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How Does Project-Based Learning Work?

Tools for understanding the process of planning and building projects.

Project-based learning, as with all lessons, requires much preparation and planning. It begins with an idea and an essential question. When you are designing the project and the essential question that will launch the activities, it is important to remember that many content standards will be addressed. With these standards in mind, devise a plan that will integrate as many subjects as possible into the project.

Have in mind what materials and resources will be accessible to the students. Next, students will need assistance in managing their time -- a definite life skill. Finally, have multiple means for assessing your students' completion of the project: Did the students master the content? Were they able to apply their new knowledge and skills? Many educators involve their students in developing these rubrics.

Here are steps for implementing PBL, which are detailed below:

Start with the Essential Question

Design a plan for the project, create a schedule, monitor the students and the progress of the project, assess the outcome, evaluate the experience.

The question that will launch a PBL lesson must be one that will engage your students. It is greater than the task at hand. It is open ended. It will pose a problem or a situation they can tackle, knowing that there is no one answer or solution.

"Questions may be the most powerful technology we have ever created. Questions and questioning allow us to make sense of a confusing world. They are the tools that lead to insight and understanding." --Jamie McKenzie, The Question Mark

Take a real-world topic and begin an in-depth investigation. Base your question on an authentic situation or topic. What is happening in your classroom? In your community? Select a question about an issue students will believe that, by answering, they are having an impact on. Make it relevant for them. The question should be a "now" question -- a question that has meaning in your students' lives.

Among many other wonderful resources for understanding PBL, the Buck Institute for Education (BIE) offers a great tutorial on how to "Craft the Driving Question." BIE consultant Andrew Miller recently wrote two blog posts for Edutopia.org, How to Write Effective Driving Questions for Project-Based Learning and How to Refine Driving Questions for Effective Project-Based Learning .

Edutopia.org PBL blogger Suzie Boss describes a variety of project kickoff ideas in How to Get Projects Off to a Good Start .

When designing the project, it is essential that you have in mind which content standards will be addressed. Involve the students in planning; they will feel ownership of the project when they are actively involved in decision making. Select activities that support the question and utilize the curriculum, thus fueling the process. Integrate as many subjects as possible into the project. Know what materials and resources will be accessible to the students to assist them. Be prepared to delve deeper into new topics and new issues that arise as the students become increasingly involved in the active pursuit of answers.

Design a timeline for project components. Realize that changes to the schedule will happen. Be flexible, but help the students realize that a time will come when they need to finalize their thoughts, findings, and evaluations. Consider these issues when creating a schedule:

"We have to know the curriculum. We've got to know the standards inside and out. Even though it looks like the kids are doing all the hard work, there's a lot of planning that goes on behind it to make sure that the work is there for them." --Patty Vreeland, kindergarten and first-grade teacher, Newsome Park Elementary School, Newport News, Virginia

• What time allotment will be given to the project?
• Will this project be conducted during the entire school day or during dedicated blocks of time?
• How many days will be devoted to the project?

Enable success by practicing the following tactics:

• Help students who may not perceive time limits.
• Set benchmarks.
• Give students direction for managing their time.
• Teach them how to schedule their tasks.
• Remind them of the timeline.
• Help them set deadlines.
• Keep the essential question simple and age appropriate.
• Initiate projects that will let all students meet with success.

Also, allow students to go in new directions, but guide them when they appear to digress from the project. When a group seems to be going in a different direction, ask the students to explain the reasoning behind their actions. They may have an insight to a solution you haven't seen. Help the children stay on course, but don't accidentally set limitations.

Check out guest blogger Andrew Miller's post How to Build a Calendar for Project-Based Learning for more tips on scheduling.

To maintain control without preventing students from taking responsibility for their work, follow these steps:

• Facilitate the process and the love of learning.
• Teach the students how to work collaboratively.
• Designate fluid roles for group members.
• Have students choose their primary roles, but assume responsibility and interactivity for all group roles.
• Remind them that every part of the process belongs to each individual and needs each student's total involvement.
• Provide resources and guidance.
• Assess the process by creating team and project rubrics.

"As the number of ideas to consider or the number of procedures that need to be followed increases, students may need to stay organized, track their progress, and maintain a focus on the problem rather than get confused by its elements." --Phyllis P. Blumenfeld and others, "Motivating Project-Based Learning: Sustaining the Doing, Supporting the Learning," Educational Psychologist magazine

What's the difference between team rubrics and project rubrics?

Team rubrics state the expectations of each team member: Watch the group dynamics. How well are the members participating? How engaged are they in the process? Assess the outcome.

Project rubrics, on the other hand, ask these questions: What is required for project completion? What is the final product: A document? A multimedia presentation? A poster? A combination of products? What does a good report, multimedia presentation, poster, or other product look like? Make the requirements clear to the students so they can all meet with success.

Discovery Education offers a great resource; a collection of assessment rubrics and graphic organizers that may be helpful to you as you create your own.

Assessment meets many needs. It

• provides diagnostic feedback.
• helps educators set standards.
• allows one to evaluate progress and relate that progress to others.
• gives students feedback on how well they understand the information and on what they need to improve.
• helps the teacher design instruction to teach more effectively.

"Project-based learning is focused on teaching by engaging students in investigation. Within this framework, students pursue solutions to nontrivial problems by asking and refining questions, debating ideas, making predictions, designing plans and/or experiments, collecting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions, communicating their ideas and findings to others, asking new questions, and creating artifacts (e.g., a model, a report, a videotape, or a computer program)." --Phyllis P. Blumenfeld and others, "Motivating Project-Based Learning: Sustaining the Doing, Supporting the Learning," Educational Psychologist magazine

Whenever possible, give the students the opportunity to conduct self-assessment. When a student's assessment and the teacher's assessment don't agree, schedule a student-teacher conference to let the student explain in more detail his or her understanding of the content and justify the outcome.

Edutopia.org PBL blogger Suzie Boss also wrote a great post on culminating events in How to End Projects on a High Note .

Little time for reflection is available in the busy schedule of the school day, yet reflection is a key component of learning. How do we expect our students to synthesize new knowledge if they are not given time to reflect on what they have discovered? Too often, we teachers do not allow ourselves that time, either. Designate a time for reflection of the daily activities. Allow for individual reflection, such as journaling, as well as group reflection and discussion. (For example, validate what students have learned and make suggestions for improvements.)

To enable effective self-evaluation, follow these steps:

• Take time to reflect, individually and as a group.
• Share feelings and experiences.
• Discuss what worked well.
• Discuss what needs change.
• Share ideas that will lead to new questions and new projects.

Continue to the next section of the guide, Workshop Activities .

This guide is organized into six sections:

• Introduction
• Why Is PBL Important?
• What Is PBL About?
• How Does PBL Work?
• Workshop Activities
• Resources for PBL

The Comprehensive Guide to Project-Based Learning: Empowering Student Choice through an Effective Teaching Method

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Resources and Tools

In K-12 education, project-based learning (PBL) has gained momentum as an effective inquiry-based, teaching strategy that encourages students to take ownership of their learning journey. 

By integrating authentic projects into the curriculum, project-based learning fosters active engagement, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. This comprehensive guide explores the principles, benefits, implementation strategies, and evaluation techniques associated with project-based instruction, highlighting its emphasis on student choice and its potential to revolutionize education.

What is Project-Based Learning?

Project-based learning (PBL) is a inquiry-based and learner-centered instructional approach that immerses students in real-world projects that foster deep learning and critical thinking skills. Project-based learning can be implemented in a classroom as single or multiple units or it can be implemented across various subject areas and school-wide. 

In contrast to teacher led instruction, project-based learning encourages student engagement, collaboration, and problem-solving, empowering students to become active participants in their own learning. Students collaborate to solve a real world problem that requires content knowledge, critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills.

Students aren’t only assessed on their understanding of academic content but on their ability to successfully apply that content when solving authentic problems. Through this process, project-based learning gives students the opportunity to develop the real-life skills required for success in today’s world. 

Positive Impacts of Project-Based Learning

By integrating project-based learning into the classroom, educators can unlock a multitude of benefits for students. The research evidence overwhelmingly supports the positive impact of PBL on students, teachers, and school communities. According to numerous studies (see  Deutscher et al, 2021 ;  Duke et al, 2020 ;  Krajick et al, 2022 ;  Harris et al, 2015 ) students in PBL classrooms not only outperform non-PBL classrooms academically, such as on state tests and AP exams, but also the benefits of PBL extend beyond academic achievement, as students develop essential skills, including creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. Additional studies documenting the impact of PBL on K-12 learning are available in the  PBL research annotated bibliography  on the New Tech Network website.

New Tech Network Project-Based Learning Impacts

Established in 1996, New Tech Network NTN is a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming teaching and learning through innovative instructional practices, with project-based learning at its core.

NTN has an extensive network of schools across the United States that have embraced the power of PBL to engage students in meaningful, relevant, and challenging projects, with professional development to support teachers in deepening understanding of “What is project-based learning?” and “How can we deliver high quality project-based learning to all students?”

With over 20 years of experience in project-based learning, NTN schools have achieved impactful results. Several research studies documented that students in New Tech Network schools outperform their peers in non-NTN schools on SAT/ACT tests and state exams in both math and reading (see  Hinnant-Crawford & Virtue, 2019 ;  Lynch et al, 2018 ;  Stocks et al, 2019 ).  Additionally, students in NTN schools are more engaged and more likely to develop skills in collaboration, agency, critical thinking, and communication—skills highly valued in today’s workforce (see  Ancess & Kafka, 2020 ;  Muller & Hiller, 2020 ;  Zeiser, Taylor, et al, 2019 ). 

NTN provides comprehensive support to educators, including training, resources, and ongoing coaching, to ensure the effective implementation of problem-based learning and project-based learning. Through their collaborative network, NTN continuously shares best practices, fosters innovation, enables replication across districts, and empowers educators to create transformative learning experiences for their students (see  Barnett et al, 2020 ;  Hernández et al, 2019 ).

Key Concepts of Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning is rooted in several key principles that distinguish it from other teaching methods. The pedagogical theories that underpin project-based learning and problem-based learning draw from constructivism and socio-cultural learning. Constructivism posits that learners construct knowledge through active learning and real world applications. Project-based learning aligns with this theory by providing students with opportunities to actively construct knowledge through inquiry, hands-on projects, real-world contexts, and collaboration.

Students as active participants

Project-based learning is characterized by learner-centered, inquiry-based, real world learning, which encourages students to take an active role in their own learning. Instead of rote memorization of information, students engage in meaningful learning opportunities, exercise voice and choice, and develop student agency skills. This empowers students to explore their interests, make choices, and take ownership of their learning process, with teachers acting as facilitators rather than the center of instruction.

Real-world and authentic contexts

Project-based learning emphasizes real-world problems that encourage students to connect academic content to meaningful contexts, enabling students to see the practical application of what they are learning. By tackling personally meaningful projects and engaging in hands-on tasks, students develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter and its relevance in their lives.

Collaboration and teamwork

Another essential element of project-based learning is collaborative work. Students collaborating with their peers towards the culmination of a project, mirrors real-world scenarios where teamwork and effective communication are crucial. Through collaboration, students develop essential social and emotional skills, learn from diverse perspectives, and engage in constructive dialogue.

Project-based learning embodies student-centered learning, real-world relevance, and collaborative work. These principles, rooted in pedagogical theories like constructivism, socio-cultural learning, and experiential learning, create a powerful learning environment, across multiple academic domains, that foster active engagement, thinking critically, and the development of essential skills for success in college or career or life beyond school.

A Unique Approach to Project-Based Learning: New Tech Network

New Tech Network schools are committed to these key focus areas: college and career ready outcomes, supportive and inclusive culture, meaningful and equitable instruction, and purposeful assessment.

In the New Tech Network Model, rigorous project-based learning allows students to engage with material in creative, culturally relevant ways, experience it in context, and share their learning with peers.

Why Undertake this Work?

Teachers, administrators, and district leaders undertake this work because it produces critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and collaborators who are vital to the long-term health and wellbeing of our communities.

Reynoldsburg City Schools (RCS) Superintendent Dr. Melvin J. Brown observed that “Prior to (our partnership with New Tech Network) we were just doing the things we’ve always done, while at the same time, our local industry was evolving and changing— and we were not changing with it. We recognized we had to do better to prepare kids for the reality they were going to walk into after high school and beyond.

Students embrace the Model because they feel a sense of belonging. They are challenged to learn in relevant, meaningful ways that shape the way they interact with the world, like  these students from Owensboro Innovation Academy in Owensboro, Kentucky . 

When change is collectively held and supported rather than siloed, and all stakeholders are engaged rather than alienated, schools and districts build their own capacity to sustain innovation and continuously improve. New Tech Network’s approach to change provides teachers, administrators, and district leaders with clear roles in adopting and adapting student-centered learning. 

Part of NTN’s process for equipping schools with the data they need to serve their students involves conducting research surveys about their student’s experiences. 

“The information we received back from our NTN surveys about our kids’ experiences was so powerful,” said Amanda Ziaer, Managing Director of Strategic Initiatives for Frisco ISD. “It’s so helpful to be reminded about these types of tactics when you’re trying to develop an authentic student-centered learning experience. It’s just simple things you might skip because we live in such a traditional adult-centered world.” 

NTN’s experienced staff lead professional development activities that enable educators to adapt to student needs and strengths, and amplify those strengths while adjusting what is needed to address challenges.

Meaningful and Equitable Instruction

The New Tech Network model is centered on a PBL instructional core. PBL as an instructional method overlaps with key features of equitable pedagogical approaches including student voice, student choice, and authentic contexts. The New Tech Network model extends the power of PBL as a tool for creating more equitable learning by building asset-based equity pedagogical practices into the the design using key practices drawn from the literature on culturally sustaining teaching methods so that PBL instruction leverages the assets of diverse students, supports teachers as warm demanders, and develops critically conscious students in PBL classrooms (see  Good teaching, warm and demanding classrooms, and critically conscious students: Measuring student perceptions of asset-based equity pedagogy in the classroom ).

Examples of Project-Based Learning

New Tech Network schools across the country create relevant projects and interdisciplinary learning that bring a learner-centered approach to their school.  Examples of NTN Model PBL Projects  are available in the NTN Help and Learning Center and enable educators to preview projects and gather project ideas from various grade levels and content areas.

The NTN Project Planning Toolkit is used as a guide in the planning and design of PBL. The Project-based learning examples linked above include a third grade Social Studies/ELA project, a seventh grade Science project, and a high school American Studies project (11th grade English Language Arts/American History).

The Role of Technology in Project-Based Learning

A tool for creativity

Technology plays a vital role in enhancing PBL in schools, facilitating student  engagement, collaboration, and access to information. At the forefront, technology provides students with tools and resources to research, analyze data, and create multimedia content for their projects.

A tool for collaboration

Technology tools enable students to express their understanding creatively through digital media, such as videos, presentations, vlogs, blogs and interactive websites, enhancing their communication and presentation skills.

A tool for feedback

Technology offers opportunities for authentic audiences and feedback. Students can showcase their projects to a global audience through online platforms, blogs, or social media, receiving feedback and perspectives from beyond the classroom. This authentic audience keeps students engaged and striving for high-quality work and encourages them to take pride in their accomplishments.

By integrating technology into project-based learning, educators can enhance student engagement, deepen learning, and prepare students for a digitally interconnected world.

Interactive PBL Resources

New Tech Network offers a wealth of resources to support educators in gaining a deeper understanding of project-based learning. One valuable tool is the NTN Help Center, which provides comprehensive articles and resources on the principles and practices of implementing project-based learning.

Educators can explore project examples in the NTN Help Center to gain inspiration and practical insights into designing and implementing PBL projects that align with their curriculum and student needs.

Educators can start with the article “ What are the basic principles and practices of Project-Based Learning? Doing Projects vs. PBL . ” The image within the article clarifies the difference between the traditional education approach of “doing projects” and true project-based learning.

Project Launch

Students are introduced to a project by an Entry Event in the Project Launch (designated in purple on the image) this project component typically requires students to take on a role beyond that of ‘student’ or ‘learner’. This occurs either by placing students in a scenario that has real world applications, in which they simulate tasks performed by adults and/or by requiring learners to address a challenge or problem facing a particular community group.

The Entry Event not only introduces students to a project but also serves as the “hook” that purposefully engages students in the launch of a project. The Entry Event is followed by the Need to Know process in which students name what they already know about a topic and the project ask and what they “need to know” in order to solve the problem named in the project. Next steps are created which support students as they complete the Project Launch phase of a project.

Scaffolding

Shown in the image in red, facilitators ensure students gain content knowledge and skills through ‘scaffolding’. Scaffolding is defined as temporary supports for students to build the skills and knowledge needed to create the final product. Similar to scaffolding in building construction, it is removed when these supports are no longer needed by students.

Scaffolding can take the form of a teacher providing support by hosting small group workshops, students engaging in independent research or groups completing learner-centered activities, lab investigations, formative assessments and more.

Benchmarks (seen in orange in the image) can be checks for understanding that allow educators to give feedback on student work and/or checks to ensure students are progressing in the project as a team. After each benchmark, students should be given time to reflect on their individual goals as well as their team goals. Benchmarks are designed to build on each other to support project teams towards the culminating product at the end of the project.

NTN’s Help Center also provides resources on what effective teaching and learning look like within the context of project-based learning. The article “ What does effective teaching and learning look like? ” outlines the key elements of a successful project-based learning classroom, emphasizing learner-centered learning, collaborative work, and authentic assessments. 

Educators can refer to this resource to gain insights into best practices, instructional strategies, and classroom management techniques that foster an engaging and effective project-based learning environment.

From understanding the principles and practices of PBL to accessing examples of a particular project, evaluating project quality, and exploring effective teaching and learning strategies, educators can leverage these resources to enhance their PBL instruction and create meaningful learning experiences for their students.

Preparing Students for the Future with PBL

The power of PBL is the way in which it encourages students to think critically, collaborate, and sharpen communication skills, which are all highly sought-after in today’s rapidly evolving workforce. By engaging in authentic, real-world projects, and collaborating with business and community leaders and community members, students develop the ability to tackle complex problems, think creatively, and adapt to changing circumstances.

These skills are essential in preparing students for the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the future job market, where flexibility, innovation, and adaptability are paramount. 

“Joining New Tech Network provides us an opportunity to reframe many things about the school, not just PBL,” said Bay City Public Schools Chief Academic Officer Patrick Malley. “Eliminating the deficit mindset about kids is the first step to establishing a culture that makes sure everyone in that school is focused on next-level readiness for these kids.”

The New Tech Network Learning Outcomes align with the qualities companies are looking for in new hires: Knowledge and Thinking, Oral Communication, Written Communication, Collaboration and Agency.

NTN schools prioritize equipping students with the necessary skills and knowledge to pursue postsecondary education or training successfully. By integrating college readiness and career readiness into the fabric of PBL, NTN ensures that students develop the academic, technical, and professional skills needed for future success. 

Through authentic projects, students learn to engage in research, analysis, and presentation of their work, mirroring the expectations and demands of postsecondary education and the workplace. NTN’s commitment to college and career readiness ensures that students are well-prepared to transition seamlessly into higher education or enter the workforce with the skills and confidence to excel in their chosen paths.

The Impact of PBL on College and Career Readiness

PBL has a profound impact on college and career readiness. Numerous studies document the academic benefits for students, including performance in AP courses, SAT/ACT tests, and state exams (see  Deutscher et al, 2021 ;  Duke et al, 2020 ;  Krajick et al, 2022 ;  Harris et al, 2015 ). New Tech Network schools demonstrate higher graduation rates and college persistence rates than the national average as outlined in the  New Tech Network 2022 Impact Report . Over 95% of NTN graduates reported feeling prepared for the expectations and demands of college. 

Practices that Support Equitable College Access and Readiness

According to  a literature review conducted by New York University’s Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools  ( Perez et al, 2021 ) classroom level, school level, and district level practices can be implemented to create more equitable college access and readiness and these recommendations align with many of the practices built into the the NTN model, including culturally sustaining instructional approaches, foundational literacy, positive student-teacher relationships, and developing shared asset-based mindsets.

About New Tech Network

New Tech Network is committed to meeting schools and districts where they are and helping them achieve their vision of student success. For a full list of our additional paths to impact or to speak with someone about how the NTN Model can make an impact in your district, please send an email to  [email protected] .

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8 transformative tools to elevate project-based learning

March 21, 2024.

By Microsoft Education Team

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Navigating the complexities of project-based learning (PBL) can be overwhelming, but you’re not alone. Many educators find balancing the hands-on approach of PBL with structured planning and managing groups challenging. Fear not—we can help!   

Let's delve into eight innovative tools from Microsoft Education that can simplify your PBL journey, making it both easy-to-manage for you and engaging for your students.  

Microsoft Education tools for PBL excellence

• Start with  Microsoft Copilot :  Leverage an AI-powered assistant to brainstorm and plan projects.  
• Collaborate with  Microsoft Teams for Education :  Organize multiple teams and projects, keeping everyone on track. 
• Enhance research with  Search Coach  and  Search Progress :  Provide guidance to your students through their research. 
• Check-in with  Flip ,  Microsoft Forms , and  Microsoft Reflect :  Monitor progress and encourage positive team dynamics. 
• Showcase student work with  PowerPoint  and  Speaker Coach :  Enable students to present their projects confidently.  

High-quality PBL to deepen knowledge and skills 

In project-based learning, students embark on exciting projects that help them learn important knowledge and skills aligned with their curriculum and emphasize the 4Cs: critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication. Instead of just memorizing facts, PBL takes learning to the next level. By engaging in meaningful projects, students apply what they've learned in real and tangible ways, deepening their understanding and teamwork skills.  

Explore how you and your students can achieve success with PBL using tools from Microsoft Education . 

Copilot: Your AI assistant for education 

Copilot is a dynamic AI-powered tool that can support educators like you in the classroom. Streamlining tasks and personalizing the learning experience, Copilot can help you generate: 

• Ideas for project topics based on learning objectives and student interest. 
• Research questions, activities, or resources.  
• Structure of the project including timelines, goals, and due dates. 
• Guiding questions to scaffold student inquiry. 
• Prompts for self-reflection and peer feedback. 
• Adapted instructional materials for students.  

Watch the video Meet your AI assistant for education: Microsoft Copilot to learn more about getting started with Copilot. 

Microsoft Teams for Education: Your project management system  

Handling several teams and projects simultaneously can be a lot to manage but Microsoft Teams for Education , a powerful communication app for schools, has you covered. Start by creating a new channel for each student group to help everyone stay focused and informed. It’s like giving each group their own special space. This way, everyone can: 

• Work together. 
• Keep files in order. 
• Manage tasks and important dates.  

Discover how to organize conversations, assignments, and add channels in Microsoft Teams for Education to streamline PBL for your class. Additionally, learn about new features that leverage AI to draft content like rubrics, assignment instructions, and learning objectives, all while keeping the educator in control.

Enhancing search skills with Search Coach and Search Progress

Being able to find, assess, and share reliable information is a must-have skill for students as they explore research sources online. Search Coach and Search Progress , two complementary Learning Accelerators seamlessly integrated into Microsoft Teams for Education, are all about empowering students to search the web with a keen eye and a critical mind.  

Search Coach is like having a wise guide by their side, helping students develop information literacy skills by asking the internet the right questions and picking out the most trustworthy sources. By providing real-time feedback, Search Coach helps students refine their search queries and find credible sources. 

Search Progress acts like your behind-the-scenes PBL assistant, giving you a peek into how your students are getting on with their online research. It offers valuable insights into their search strategies, helping you understand their paths to finding information. Search Progress lets you track your students’ search journey , seeing how they interact with the resources they find.  

Insights in Search Coach provides a real-time view of student search activity and behaviors, including how many searches were attempted, how frequently they only view the first result, and more. 

To learn more, explore the Search Progress and Search Coach product guide and take the course Develop search strategies with Search Coach and Search Progress from the Microsoft Learn Educator Center .  

Tools for fostering positive classroom dynamics

Keeping track of student progress, making sure everyone works well together, and helping students think about their own learning or giving feedback can feel like a big task! Using tools like Flip , Forms , and Reflect can make it so much easier to keep track of both individual students and group progress.   

Enter the world of Flip , a dynamic web and mobile app that’s free to use. Here students can record, edit, and share video reflections. It’s a fantastic way to engage students in their learning. Whether it’s checking in on their progress or encouraging them to give peer feedback, Flip turns these tasks into fun experiences. Imagine students producing a video diary of their PBL group experience, enhancing both learning and feedback processes.  

Turn to Forms  easily create surveys and polls to: 

• Check-in on how the whole group is doing. 
• Find out what questions or needs students have. 
• Gather their thoughts about their own learning in self-reflections.  
• Collect feedback they have for their classmates.   

These check-ins can help you adapt teaching strategies to meet students’ immediate needs, creating a responsive learning environment.   

Reflect  can help you keep a pulse on PBL group dynamics by asking students how they are getting along, collaborating, and distributing workloads. You can ask students how they feel about their teamwork, whether they're sharing the work fairly, and how they feel about the progress they’ve made. This preemptive approach helps resolve conflicts and ensures a harmonious and inclusive classroom atmosphere where everyone is heard.  

Your student innovation showcase

In PBL, the real magic happens when students create something that’s truly their own. This authentic product not only gives their learning purpose but also boosts their confidence and motivation especially when they share their work with others outside their classroom. It's their chance to shine and show off their unique skills in new and exciting ways. Microsoft has some great PBL tools to help them sparkle even brighter!   

For example, PowerPoint with its Designer feature enables students to quickly create professional-looking presentations in a flash choosing from a bunch of smart design suggestions. Then, they can turn their presentations into videos, sharing their knowledge and hard work with friends, family, and maybe even the whole world.  

We all know talking in front of an audience can be nerve-wracking. That's where Speaker Coach comes in, acting like a friendly guide through the world of public speaking. Speaker Coach helps students develop good public speaking practices by: 

• Offering personalized tips and encouragement to polish their speaking skills.  
• Providing a summary of suggestions. 
• Suggesting speech refinements like wordiness, euphemisms, and informal language.  

By practicing with Speaker Coach, students receive feedback that’s private and tailored to their abilities, which can help them confidently present their project to the community—sparking conversations and inspiring action.  

The rehearsal report in Speaker Coach includes focused feedback on metrics known to influence how an audience perceives a presentation. 

Simplify your next PBL project with Microsoft Education

Simplify your project management with eight PBL tools from Microsoft Education that enhance learning and streamline your process. Discover how these tools can transform your project-based learning approach into a journey of discovery and innovation today. 

For a deeper dive into more Microsoft Education tools to empower you and your students, explore our roundup of Comprehensive quick start guides for Microsoft Education tools .  

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How to apply for grants

GPE offers different types of grants to support education system transformation in partner countries. View the pathway to grant funding and access relevant documents to help prepare grant applications.

Country-led system transformation

Click on an area to learn more.

GPE supports countries in planning and prioritizing reforms that have the potential to achieve transformation across an education system. After assessing their education system and identifying a priority reform, partner countries can access GPE grants to make focused, evidence-based investments in programs that unlock system bottlenecks.

Grant financing is available for capacity building and program development that might be needed to identify a key education reform and align partner support.

Partner countries can leverage additional external financing through the GPE Multiplier . The system transformation grant delivers funding at scale in support of a country’s reform efforts and both it and the Multiplier can combine with the Girls’ Education Accelerator to spur progress in gender equality.

Beyond support to governments, GPE also allocates grants to promote civil society’s voice and to generate new knowledge on key issues and solutions for the education sector.

• GPE implementation grant policy
• Information on education sector program implementation grants

The GPE operating model is based on three stages that support countries in moving from analysis and diagnosis of education challenges to reform prioritization and resource alignment, and finally to implementation, learning and adapting

Assess & diagnose

Analysis of a country's performance, opportunities and obstacles under four enabling factors critical to support system transformation: 1) data and evidence, 2) sector coordination, 3) gender-responsive planning and 4) volume, equity and efficiency of domestic public spending on education.

Prioritize & align

The ministry of education, with its partners, prepares a partnership compact to align partners and resources behind a prioritized reform area.

Act, learn & adapt

The country and its partners implement the agreed programs and reforms, tracking agreed results and adjusting as needed.

Partnership compact

The partnership compact details the country's focus on sector bottlenecks and solutions, defines GPE's engagement and ensures that partner financing is complementary and harmonized. Partner countries perform an analysis of education system conditions based on four enabling factors that are assessed by an independent panel of experts.

Country programs

GPE grants support education programs that go beyond piecemeal initiatives, generating systemwide change to put all children on the path to realizing their full potential.

GPE can provide grant financing to partner countries that seek financing to make focused, evidence-based investments in education programs.

System capacity grant

The system capacity grant builds national capabilities to develop, implement and monitor education sector plans and policies.

Program development grant

The program development grant supports the design of an education program that will help a country implement a priority reform.

GPE Multiplier grant

The GPE Multiplier crowds in investment for education by securing new and additional funding at a ratio of US$1 from the Multiplier for every US$3 from development partners and dollar-for-dollar from businesses and foundations.

System transformation grant

Using the system transformation grant, partner countries make focused, evidence-based investments in programs that unblock system bottlenecks and drive systemwide change.

Girls’ Education Accelerator

The Girls’ Education Accelerator provides resources to support gender equality in countries and regions where girls’ education has been identified as a main challenge.

A quality education for every child

All girls and boys, especially those who are marginalized by poverty, displacement or disability, are able to access 12 years of learning.

On this page

Grant eligibility, enabling factors, grant agents and coordinating agencies, gpe multiplier, accelerated funding, advocacy and social accountability grants.

• GPE 2020 grants

See the full list of GPE partner countries and their grant ceilings under the GPE 2025 funding model.

View deadlines for grant applications

The country assesses four enabling factors critical to system transformation:

• data and evidence
• sector coordination
• gender-responsive planning
• volume, equity and efficiency of domestic public spending on education.

The Partnership Compact Guidelines include information about the enabling factors and how to complete the questionnaire and analysis.

• Enabling factors screening questionnaire and analysis
• Domestic financing matrix

Independent Technical Advisory Panel

The Independent Technical Advisory Panel (ITAP) assesses country status against the four enabling factors to inform the partnership compact and GPE financing of system reform.

• Terms of Reference for the Independent Technical Advisory Panel

The partnership compact aligns partners and resources behind a prioritized education reform area. GPE recommends using the compact as a framework for all types of GPE grants, as well as to facilitate alignment between all sources of funding that contribute to education system transformation.

• Partnership Compact Guidelines

Partner countries receive GPE funding through grant agents who are accountable for the use of the resources throughout the grant’s duration. Governments, in consultation with the local education group, are encouraged to select a grant agent who can best assist them in a particular area supported by each GPE grant.

The coordinating agency is designated by the country’s local education group to act as a liaison between it, the government, GPE and other development partners.

• Selection process for grant agents
• GPE Secretariat checklist for grant agent selection
• Terms of reference for coordinating agencies

Countries can receive up to US$5 million through a system capacity grant to strengthen gender-responsive planning and policy development, mobilize coordinated action and improve government capacity to adapt and learn to drive results at scale. The grant can also be used to develop the country’s partnership compact.

Countries can refer to the system capacity grant guidelines in completing and submitting an application and budget template.

• System capacity grant guidelines
• Application
• Budget template
• Terms of reference for grant agents
• Progress report template
• Completion report template

Countries can receive US$200,000 (or double that, in exceptional cases) for the design of an education program that will help the country implement its priority education reform.

• Program development grant guidelines

Countries can receive up to US$162.5 million to finance priority programs to remove reform obstacles and drive change across the education system. Countries need to have completed the enabling factors analysis, developed a partnership compact and selected a suitable grant agent. They can also apply for a GPE Multiplier grant and (if eligible) a Girls’ Education Accelerator grant to maximize their GPE support.

Countries can refer to the system transformation grant guidelines in completing and submitting an application and budget template.

• System transformation grant guidelines
• Annual progress report template

Multiplier grants of up to US$50 million are available to countries that can mobilize investment in education from other partners, using a ratio of least $3 in new and additional external financing for every $1 from the GPE Multiplier . The Debt2Ed feature within the Multiplier also offers the opportunity to transform sovereign borrowing into new investments in education, helping to unlock the Multiplier in the same way as cofinancing.

A country first submits an expression of interest detailing the new and additional cofinancing from third parties, establishing the grant amount to be used in its Multiplier application. Countries are expected to have completed or be close to finalizing their partnership compact at the time they apply. Countries can refer to the GPE Multiplier guidelines in completing and submitting the expression of interest and application.

• Expression of interest
• Multiplier guidelines

Some countries applying for a system transformation grant or GPE Multiplier – either singly or in combination – are also eligible for grants under the Girls’ Education Accelerator . This $250-million window ensures countries can maximize every opportunity to help all girls attend school for a full 12 years.

• Please select between the Multiplier or system transformation grant guidelines

GPE can accelerate financing at times of crisis, such as disasters driven by natural hazards, armed conflict, forced displacement, and health emergencies, which threaten the education system.

Countries confronting a crisis can ask for advanced disbursement of up to 20% of a system transformation grant or Multiplier allocation (in countries only eligible for the Multiplier), or US$10 million (whichever is lowest of the three).

• Accelerated funding guidelines
• Operational framework for effective support in fragile and conflict-affected contexts

Through Education Out Loud , GPE supports civil society’s activities and influence in shaping education policy to better meet the needs of communities, especially of vulnerable and marginalized populations.

Implemented by Oxfam Denmark and financed by GPE, Education Out Loud is allocating up to US$133 million through three funding components.

Grants are available for national and international civil society organizations and networks in eligible countries worldwide to support their advocacy and social accountability work between 2019 and 2027.

Learn more about Education Out Loud

Knowledge and innovation (KIX) grants

With a budget of US$164.5 million, the Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) is the largest fund solely dedicated to meet global public good gaps in education.

KIX activities cover six thematic areas: early childhood care and education, learning assessment systems, gender equality, strengthening data systems, equity and inclusion, and teaching and learning. Knowledge and innovation grants.

Learn more about KIX

Grants under GPE 2020 funding model

Some grant information and documents under the previous funding model are available for a limited period.

Education sector program implementation grants

• Guidelines for education sector program implementation grant
• Variable part financing
• Standardized progress reporting
• Standardized completion reporting

Compare work management offerings

Microsoft planner.

Originally starting from Included now starting from Included

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in Microsoft 365

Planner in Microsoft 365 includes:

Real-time collaboration, commenting, and sharing using the Planner app in Microsoft Teams or the Planner web app

Creation and management of content-rich tasks with features including files, checklists, and labels

Tasks organized by My Day, My Tasks, and Assigned to me

Basic plan templates

Ability to view reports and dashboards

List, Grid, and Board views

Ability to view task dependencies

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Planner Plan 1

Originally starting from USD$10.00 now starting from USD$10.00

USD$10.00 USD$10.00

(Annual subscription auto-renews) *

Includes everything in Planner in Microsoft 365, plus:

Project goals

Backlogs and sprints

Premium plan templates

Timeline (Gantt) view

Task dependencies

Customization and integration

Project Plan 3

Originally starting from USD$30.00 now starting from USD$30.00

USD$30.00 USD$30.00

Includes everything in Planner Plan 1, plus:

Copilot in Planner (preview) 3

Task history

Baselines and critical path

Resources request capabilities

Program management

Project financials, budgeting, and costing

• Advanced dependencies with lead and lag

Project Online desktop client

Project Online

Project Plan 5

Originally starting from USD$55.00 now starting from USD$55.00

USD$55.00 USD$55.00

Includes everything in Project Plan 3, plus:

Portfolio management

Enterprise resource management and allocation

Project Standard 2021

Originally starting from USD$719.99 now starting from USD$719.99

USD$719.99 USD$719.99

(one-time purchase)

On-premises project management for those who do not need collaboration tools and other advanced features. 11

Project Professional 2021

Originally starting from USD$1,409.99 now starting from USD$1,409.99

USD$1,409.99 USD$1,409.99

A comprehensive on-premises project management solution. 11

Project Server

A flexible, scalable on-premises solution for project portfolio management and everyday project and work management.

Explore Planner resources

Discover more about the new planner, access support and learning resources, see upcoming features for planner, get the latest news about planner.

• [1] After your one-month free trial, you’ll be charged the applicable subscription fee. A credit card is required. Cancel any time to stop future charges.
• [2] Requires a Power BI subscription.
• [3] While final pricing for Copilot in Planner has not been announced, users with a Project Plan 3 or Project Plan 5 license will be able to preview Copilot in Planner capabilities once it is rolled out to their organization.
• [4] Requires a Microsoft 365 subscription to use Microsoft Teams​.
• [5] Requires a Viva Goals subscription.
• [6] Requires a Power Automate subscription.
• [7] See detailed information about Project .
• [8] See detailed information about Project for the web .
• [9] See detailed information about Project Online .
• [10] See detailed information about the Project Online desktop client .
• [11] Both Project Standard 2021 and Project Professional 2021 support Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC).
• [*] Subscription prices shown are per month. If you’re a global or billing administrator, an annual commitment is required to purchase online. You can choose to pay monthly or annually. Within the Microsoft 365 admin center, global and billing administrators can choose either annual or monthly commitment plans. All others may purchase a monthly subscription online.​

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Project Power

No shame. No blame. Just one aim. Project Power is here to help the whole family. As a no-cost lifestyle change program, Project Power empowers adults and children to reduce their risk or manage and thrive with type 2 diabetes.

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Research Specialist

• Madison, Wisconsin
• SCHOOL OF EDUCATION/WIS CENTER FOR EDUCATION RESCH-GEN
• Partially Remote
• Staff-Full Time
• Staff-Part Time
• Opening at: May 7 2024 at 13:55 CDT
• Closing at: May 21 2024 at 23:55 CDT

Job Summary:

The Teaming Up for Equity in Science: Supporting NGSS Three-dimensional Learning and Achievement through Actionable Assessment project seeks an education researcher to join a team investigating how to make middle school assessment more meaningful for students. The research specialist will support quantitative and qualitative research into the educational efficacy of an innovative middle school science assessment system called ONPAR. Research activities include surveys, interviews, analysis of assessment results, education data, and user feedback. This is a grant-funded position which ends 12/31/2026. The Teaming Up for Equity in Science: Supporting NGSS Three-dimensional Learning and Achievement through Actionable Assessment project will examine the use of the ONPAR NGSS-based assessment system to leverage data to inform teaching and learning and conduct a randomized controlled trial to assess its effectiveness. The project will refine and validate ONPAR materials to meet the needs of users, increase teacher efficacy for NGSS assessment and data-driven instruction through professional development, improve outcomes for high-need middle school science learners, particularly ELs and students who struggle with reading, and build capacity for sustaining and expanding the use of the ONPAR assessment system. More information on the project can be found at http://iiassessment.wceruw.org/ . 

Responsibilities:

• 30% Conducts research experiments according to established research protocols with moderate impact to the project(s). Collects data and monitors test results
• 20% Operates, cleans, and maintains organization of research equipment and research area. Tracks inventory levels and places replenishment orders
• 20% Reviews, analyzes, and interprets data and/or documents results for presentations and/or reporting to internal and external audiences
• 10% Participates in the development, interpretation, and implementation of research methodology and materials
• 10% Provides operational guidance on day-to-day activities of unit or program staff and/or student workers
• 10% Performs literature reviews and writes reports

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals. The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world. For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Required Bachelor's Degree minimum in science education or closely related field Preferred Master's Degree MA in science education preferred

Qualifications:

Required: -experience working in K-12 science education (classroom, research or other related position) -experience assisting with or conducting quantitative and qualitative research and following research procedures -excellent written and oral communication skills -self-motivated -able to thrive in a minimal supervision environment Preferred: -experience organizing and cleaning quantitative data -familiarity with science assessment -experience conducting literature reviews and writing reports -attentive to detail -strong collaboration skills

Full or Part Time: 80% - 100% This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location. The balance of in-person and remote work for this position will be discussed at the time of hire.

Appointment Type, Duration:

Terminal, 30 month appointment. This position has the possibility to be extended or converted to an ongoing appointment based on need and/or funding

Minimum $44,543 ANNUAL (12 months) Depending on Qualifications Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and paid time off; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits.

Additional Information:

The Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), established in 1964, is one of the first, most productive, and largest university-based education research and development centers in the world. WCER's researchers and staff work to make teaching and learning as effective as possible for all ages and all people. WCER's mission is to improve educational outcomes for diverse student populations, impact education practice positively and foster collaborations among academic disciplines and practitioners. To this end, our center helps scholars and practitioners develop, submit, conduct, and share grant-funded education research. At WCER, all employees share five fundamental organization values to guide the purpose and quality of our work and interactions within ourselves and our outside stakeholders. The values that the work and people of WCER strive to uphold are: - Innovation and Excellence. Continuous improvement is a driver for excellence. We innovate and improve in our work to advance education through leading research and development. - Equitable Education. Equitable education is essential to a healthy society. We aim to reverse imbalances and injustices in education through our work. - Affirming and Increasing Diversity. Individual differences and group diversity inspire creative and equitable outcomes. We actively affirm and seek to increase such diversity in our center. - Healthy Workplace. The well-being of our workplace enhances success for all. We commit to a workplace based on mutual respect and transparency. - Partnering Across Differences. Diverse backgrounds and expertise improve the quality of our work. We collaborate across disciplines, methodologies, organizations, and communities to strengthen our research and development outcomes. If you need to request an accommodation because of a disability during the recruitment process, please email [email protected]  and one of our Division Disability Representatives will contact you. More information can also be found at https://employeedisabilities.wisc.edu/disability-accommodation-information-for-applicants/ . 

How to Apply:

Please click on the "Apply Now" button to start the application process. As part of the application process, you will be required to submit: - A cover letter addressed to Laura Wright describing how your experience and qualifications meet the requirements of this position - A current resume - A list with the contact information of at least three professional references

Becky Ohan [email protected] 608-262-5158 Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Official Title:

Research Specialist(RE047)

Department(s):

A17-SCHOOL OF EDUCATION/WCER

Employment Class:

Academic Staff-Terminal

Job Number:

The university of wisconsin-madison is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer..

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by Burk Krohe | Apr 5, 2024

Samantha Lurie and Sylvester Chisom showcase two varieties of Show Me The World Coffee. In February, Lurie, a two-time UMSL education graduate, and Chisom, an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at UMSL, received a $50,000 grant from Food City to support the Show Me The World Project. The yearlong program helps area high school students develop in-demand skills and culminates with a nine-day international trip. (Photos courtesy of Samantha Lurie)

On Saturdays at the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market , shoppers perusing local artisan goods and fresh produce are likely to find a crowd gathered at the Show Me The World Project booth.

Local high schoolers run the operation and chat freely with potential customers as they sell sustainable, single-origin coffee from countries including Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Peru . But they’re not just selling light, medium and darks roasts, they’re selling themselves and an investment in their future.

Over the past 11 years, the Show Me The World Project has helped more than 150 students from eight area high schools embark on their first international trips. The initiative offers much more than a study abroad experience, though. The yearlong program focuses on developing skills in cultural awareness, entrepreneurship, finance, leadership and STEM through weekly workshops.

It has grown significantly since Samantha Lurie started it as a biology teacher at Vashon High School in 2013. What began as a grassroots fundraiser has become a 501c3 non-profit organization and sustainable entrepreneurial endeavor, with Show Me The World Coffee serving as the flagship product.

Lurie, the executive director and a two-time MEd graduate of the University of Missouri–St. Louis , co-founded the Show Me the World Project with Boahemaa Adu-Oppong, the director of data science and computational biology at Arana Biosciences, and Sylvester Chisom , the CEO and founder of Global CTE Learning and an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at UMSL. They have worked ardently to expand the educational offerings and open the program to many more students in under-resourced St. Louis communities.

A recent investment will ensure that work continues. The Show Me The World Project received a $50,000 grant from Food City , a Serving Our Communities program. It’s the largest single grant or donation the program has ever garnered. Reflecting on the award, Lurie credited the St. Louis community’s perennial encouragement.

This year, Show Me The World Project will support 50 students – a single-year record – from Vashon High School, Soldan International Studies High School and University City High School.

“I just really appreciate the community support because over the years our project is a combination of so many different people and community members supporting us and believing in us even when it was just an idea at the beginning,” Lurie said. “I think, to me, it just symbolizes our growth and our determination and the community effort.”

The capital injection will help the program reach more students, among other benefits.

“This grant will allow us to strengthen our programming in terms of our entrepreneurship, learning the farm-to-cup coffee process, expanding that to more students,” Lurie said. “Also, it will help us get the word out in terms of marketing around our coffee so that it can continue to be leveraged as a teaching tool and a funding tool for these trips.”

Humble beginnings

The roots of the Show Me The World Project – originally known as the Show Me Costa Rica Project – lead back to Vashon High School . Lurie moved to St. Louis to take a Teach for America position at the school in 2008, while she also earned her first master’s degree at UMSL.

In 2012, she and her students participated in a school swap program with Clayton High School to study education equity. The students saw a flyer in the cafeteria advertising an educational international trip and were shocked that such an incredible opportunity was available to their peers.

Lurie’s students pushed her to find a way to make it happen at Vashon.

“They kept asking, and at the time, I was like, ‘I have no idea how we would be able to fundraise all of that money to make that happen,’” she said. “They were really the ones who were the catalyst for first starting it.”

They identified Costa Rica as an ideal destination because the country’s wealth of biodiversity aligned neatly with the school’s biology curriculum. Then the students got to work doing anything and everything to raise funds for the trip. They worked concession stands at St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Rams games, hosted carwashes and sold candy bars. By spring 2013, they met their fundraising goal, and 10 Vashon students traveled to Costa Rica.

The trip’s impact was clear immediately.

During the first two years of the program, students increased their average cumulative GPA from 2.9 to 3.6, and 90% of those participating scored proficient or above in the standardized statewide biology end-of-course assessment. But Lurie recognized that was just a starting point and far more was possible.

Steady growth

Over the years, the program has grown steadily, which Lurie attributes to the combined efforts and expertise of the three cofounders – an educator, a scientist and an entrepreneur.

Lurie met Adu-Oppong when she was a PhD student studying ecology and ecosystems. Adu-Oppong developed the program’s STEM curriculum, leaning on her experience with Washington University in St. Louis’ Young Scientist Program . The curriculum is aligned with the Missouri state standards for biology, and lessons focus on topics such as ecosystems, food webs and symbiotic relationships among flora and fauna.

“They’re able to study these different relationships and interactions beforehand through very hands-on experiences, and then actually go into the rainforest and be able to point out these biological concepts and expand their knowledge,” Lurie said.

Chisom became involved early on when he received an email about one of the program’s car wash fundraisers. It piqued his interest because he owned a carwash business at the time and was able to donate supplies. It also happened that 14 of his family members graduated from Vashon High School, and his first international trip was to Costa Rica to visit a cousin studying abroad.

Shortly after joining the Show Me The World Project, Chisom had an “aha moment” that would lead to the expansion of the program’s entrepreneurial component. After touring a coffee farm in Costa Rica and watching Lurie buy numerous bags of coffee as gifts for donors back in the U.S., he began thinking about how to integrate it into the program.

Chisom leveraged concepts he teaches in his Introduction to Entrepreneurship class at UMSL to get the project’s specialty coffee program off the ground during the 2016-17 academic year.

“We took a lean startup approach to it,” Chisom said. “We started with the resources we had, which was Google and friends and partners. We started telling people this is what we’re trying to do. I ran a workshop with students where they were actually doing the research trying to find the best coffee importers and the best coffee shops. Early on, some of the local coffee shops were very helpful in teaching and coming in and talking to our students. It started very grassroots. We ordered some craft bags on Amazon – something very modest – and the students helped design a two-inch Avery sticker that we were printing at Office Depot that said ‘Costa Rica Coffee’ on it.”

New horizons

Several years later, the operation rivals those local coffee shops. Show Me The World Coffee now features single-origin beans from Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Honduras, Nicaragua and Peru and is available for subscriptions, doorstep delivery and purchase online and at all Fresh Thyme Market locations.

Students learn about all aspects of the farm-to-cup process and how to speak about flavor and roast profiles during skill-based workshops. They utilize that knowledge selling the coffee at the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market and conducting tastings across the city – activities for which they’re paid. The hands-on entrepreneurial experiences instill confidence and cultivate interdisciplinary skills that will serve them well into the future.

Students work a booth at the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market, where they learn entrepreneurial skills and gain confidence.

“We use the coffee as a tool to expand and increase educational outcomes,” Chisom said. “That’s the priority. They’re branding, marketing, so they’re learning things that are valuable in the marketplace where we’re preparing them for post-secondary success and career readiness. All of that is wrapped in there. We’re super intentional about that. The durable skills like communication, collaboration, teamwork, critical thinking, these are things we actually track.”

In addition to STEM and entrepreneurship, global competence and cultural immersion are core components of the program. Lurie said the nine-day international trips are transformative for the students.

“Every experience is brand new for them, and a mind stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions,” she said. “I think just being able to be outside of your normal day-to-day, we see them filled with excitement and curiosity as they are immersing themselves. They have worked so hard to get there. They are taking advantage of everything possible.

“They’re the first ones to jump up when tour guides might be asking for volunteers. They’re asking the local people that we’re interacting with about their education system, about their government. They are completely immersing themselves and operating with a ton of curiosity, a ton of gratitude, and a ton of respect for a country that they have been working for over a year to travel to.”

A bright future

The Show Me The World Project now travels to four countries – Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Panama – and it has expanded its reach within the St. Louis community, as well. This year, it will support 50 students – a single-year record – from Vashon, Soldan International Studies High School and University City High School .

Lurie said there are plans to pilot a summer program and launch a broader range of products. The organization will also look to build a larger team and continue expanding. For her, the past 11 years have been a dream come true.

“I continuously think about all the students, family members, educators and community members who have been impacted by this,” Lurie said. “So, I feel a great sense of responsibility to carry out this mission with an amazing team and community to break down barriers for students in low-income and under-resourced communities to have access to transformative educational experiences.”

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U.S. Dept. of Education launches next phase of FAFSA support strategy program

C APE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) - The U.S. Department of Education announced additional steps to support students and their families with the Better FAFSA.

The department is launching a multi-million-dollar program as part of the FAFSA Student Support Strategy to address known issues with the 2024-25 FAFSA form and transmitting the Institutional Student Information Records (ISIRs).

The program will be used to help school districts, state, nonprofits and other public and private organizations with efforts to boost FAFSA completion.

According to a release, more than 8.95 million forms have been successfully submitted since the new 2024–25 FAFSA form became available on December 30.

The FAFSA Student Support Strategy funds aims to grow capacity for organizations to expand the availability of advisers, counselors and coaches to support students and contributors through the FAFSA applications, including during extended hours through evenings, weekends and the summer weeks.

According to the release, it will also facilitate FAFSA submission clinics, including through partnerships with schools and districts, and provide transportation support as needed.

Additionally, these funds will provide communication supports to help organizations communicate with parents and students via text, phone calls and videoconferences, in multiple languages as needed, to help them complete their forms.

The program will provide up to $50 million for grantees and will be implemented by ECMC to support organizations with demonstrated experience expanding college access and enrollment. The funding will be prioritized for organizations currently working with schools and districts, and those that have deep ties with students and families who have the reach and capacity to help decrease barriers and increase FAFSA submissions.

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ETIPP Initiative Brings Energy Education and Expertise to Rural Alaska

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The Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP) hopes to help rural and island communities in Alaska move to more sustainable energy sources through its Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP). This initiative provides technical support to communities looking to transform their energy systems through renewable sources.

Haleigh Reed, Microgrid Project Manager at REAP, explained the objective of the initiative. 

“Our goal is to support communities in understanding their energy systems’ potential and integrating renewables while increasing efficiency,” Reed said.

Communities interested in participating in the project may apply before the deadline this summer. Once selected, the program backed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory does not cost the community anything. ETIPP is also offering up to $50,000 to help cover time spent working on the program. This financial aid hopes to give communities the time and resources needed to fully invest in the project.

ETIPP uses a hands-on approach that encourages community involvement in making energy decisions. “We prioritize making it community-led and community-driven, very place-based,” Reed noted, emphasizing that the project’s approach is tailored to the unique needs and circumstances of each community. This includes virtual and in-person programs designed to build energy-literacy in communities. 

“Sometimes it means doing the education on the forefront because community members might not feel comfortable making decisions about their energy systems based on their current understanding of what is going on in their community,” Reed said.

Renewable sources of power can come with a steep price tag. The Nome Joint Utility System’s dual 900 KW wind turbines cost $9.6 million, about $8 million of which was funded through grant money from the state. The ETIPP initiative works with local stakeholders to find similar grants and funding sources that may lower– or completely eliminate– the cost of implementing such systems. Once a community decides to move forward with an energy solution, ETIPP hands the project over to contractors for construction and installation.

Renewable energy can offer a path toward energy independence according to Reed, crucial for communities where access to traditional fuel sources like diesel can be expensive and unreliable. By developing local renewable energy projects, communities can reduce their dependence on external fuel supplies while also building a dependable system for electricity.

“If you can’t get a barge of fossil diesel shipped in, what does that mean for the reliability of your system? Renewable energy will stabilize the price of energy in your community so you know what to expect. Sometimes that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s going to be the cheapest option, but it’s going to be the most stable option,” Reed explained. 

Reed also believes that renewable energy gives communities the ability to grow local economies. 

“All of the money that is being spent on fossil fuels is leaving the community. If you can produce energy in your community, from a locally owned renewable energy development, then it’s more likely that that money is going to stay in the community and be able to boost the economy,” Reed said.

Communities applying for the program must be located on an island, within 50 miles of a coastline, not serviced by the railbelt grid, or is a federally recognized tribe in Alaska. The complete list of requirements can be found on ETIPP’s website. 

Applications for this year’s cohort are due by July 10. Selections will be announced towards the end of summer 2024. To make the strongest case for selection, ETIPP encourages having two “champions” on the ground that are prepared to coordinate the project once it begins. 

“When there’s at least two main points of contact to coordinate, that’s when projects are most successful,” Reed said. “We just want to make sure that it has the best chances of keeping momentum.”

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Class of 2025 faces final state tests, highlighting Oregon’s troubled relationship with standardized exams

Oregon 11th graders haven’t taken state tests in math and reading since they were in sixth grade. with low participation rates, will test results actually tell us how they’re doing.

OPB has been following 27 students since they were in first grade as part of the Class of 2025 project to track the state's progress toward 100% high school graduation starting in 2025.

Flashback to Spring 2019.

No one knows what COVID-19 means. January 6 has no meaning beyond a date on the calendar. “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X is taking over the Billboard music charts and Game of Thrones is airing its last episodes.

The Class of 2025 is in 6th grade, and they’re taking state tests, something they’d been doing every spring since 3rd grade. They’re supposed to take tests in 7th and 8th grade too, but those tests would be canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oregon freshmen and sophomores don’t take state tests.

Fast forward to 2024 — and a lot has changed. This spring, the Class of 2025, now 11th graders, are taking state assessments for the first time in five years, and for the last time in their school career.

But the state’s testing system doesn’t really work the way it’s intended to. Thousands of Oregon 11th graders decline to take state tests every year, which undermines the validity of the results as an actual gauge of student progress. Some teachers don’t think the tests are worth the disruption to class time. And even in the best of circumstances, education researchers acknowledge that state tests are just one data point among many to assess student progress. Both the lack of participation — and the lack of data — raise a central question for the Class of 2025 and other Oregon students: do the test results actually tell us how students are doing?

At David Douglas High School, where about half of the Class of 2025 students attend high school, English testing recently wrapped up.

“It went fine — I have no idea how I did,” Class of 2025 student Dude said.

He also recently took his math test, a subject he struggles with more as a high schooler than when he was younger.

“I think I’m less confident now — math is way harder than elementary, but English, I feel fine.”

“I tried my best,” classmate Joel said of his English assessment.

Class of 2025 student Ava says the last time she remembers taking state tests was all the way back in elementary school.

“We’d all go into a computer lab all at once and take it all together,” Ava recalled. “At first, I was really bored by it and I didn’t like it.”

This time around, Ava said she put effort into her English test, using it as a “check-in” to see her progress.

“A lot of students didn’t really care about it and just wanted to get it over with — but I feel like for me it was a good exercise to figure out how far I was and how experienced I am at writing essays,” she said.

Spring is state testing season in Oregon, when students in grades 3 through 8, as well as 11th graders, take tests in math and English. Students in 5th, 8th, and 11th grade also take science tests.

In Oregon and 11 other states, students spend several days at a time taking the Smarter Balanced Assessment .

Students in grades 3 through 8, as well as 11th grade, take tests in math and English. Students in 5th, 8th, and 11th grade also take science tests. In 12 states, including Oregon, students take the Smarter Balanced Assessment.

Rob Manning / OPB

It’s one of many ways schools learn how students are progressing academically. Districts use other assessments, like MAP tests, which are intended to measure growth over the course of the school year, especially for elementary and middle school students. And just about every teacher assesses their own students throughout the year.

But from a statewide perspective, the SBAC in 11th grade is one of the only ways to see how high school students statewide are faring academically. It’s also one of the few standardized exams researchers and policymakers use to compare student achievement across state lines. And for the Class of 2025, it’s the last big assessment before they graduate from high school.

When the Class of 2025′s results come back next school year, many will be paying attention. This spring is the first time juniors have taken the tests since they were in 6th grade, before the pandemic.

The results of this spring’s testing may offer insight into how this group of students is faring academically and recovering from the educational impacts of the pandemic and distance learning.

State assessments as a measure of “adult accountability”

State tests are required by federal law under the Every Student Succeeds Act. Over the years, the way they’ve been administered has varied in Oregon and across the country.

But state tests are a summative assessment measure — they’re meant to test what students have learned near the end of a school year.

Northwest Regional Education Service District superintendent Dan Goldman compares it to judging how well you prepared a dinner after you’ve served it.

“The meal is already cooked — you can’t really change the thing, now you have to eat it,” Goldman said. “But you can basically be like, ‘did that taste good?’ and the next time you make the food, you change the recipe.”

In other words, the spring state tests are less about helping the students who take them and more about improving the school system.

Andrea Lockard, Director of Assessment and Student Reporting at the Oregon Department of Education, suggests state test results are like a pixel in an image — a small piece of a puzzle that helps both district and state leaders get a clearer picture of how well schools are serving students.

“It helps us to identify different spots that are bright spots that we can learn from and it identifies different grow spots where we can lean into and improve,” Lockard said.

Tracking how well students do on state tests is also meant as an accountability measure. At the federal level, it’s a funding requirement.

“For schools that are getting the federal dollars, we want to have that assessment, so we know where the gaps are,” said U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon.

At the state level, these tests are used to “examine the health” of Oregon’s public education system and make “big system annual decisions about curriculum and instructional effectiveness,” said the Oregon Department of Education’s Dan Farley.

For districts, the results from state tests are also used to make big decisions — like figuring out where to invest resources or what training is needed for teachers.

“It’s kind of an adult accountability and being able to fine-tune your systems is probably the most valuable use of that data,” said John Lynch, David Douglas School District student information data analyst.

At the high school level, David Douglas Director of Technology and Assessment Derek Brown says the test is supposed to be a measure of where students are in terms of college and career readiness using the Common Core state standards as a measure. But if a student’s proficiency level is low on the test, it doesn’t mean they’re not going to graduate.

“It’s just meant to say, your trajectory to get through high school and kind of meet that standard looks a little different than someone else,” Brown said. “To me — that’s still valuable information.”

But the information coming out of the test results is only as good as the test data going in. And there are big caveats surrounding that data. For one, many students opt out of the tests — depriving schools of insight on those students. Second, it’s hard to know how much effort students are making on a test that doesn’t count toward their grades. And, there are factors that have nothing to do with their school, like student mobility. For districts where many students have changed schools, will those test results be an adequate measure of how the student’s current school system is doing?

Lack of state testing data for Class of 2025

While states and districts use assessment data to help inform their decision-making, teachers — the most important factor in student achievement — largely don’t.

Tyler Scialo-Lakeberg taught high school juniors before becoming the president of the Salem-Keizer Education Association.

“My classes and their learning experience were disrupted for 6 weeks as they went through the testing window,” she recalled in an email to OPB.

Tyler Scialo-Lakeberg, president of the Salem Keizer Education Association, speaks at a press conference in Salem, Oregon, on Feb. 22, 2024.

Natalie Pate / OPB

She said a third of her class would be called out of class for testing at a time, which made it “very difficult to move forward.”

“Students were exhausted mentally from the testing,” she said, “and I didn’t want to create work that a third of students would have to make up.”

All of that disruption, Scialo-Lakeberg points out, for assessment results teachers won’t see until the next school year.

“By that time, I no longer have the same students in class,” she said.

Portland Association of Teachers president Angela Bonilla called testing a “waste of time” for educators.

“What I have heard from educators is that [Oregon’s Statewide Assessment System] testing is a measure to hold districts accountable for instruction, but we end up spending more time preparing for and administering this irrelevant test than we do connecting the test information to instruction,” Bonilla said in an email to OPB.

“It is a snapshot in time of how well students can take a test; it doesn’t measure if a kid made strides in learning.”

Both Scialo-Lakeberg and Bonilla say other assessments — from weekly quizzes and conferences to in-the-moment student check-ins — are more useful to teachers.

Portland Association of Teachers President Angela Bonilla talks with the media fo in Portland, Nov. 28, 2023.

Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB

Officials both at the district and state level cite a variety of other data points, including attendance rates, 9th-grade on track percentages, grade point average, dual credit enrollment, and results on Advanced Placement tests as important gauges of how students are doing.

Those data points have been collected for the last five years and for the Class of 2025.

In the David Douglas district, Brown said they’ve been using other information to fill in the gap missing from state assessment results.

“I don’t think those data points were holes that we were worried about,” Brown said, citing 9th grade on track and attendance as points they’ve focused on instead.

“My guess is the state test results specifically aren’t going to tell us a bunch of new things about these kids that we didn’t already know from experiencing their freshman, sophomore, and junior years with them,” said Derek Brown.

Goldman at Northwest Regional ESD is more interested in qualitative sources of information rather than things like test scores. He said hearing from students and families through things like empathy interviews “get people’s experiences into the conversation.”

We won’t know how the Class of 2025 did on state tests until next school year when they’ll be seniors. But that doesn’t stop teachers from working with students to get them to graduation, Brown said.

“Whatever those results look like, I think our educators right now are working with those kids and collecting information in other ways and they’re poised to continue to provide the support they believe is necessary to get the kids across the stage and shaking hands with our superintendent and getting their diploma,” Brown said.

The first thing state officials will be looking for?

How many students actually took the tests.

In Oregon, opting out of tests is permitted. And in several school districts, high schoolers opt out of these tests in droves.

Are state test results invalid when fewer than 20% of districts reach participation benchmark?

The federal government requires 95% participation in state tests. Yet in Oregon and a handful of other states, families can opt out of testing.

That means participation in testing can vary widely, with high schools having the lowest rates.

In Oregon’s 20 largest school districts, 11th-grade participation rates ranged from 11% on math tests in Redmond to rates in the 80% range on English tests in Salem-Keizer, Medford and North Clackamas. Fewer than six in 10 Portland juniors took math or English exams. Of those 20 largest districts, only one — Greater Albany Public Schools — managed to reach 95% participation, in either subject.

ODE’s Dan Farley said a lack of participation “undermines” the purpose of the Oregon summative testing system.

“When we don’t have participation rates that are above at least 80%, we really don’t have a complete picture of what’s happening, or how well our students are learning,” Farley said.

Farley said 80% participation is a recommendation from a state technical advisory committee. Still, many districts fall short of the 80% target at the high school level.

There are many reasons a family might opt out of testing for their student and few incentives to take the test. Until 2020, high school seniors needed to prove they had reached proficiency in “essential skills,” through specific measures, including SBAC scores, as a graduation requirement. Now, state officials say , “These tests are not designed to determine if a student should graduate from high school.”

Vince Swagerty, superintendent of the small coastal North Bend School District, said that change has sometimes made getting students to participate challenging.

“You try to talk kids into taking the test, and they say, you know, it doesn’t really matter,” Swagerty said. “The interesting thing is it’s not just the kids who might not be as successful — it’s the kids who are clearly going to ace it. They’re just not interested. ‘Why waste the time?’”

Some school districts have expressed concern over how lack of student participation might affect their district.

David Douglas is an outlier among Oregon’s largest school districts, with high school participation rates ranging from 88.5% in English last school year to 92% participation in science.

Class of 2025 student Josh said he took his time with his English test this year and gave it the same effort he would for a test in class.

“I’ll still do it the same way I would do in a regular class just because it’s for the state, everybody’s going to see how the state of Oregon’s academic rate is,” Josh said.

But that’s just one district. And for some, low participation renders low trust in the assessment results.

NWRESD Superintendent Dan Goldman oversees an agency that works with 20 member districts. But before that, he was a high-level administrator in two different Oregon districts. Back then, he used assessment data like the officials at David Douglas or North Bend do, to evaluate programs and make sure a school is serving its students.

If he were in those district roles now, would he trust the data?

“No, I would not,” he said. “I would not feel the same level of trust in them.”

Goldman said the state’s opt-out policy renders the use of the tests too flawed to be useful. Instead, he says both the media and the legislature use state assessment data to unfairly rate and judge schools.

“It’s just extremely damaging to school communities and communities at large, and schools are a big part of how communities feel about themselves,” he said.

Goldman said although assessments are necessary for accountability, Oregon’s current system does not live up to that purpose. He suggests lawmakers who evaluate schools based on their test results are the same people who pass laws that depress test scores.

“The legislature, through the opt-out scenario here, has itself lowered its own accountability for schools and it makes it very difficult for us to have a real conversation internally and externally about whether our schools are meeting the needs of our kids when you can no longer use these assessments for that purpose,” Goldman said.

He also points out the gaps in who opts out of state testing. “The students who are not taking the assessment are more likely to come from higher income homes, they are more likely to be a white, homogenous group,” Goldman said.

In one school district, raising participation increased tie between results and reality

State officials know there’s a participation problem. In spite of teachers like Bonilla in PPS and Scialo-Lakeberg in Salem-Keizer suggesting tests are a waste of time for students and educators, state officials are hoping teachers can help make the case for participation.

“It’s almost more of a social stewardship role for students,” Farley said. “What they get out of it is information about their learning that the state has validated, which is useful compared to other sources of information that they have.”

Officials in the small North Bend School District are trying to get participation rates back up after years of “almost inviting” families to opt out of tests by sending the necessary forms home with students.

“We’re putting systems in place where we’re [...] we’re actually encouraging them to take the test,” Swagerty said.

Those systems have paid off. Last year, high school participation in testing jumped 24 percentage points, from 50 to 74%. Martin and Swagerty say this year’s testing participation has been even higher.

Higher participation is important at North Bend, as they’ve started receiving reports from ODE that use detailed state assessment data to give school districts a better idea of student achievement over time.

Bruce Martin, the district’s director of Teaching and Learning, has worked in the district for more than 30 years. In the past, he said state tests have been a high-stakes check for districts and school leaders on whether students have learned what they should have.

With the new state reports, school leaders can more easily use results at the beginning of the year to help focus teaching and learning efforts. Martin said annual assessment results can help school leaders and teachers know what to include in more regular assessments for students.

“We can target areas that we see deficiencies within our curriculum,” Martin said. “Once we look at those areas and know what they are, we can begin to target those and improve our instruction.”

In North Bend, those in-depth conversations have mostly focused on the elementary level, but Martin says there’s interest at North Bend High.

When the Class of 2025′s state assessment results come back, Martin and Swagerty say they’ll be looking for improvement — and signs that students are recovering from lost learning during the pandemic and that the district’s use of state and federal funding is proving to be effective.

“It would give us hope that we’re going to get to the other side of this generational impact that loss of instruction during COVID kind of saddle these kids with,” Swagerty said.

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