In the Secondary Education Project, a white paper outlining the case for a new Drew Charter Senior Academy, the authors state: “Drew Charter School, CF Foundation, Inc. and East Lake Foundation have become increasingly concerned regarding the outcomes for our students after they transition from Drew in 8th grade to high schools in the Atlanta area.” They write, “we have not been satisfied that Drew students are experiencing a seamless transition moving from Drew 8th grade to high school.” With insufficient support systems necessary to help low-income students be successful in high school, college and life, as well as an inadequate preparation from traditional schooling, the Drew Charter Senior Academy Research Team believes a successful strategy would be to develop a neighborhood high school for Drew Charter students focused on teaching Common Core standards in an interdisciplinary fashion using Project-Based Learning (PBL).
This ‘white paper’ will: (1) explain the PBL process; (2) explore the research that supports PBL as a successful instructional strategy; (3) share stories of some successful PBL schools; and (4) and look at PBL within the context of a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math Foundation, Inc. and East Lake Foundation have become (STEAM) school.