UT Tyler Charter School Named Project Lead The Way 2022-23 Distinguished District

May 23, 2023

UT Tyler Charter School Named Project Lead The Way 2022-23 Distinguished District

Office of Marketing and Communications

May 23, 2023

Media Contact:  Hannah Buchanan
Editor/Writer–Strategic Communications & Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.539.7196 (cell)

The University of Texas at Tyler University Academy has been named a 2022-23 Project Lead The Way Distinguished District. UT Tyler UA is one of just 17 PLTW districts across the country and the only one in Texas to receive recognition this year.

The PLTW Distinguished District recognition honors districts committed to increasing student access, engagement and achievement in their PLTW pathway programs in computer science, engineering and/or biomedical science. To be eligible for the designation, recognized districts have 20% or more of its students in each grade participate in a PLTW program during the 2021-22 school year, or each school in the district earned the 2022-23 PLTW Distinguished School award.

“It’s an honor to be recognized for our STEM pathways,” said Dr. Jo Ann Simmons, UA superintendent. “The UA is unique in that students have a focused STEM curriculum starting in kindergarten and culminating in our biomedical and engineering pathways in high school. These pathways are aligned with UT Tyler STEM majors, allowing for a seamless K-16 STEM education.”

UT Tyler UA offers PLTW Launch (K-5), PLTW Gateway (6-8) and PLTW [computer science, engineering and biomedical science] programs at its three campuses. “We are proud to recognize the UT Tyler University Academy for their commitment to providing students with exceptional educational experiences while ensuring equitable access to PLTW programs,” said Dr. David Dimmett, PLTW president and CEO. “We congratulate them on this achievement and celebrate their important work empowering students with the knowledge and skills to succeed, not only in STEM subjects, but also more generally in life and career.”

Project Lead The Way is a mission-driven organization that is transforming the learning experience for millions of PreK-12 students and thousands of teachers across the U.S. PLTW empowers students to develop in demand, transportable knowledge and skills through pathways in computer science, engineering and biomedical science. PLTW’s teacher training and resources support teachers as they engage their students in real-world learning. Approximately 12,200 elementary, middle and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia offer PLTW programs. For more information, visit pltw.org.

The UT Tyler University Academy is a K-12 public university charter school with campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine. UT Tyler UA offers STEM curriculum in a hands-on learning environment. The district currently serves about 835 students. For more information, visit uttua.org.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate programs to 10,000 students. UT Tyler recently merged with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler (now known as UT Tyler Health Science Center). Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center (HSC) and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.