Be a champion

Your friends and neighbors, school board members, district administrators, and school administrators are the key. Tell them we face unprecedented demand in the aviation and aerospace workforce. Let them know that AOPA provides—free of charge—a world-class aviation STEM curriculum, professional development, and program support to prepare their students for meaningful and lucrative aerospace careers.

The AOPA Foundation’s High School Aviation STEM curriculum, part of the You Can Fly High School Initiative, is available free to public, private, parochial, and charter high schools and career and technical centers across the United States. This program, which is available for grades nine through 12, prepares students to take the FAA private pilot or remote pilot knowledge tests and gives students the skills and experience they need to pursue careers as pilots, aerospace engineers, and in other aviation-related STEM professions.

In the 2022-2023 school year, the AOPA Foundation High School Aviation STEM Curriculum was used by more than 530 teachers at 400 high schools to teach and inspire 16,000 high school students in 43 states. The 2023-2024 school year will see continued growth in the number and diversity of students served by the curriculum.

The curriculum contains everything teachers need, including lesson plans, teacher presentations, activities, and assessments. It’s aligned to nationaleducation standards and FAA airman certification standards and meets rigorous STEM, career, and technical education state standards. Teachers get free initial video-based professional development, ongoing support, and access to AOPA Air Safety Institute resources. Through the free AOPA High School membership, students ages 13 through 17 can sign up for free AOPA student memberships. Connect your friends and neighbors with us via email at [email protected] and challenge them to create career pathways that will make their students’ aviation and aerospace career dreams take flight.

Glenn Ponas is director of High School Outreach for the AOPA Foundation You Can Fly High School Aviation program.

aopa.org/curriculum

The You Can Fly High School Aviation STEM curriculum is funded by generous donations to the AOPA Foundation.

foundation.aopa.org