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Editor's Notes

1. I��m here to speak to you about the importance of teaching primary and secondary students the life skill of project management.
2. We can think of our lives, and those of students, as a set of complex projects. Think about the elements of a project: it��s temporary (although it could last a few seconds or several centuries); It is clear when it starts and when it��s done, often because it��s constrained by time, money, or other resources; It has a purpose. Examples of projects include things as simple as making and eating a sandwich, to as complex as landing on the moon; as small as making a kite, or as large as constructing a skyscraper; as easy as learning a new exercise routine, or as difficult as researching a cure for cancer. For students, projects can be learning about the letter ��A,�� developing something to show in a science fair, or successfully completing a class in 4 th grade science, creative writing, or differential calculus. In our lives, we do many projects at the same time. As students advance in their schools, they lead even busier lives with multiple projects, after school jobs, multiple classes and trying to complete everything they need to graduate.
3. Students are given complex projects as early as 4 th grade and they are graded on the these projects. We wouldn��t expect a student to write a paper without providing instruction in grammar and spelling; nor would be expect a child to pass a math test with knowing how to add and subtract. Yet we grade students on projects and don��t teach the project management skills. And as our students move beyond elementary school, the projects they are assigned are more complex, and they have different projects going on in different classes. All of this requires that students learn more sophisticated project management skills. Learning project management skills, including prioritization and scheduling multiple, inter-related tasks helps students balance their workload, while giving them practice in skills they will be able to use when they graduate and join the workforce.
4. *Note that these are the skills noted in the Project Management Book of Knowledge ?, ANSI/PMI 99-01-2008, the Project Management Institute��s Global Standard that is used in the US by government and industries of all types. Some of the skill sets overlap, but they generally appear in the PMBOK like they do in the table. Management skills are used to manage work. Management skills support the 5 process groups of project management: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, and Closing projects. Some of these skills are taught in teacher training, but some are not. If teachers are taught the global-industry-standard skills for project management, they can pass them on to students If students learn these skills, they can become better able to manage their school demands and the other demands on their lives. Interpersonal skills allow project managers to accomplish work through team members and/or stakeholders. Interpersonal skills are relevant whether teachers or students are working in groups, or as individuals. Again, some of these skills are incorporated into teacher training, but many are not. If students learn these skills as part of their schooling, they are better prepared to deal with life, in general. Technical skills are skills used to conduct project work. Technical skills are those skills that teachers teach and that students learn. Teachers learn these skills as the subject matter of their specialties, e.g., math, foreign languages, computer education, early childhood education (that covers all subjects that they are required to teach), etc., and teach these skills to students.
5. A new frontier of education has emerged in which projects have become an integral part of a child��s learning experience and as project based learning increases in the classroom, many schools are seeing decreased drop-out rates, increased standardized test scores, and increased numbers of students going on to schools beyond high school. States are starting to recognize the value of project management for their students and teachers. As the states of North Carolina and Washington State started to investigate new programs they turned to business leaders to provide input and these business leaders told them that project management is a valuable skill set and one that they would like their future employees have. The State of North Carolina is developing a series of four project management courses and reached out to the Foundation for help. The State of North Carolina is part of the Southern Regional Education Board, a coalition of 16 states that develop curriculum and training resources. There is potential that the project management program could adopted by all of the 16 states. Washington State is evaluating a project management framework that would be incorporated into the state��s Career and Technical Education programs. The framework is based on PMBOK and incorporates PMI principles. Both of these programs provide a wonderful opportunity to teach youth an important life skill.
6. Whether students choose the profession of project management, own their own business or work as an engineer, teacher or architect, they will all use project management skill and employers value this skill. US Government and industry has used project management for the past 60 years, and within the past 20 years, its use has spread throughout global industry. Some of the more common industries that require the use of project management include: Construction, Medicine, Information Technology, Banking, Government, Defense Programs, and Technology Development. Many studies and examples of the benefits of the use of project management can be found, but it��s only very recently that our educational system has begun to recognize that students need these skills to be successful in their ultimate work lives.
7. Project based learned involves projects focused on solving complex, real world problems. Students work individually or in small groups to investigate, research and create solution to problems that have multiple solutions and methods for researching them. Teachers and students ��contract�� to achieve required competencies, and track progress towards goals. Research on learning through projects demonstrates that student gains in factual learning were equal or better to those using more traditional learning methods. School attendance is higher because students are engaged because they have the opportunity to work on real problems, sometimes problems that the students identify for themselves. This method of learning is gaining in popularity because it is highly effective with this generation of digital learners. Since students learn through projects it make sense that project management tools and terminology are integrated in project learning programs.
8. As a non-profit and through our partnerships, we can connect schools with resources to implement project management programs for youth.
9. Careers in project management is another resource that can be used in schools. This resource provides information about salary levels, industries that employ project management and examples of the type of work that project managers do and the impact that they have. This can be taken to guidance counselor, used at a career fair, or during a career presentation. Careers in PM has been used in schools and programs throughout the world including India and Washington, DC.
10. All of our programs and materials can be found on our web site, www.pmief.org, or by contacting Diane.