Through a partnership with UrbanX Learning, GCE Lab School implemented our curriculum at five schools across Chicago as a part of our Summer Institute. In running this program, our professional development team hoped to provide educators with the tools to genuinely take on the task of implementing more inquiry- and project-based instruction in their classes and to create student-centered, dynamic, and purpose-driven courses. Across the board, we observed educators create a shared sense of ownership in their classrooms as students engaged in discussions and hands-on activities with each other. We look forward to future collaborations with many more schools, educators, and students.

Special thanks to our signature program sponsor:

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Each time a GCE course is taught, it’s subjected to the rigor, standards, and feedback of students, teachers, and community partners. Our summer professional development sessions are key to the iterative process that makes our courses innovative and relevant.

The process of improving and creating new integrated, project-based curriculum is extensive. It requires our teachers to collaborate and experience each course as if they were a student; taking each test, doing each action project, and even workshopping the policies and procedures for Field Experiences, where students apply what they’ve learned in class in real-world contexts with our community partners.