Professional Development and Curriculum

Our Keystone Educational Excellence Programs are based upon the belief that the most efficient way to reach large numbers of students is to teach their teachers. On average, a middle-level instructor teaches five units with 25 students in each. With approximately 400 educators participating in our trainings annually, that means approximately 50,000 students are introduced to our curricula each year. This impact multiplies as teachers build upon and expand the curricula in their classrooms year after year.

Our programs further the knowledge and skills of teachers in the vital subject areas of science, technology, engineering, and math, as well as teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking. They also address current federal competitiveness goals as outlined in recent federal legislation, the COMPETES (Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science) Act.

Our staff offers teacher training, curriculum development, distribution, and ongoing teacher support. Current programs include:

• Key Issues: Bringing Environmental Issues to the Classroom
• CSI: Climate Status Investigations
• Science and Sustainability: An introduction to the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry
• Rovers, Reward, Risk, & the Red Planet: Addressing STEM Initiatives
• The Balanced Equation
• Students, Sustainability, and Service Learning

Though each addresses a unique issue and approach, all of our programs:

• Include presentations on the most up-to-date information relating to the curriculum topic
• Offer teachers hands-on experience in specific lesson plans
• Provide all of the necessary tools (lesson plans, software, labs, etc.) to implement curriculum upon completion of training
• Engage learners through applied participation
• Are easily transferable

In a current PEL program survey, participant responses show the percentage of teachers who believe that PEL programming had or will have positive effects on:

Our staff coordinate within funder communities, both domestic and abroad, to recruit interested and qualified teachers to attend our training. We partner with funders to provide sponsorships for middle-level teachers from diverse gender, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds.  Partners who support teacher attendance of our programs are effectively investing in their own communities - promoting an educated population right where they do business.