Transforming Schools Using Project–Based Learning, Performance Assessment, and Common Core Standards

A TRANSFORMATIVE SCHOOL MODEL THAT EMPOWERS STUDENTS TO LEARN BY DOING, LEARN BY ASKING QUESTIONS, AND LEARN WITH OTHERS

"During the past decade, while much of our educational system has been wringing its hands about the policies and politics of our schools, Bob Lenz and his colleagues, Justin Wells and Sally Kingston, have been rolling up their sleeves and courageously reinventing high schools for urban youth. The result is Transforming Schools, which practices what it preaches about deeper learning. . . . This book helps all of us 'envision' a brighter future for our students through the power of project-based learning and performance assessments."

--Milton Chen, Senior Fellow & Executive Director, Emeritus, The George Lucas Educational Foundation

The world is changing and our schools are not keeping up. In Transforming Schools Using Project-Based Learning, Performance Assessment, and Common Core Standards, Bob Lenz, Justin Wells, and Sally Kingston draw on the example of the nationally recognized Envision Education schools, as well as other leading schools around the country, to demonstrate how deeper learning can prepare students for college and career by engaging them in their own education.

Throughout the book, the authors explain how project-based learning can blend with Common Core-aligned performance assessment to create an environment that encourages deeper learning. They examine how many exemplary schools have successfully made the transition from traditional, teacher-centered learning to project-based, deeper learning. Filled with practical ideas and proven strategies, the text includes illustrative examples for implementing this educational model. Transforming Schools includes:

• A companion DVD and website with videos showing how to put in place deeper learning strategies in the classroom
• Evidence-based descriptions that reveal why deeper learning is right for students
• Information from performance assessment experts who explain how to align assessments with Common Core by shifting the emphasis from knowing to doing
• An extensive game plan section with step-by-step guidance for change

Schools are complex organizations, and transformation involves all of the stakeholders, from students to superintendents. But as the authors reveal, there are amazing benefits to be realized when everyone commits to diving deeper into learning.