Strategic Snapshot Filter

Ford Motor Company is committed to helping all students become adept problem solvers and critical thinkers armed with strong teamwork and communications skills, particularly in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Recognizing that many high schools, in their current form, are not preparing students with the critical 21st century skills necessary to compete in a global knowledge economy and the reality of an ever-changing workplace, Ford has taken up the effort to improve high school instruction.

In 1990, dissatisfied with the level of performance of the state’s public schools, Michigan-based members of the national Business Roundtable (BRT) and the University of Michigan agreed to work together to develop a plan to improve education across the state. Their initial idea was to use the nine essential components of public education identified by the BRT as a framework to develop a broad vision to guide education reform in Michigan, analyze key issues, propose programs of change and outline the implementation steps. The group formalized an operational agreement with the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and became the Michigan Business Leaders for Education Excellence (MBLEE) in 1992.

Microsoft launched Partners in Learning (PIL) in 2003 to partner with government and education leaders at the national, state and local levels to deliver a portfolio of curricula, tools and resources designed to advance 21st-century teaching, learning and digital inclusion. Recognizing that a country’s ability to compete in the global economy rests on its most important resource — an educated and skilled workforce—Microsoft’s decision to launch PIL was born from a desire to demonstrate good corporate citizenship while staying true to Microsoft’s core competencies as a technology company.

Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a national partnership program that brings together local schools, higher education institutions and the private sector to promote pre-engineering education in middle and high school. PLTW provides pre-engineering courses for students in participating schools in hopes of yielding a bigger, better-trained and technology-savvy employee pipeline.

Texas Instruments (TI), a global semiconductor company and designer and supplier of digital signal processing and analog technologies, has a long and successful track record of strategic corporate philanthropy, volunteerism and advocacy in the area of public education. TI recognizes the need to prepare students for careers that require proficiency and competency in math and science skills to ensure a workforce that can continue to move technological research and development forward in the U.S.