About Us

About Ten80 Education

Ten80’s first engineer-educator teams formed in the late 1990’s to champion Project-Based Learning that Doesn’t Forget the Learning.  Today Ten80 is a leader in STEM Education and a champion of careers in the Trades, named one of four Exemplary and Ready-to-Scale Initiatives by Change the Equation & STEMWorks.

Ten80 Education™ produces standards-based curricula and competitions, a web-based Points Race that gamifies hands-on learning, and custom programs for partners. Signature programs include the Ten80 Racing Challenge, Autonomous Electric Vehicle (AV/EV) Challenge, and Drone Challenge, and (new) SunPowered Student Challenge.

Through CLASSROOM, CLUB, and CAMP curriculum, complete with materials, training, and support, Ten80 invites K-12 students to practice the art of being STEM and trades professionals. To demonstrate their skills, teams across the U.S. and China gather to compete at local, regional, and national Face-to-Face events each year, and/or submit their work for the online Points Race.

In addition to the curriculum and competitions, Ten80 draws on decades of experience in industry and with students and educators to produce custom, event-based STEM experiences with industry association partners, designed to help launch youth into career pathways while promoting meaningful community engagement. Notable partners have included the U.S. Army, SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association), NASCAR, SME (formerly Society of Manufacturing Engineers), NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers), America Makes, Lightning eMotors, and the Denver Broncos.

Vision and Mission

Our Vision

Ten80 envisions a society of creative, agile problem-solvers who are inspired and prepared to thrive together through innovation and teamwork.

Learning is no longer preparation for the job; it is the job.

Today’s students will live in a future in which they invent and reinvent their work, team up to solve problems, develop new knowledge, and continuously acquire new skills.*

Whether living at the tech frontier, leading a new community initiative or seeking political solutions, innovative thinking toward a common goal is the key to unlocking a society that thrives in this future.

Our Mission

Today’s students are the most computer-savvy of any generation before them. In front of a screen, they frequently know more than the adults in the room. But this comes at a price: they spend too little time exposed to hands-on learning, collaborating in person with peers, or solving problems they encounter.

At Ten80, we know the power and promise of technology. But we believe there must be a balance, in order to prepare young people for jobs and for daily living. This is why Ten80 builds every educational engagement using a STEM Innovation framework and the Ten80 T-Square model: Tech, Tool Use, Teamwork, and Tenacity.

Together with educators and forward-thinking partners, we are investing in our future workforce and community members.

_{* NCTAF, 2011, p.4}

Ten80 Frameworks

STEM Innovation

All Ten80 teams engage in STEM Innovation, a process that purposefully combines these four elements: (1) the engineering process that requires (2) specific content knowledge and skills, the (3) enterprise process which is essentially prototyping a business and (4) leadership principles that are necessary to turn ideas into reality.

Ten80’s T-Square Model

Ten80 teams engage in STEM Innovation as defined by the “Innovation Arrow”.  Ten80 team members practice and cultivate skills related to the four pillars of the T-Square model.

• Tenacity = Critical and innovative thinking
• Teamwork = communication, management, and engagement
• Tools = a diverse toolbox is key to solving problems
• Technology = the flavor will change over time, learn from today’s tech and be ready for tomorrow’s challenges