The program would be the first of its kind for public schools on a national level, CCISD officials said.
The overview
The district currently offers aerospace engineering courses with a focus on rockets through Project Lead the Way, which is a national nonprofit organization that provides science, technology, engineering and math-focused, hands-on curriculum for K-12 schools.
This new program will focus on aspects of living and communicating on the moon and Mars, CCISD Coordinator of Innovative Programs Laura Mackay said.
“That is not something that's been done in public school anywhere in the nation, so we are working together with a group of amazing people and partners trying to make that a reality to design a new curriculum for our students,” she said.
The details
The district hopes to offer this new curriculum with high school and dual enrollment credit, Mackay said.
Another goal is to partner with the NASA Johnson Space Center to offer students a high school aerospace scholars designation and potentially a certificate completion form from a university.
Ideally, students will also be able to stay within their home high school and travel to participate in the space engineering program in the morning or afternoon, Mackay said.
Next steps
Before this curriculum launches in 2026, officials are looking to partner with higher education entities, said Stanley Zavala, CCISD’s director of advanced academics and gifted and talented programming.
The district has applied for a Texas Space Commission, or TSC, grant, and they are still in the consideration phase, Zavala said. Along with that, the district has also applied to become a member of the TSC, and if accepted, they will become the first K-12 institution to be a part of the commission.
In the meantime, the district is also partnering with the Aldrin Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Andrew Aldrin, the son of Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin. The foundation offers space-related STEM education and was awarded a grant from the TSC to develop space craft and satellite curriculum, with CCISD participating in this initiative.
Zavala said they will begin planning with the foundation for the curriculum by the week of Aug. 18.
