Partners in Education

PBLWorks is “a mission-driven nonprofit organization [that] creates, gathers, and shares high-quality [project-based learning] instructional practices and products and provides highly effective services to teachers, schools, and districts.” Pitsco Education has been delivering hands-on, project-based learning for more than 40 years.

“Bright Futures USA is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing communities together to focus on the success of children. This grassroots movement uses the Bright Futures framework to engage businesses, human service agencies, faith-based organizations, and parent groups within communities to meet the needs of children.” Bright Futures USA and Pitsco Education are working to increase community interest in innovative education strategies.

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is helping “make evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) an integral part of education from preschool through high school.” Pitsco Education has furthered the work of CASEL through its implementation of the framework throughout its educational solutions.

The Division of Academic and Technical Education (DATE), within the US Department of Education's Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, “is responsible for helping all students acquire academic and technical skills and be prepared for high-skill, high-wage, or high-demand occupations.” Pitsco has worked with various organizations such as ACTE, NAWB, ACT^® WorkKeys^®, and ITEEA to create a framework that is aligned to its products, activities, curricula, and solutions.

Enable Education’s mission is “to support and enhance the way people teach and learn.” Enable creates “innovative resources for learners of all ages, in a wide variety of subject areas,” and has been an integral partner with Pitsco Education in the development of our learning content management system.

In the FIRST ^® Tech Challenge, developed by the FIRST organization, teams “are challenged to design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in a head-to-head challenge in an alliance format.” Pitsco Education is the official supplier and distribution partner for the FIRST  Tech Challenge kit and materials for the FIRST  Tech Challenge event.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) “help[s] educators around the world use technology to solve tough problems in education.” Pitsco Education has worked closely with ISTE and the certifying bodies for computer science to align our experiences to the various needs of the student and educator. We support all forms of technology in education in our pedagogy and implementations for teachers.

“The International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) is the professional organization for technology, innovation, design, and engineering educators.” Their stated mission is “to promote technological literacy for all by supporting the teaching of technology and engineering and promoting the professionalism of those engaged in these pursuits.” Pitsco Education has been a corporate member, exhibitor, and sponsor of ITEEA for more than 40 years.

KUBO Robotics was formed “to help children learn essential 21st century skills through coding and computational thinking in a social, hands-on context.” The organization introduces young students to basic coding through screenless, physical solutions which emphasize hands-on and social skills. Pitsco is proud to join forces with Kubo to bring coding to U.S. K-2 classrooms.

The National AfterSchool Association (NAA) is the membership organization for those who work in the afterschool profession. Their mission is to “promote development, provide education, and encourage advocacy for the out-of-school-time community to further the afterschool profession.” NAA is a leader in the eort to empower students of all backgrounds by closing the digital learning gap. Pitsco, a longtime provider of technology solutions for afterschool programs, maintains a presence on the NAA’s corporate advisory board.

National Instruments “work[s] with engineers and scientists to provide answers to the most challenging questions. Through these pursuits, NI customers have brought hundreds of thousands of products to market, overcome innumerable technological roadblocks, and engineered a better life for us all.” Pitsco Education and National Instruments have partnered to develop robotics building sets and curriculum for postsecondary education and a series of miniSystems that use the NI myDAQ and LabVIEW ™ software.

The mission of Battelle for Kids, P21 is “to serve as a catalyst for 21st century learning by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community, and government leaders so that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in a world where change is constant and learning never stops.” Pitsco Education holds a position on the executive board and has worked closely with Battelle for Kids on the educational aspects of the 4Cs in schools.

“SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce.” Pitsco Education’s Robotics: Urban Search & Rescue competition circuit culminates at the SkillsUSA national conference. The competition exposes students to real-world robotics search-and-rescue scenarios experienced by police, military, and the private sector.

"Cultivating a STEM Learning Ecosystem to meet the needs of all young people requires intentional and strategic action toward shared goals." Pitsco has worked with a number of ecosystems and partners with the STEM Learning Ecosystem organization to provide STEM solutions and strategies to their cohorts.

“The STEM Education Coalition works aggressively to raise awareness in Congress, the Administration, and other organizations about the critical role that STEM education plays in enabling the U.S. to remain the economic and technological leader of the global marketplace of the 21st century.” Pitsco Education has worked with like-minded members of the coalition to ensure that STEM is included in legislation such as ESSA and the Perkins Act. Pitsco is a leader in the STEM field and has added its voice to the multitude of dialogues around this topic both in the US and internationally.

TGR Labs, an initiative of the Tiger Woods Foundation, “strive[s] to . . . offer students unique learning experiences in STEM and enrichment programs in college access.” Pitsco Education has worked with the Tiger Woods Foundation since 2004 to provide hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math programs for youth of all ages. Students who visit each year experience Pitsco’s STEM-based curricula and learning environment.

The Technology Student Association (TSA) is focused on “enhanc[ing] personal development, leadership, and career opportunities in STEM.” Pitsco Education has supported TSA since its incorporation in 1978, most prominently through dragster competitions at the state and national levels. Pitsco also provides support for the Junior Solar Sprint (JSS) competition through kits and specifically designing the race system for use at the national convention.

World Robot Olympiad (WRO™) “bring[s] together young people from all over the world to develop their creativity, design and problem solving skills through challenging and educational robot competitions and activities.” Pitsco Education is a proud sponsor of the Advanced Robotics Challenge, an open competition for students ages 17-25, and has developed a WRO competition set for the TETRIX robotics building platform.