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STEM education

PLTW Wins Two 2026 Educators Pick Best of STEM Awards

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PLTW Wins Two 2026 Educators Pick Best of STEM Awards

Indianapolis – September 13, 2026 -- Project Lead The Way (PLTW) has won two categories in the Educators Pick Best of STEM® 2026 Awards, with PLTW Engineering named "Best of STEM: Engineering Education" and PLTW Gateway recognized as "Best of STEM: Hands-on Learning for Middle School."

Judging panel comprises certified science and STEM educators exclusively

The awards program, operated with MCH Strategic Data, the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), and the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT), is the only STEM education awards initiative judged entirely by certified classroom teachers, specialists, and district leaders. Entries undergo rigorous evaluation for classroom suitability before recognition.

German School Invests €800,000 in STEM Center After Record-Low PISA Scores

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German School Invests €800,000 in STEM Center After Record-Low PISA Scores

Dahlem-Marienau – September 12, 2026 -- One in four 15-year-olds in Germany now fails to meet basic science competency standards, according to the newly released PISA 2026 study, which recorded the country's worst results since the assessment began. In response, private boarding school Schule Marienau in Lower Saxony is investing roughly €800,000 in a new STEM facility designed to reverse the decline in scientific literacy among students.

PISA 2026 data show only 10% of German students rank as high performers in science

The study found science performance at an all-time low nationally, with the top-performing segment stagnant while the broader student base loses ground. Marienau's leadership frames the results as a structural problem rather than statistical noise, arguing that schools have shifted too far from applied, problem-solving education toward rote knowledge transfer.