This grant provided funding to scale the Filling the Gap (FTG) Program to partner teachers in school districts in Western North Carolina with local STEM businesses to design and implement problem-based learning (PBL) units that apply student learning to real-world problems found in industry. STEM West, an educational arm of the COG serving nine western North Carolina counties, is a regional collaboration of school districts and local business and industry partners that implemented a train-the-trainer program for teachers of grades 6-12 and curriculum personnel that included training in Project-based Learning (PBL), the use of data-collection technology, and participation in business tours. Golden LEAF dollars were used for teacher stipends (48 teachers participating from five school districts), and costs related to field trips to participating businesses/industries, curriculum development, and professional development.
