented in these curricula and how the topics are sequenced and presented to students. The results of our content analyses reveal differences in the organization of the intended pre-engineering and academic curricula. The PLTW curriculum addresses far fewer mathematic content and process standards when compared to academic curricula, and also exhibit far fewer points of potential integration of mathematics knowledge than expected, given the clarion call made in recent national policy reports and the Perkins Act.