What Is Ford PAS?

The Ford Partnership for Advanced Studies (Ford PAS) is an academically rigorous, interdisciplinary curriculum and program that provides students with content knowledge and skills necessary for future success—in such areas as business, economics, engineering, and technology. The inquiry- and project-based program offers a series of modules that links learning in traditional academic subjects with the challenges students will face in post-secondary education and with the expectations of the workplace they will face as adults. These links are forged through community-wide, cooperative efforts and innovative partnerships that join local high schools, colleges and universities, and businesses. Through coordinated, real-world learning opportunities, Ford PAS provides experiences to help students make decisions about their future education and careers.

Ford PAS was developed by Ford Motor Company Fund, as part of its efforts to encourage high school students to pursue their education—and build successful careers—in business, engineering, and technology, in partnership with Education Development Center Inc. (EDC).

The Components of the Ford PAS Program

The Ford PAS program and curriculum link classroom learning to the real-world. Ford PAS schools establish partnerships with local businesses and higher education institutions, which take an active role in the learning process. Ford PAS offers an active technical assistance program for teachers and coordinators and delivers trainings and professional development events and hosts networking opportunities.

Curriculum: Academically rigorous, interdisciplinary materials that provide students with knowledge and skills necessary for future success.

Partnerships: Network of relationships with a variety of organizations—including state departments of education, postsecondary
institutions, businesses, community-based organizations, and school districts that support implementation of the Ford PAS program at affiliated sites.

Technical Assistance (TA): Support and guidance for Ford PAS sites and partners through outreach, partnership development, and networking assistance.

Professional Development (PD): Renewal and advancement of teachers’ knowledge and skills focused on the Ford PAS inquiry-based, project-based, and collaborative approaches to teaching and learning.