PBLWorks Creates PBLWorks TEACH™ to Help Schools and Districts Scale Project Based Learning

Novato, CA (May 27, 2025) – The Buck Institute for Education (dba PBLWorks), a national provider of professional development for high-quality Project Based Learning (PBL), is launching PBLWorks TEACH, a web-based application with ready-to-use, standards-aligned, Gold-Standard PBL projects for middle school math, science, English Language Arts, and social studies. TEACH’s middle school curriculum units are currently available while curriculum units for elementary and high school will be available early in 2026.

TEACH leverages PBLWorks’ deep expertise and decades of experience to make Gold Standard PBL projects accessible to all teachers, regardless of their prior experience with Project Based Learning. It also makes it easier for schools and districts to scale PBL initiatives.

“We know first-hand how effective Project Based Learning is in supporting student success and we have nearly 30 years of experience training educators and administrators on how to design and implement Gold Standard PBL projects in their schools,” said PBLWorks CEO Bob Lenz. “We also realize that teachers have ever-increasing demands and significant time constraints, which can make designing their own projects a challenge. PBLWorks TEACH addresses this by providing teachers with everything they need to start using expert-designed, standards-aligned projects with their students.”

TEACH projects are grounded in proven, research-based strategies and authored by PBLWorks’ experts. Each project uses PBLWorks’ Gold Standard PBL framework which focuses on sustained inquiry, authenticity, student voice and choice, reflection, critique and revision, and creating a public product, while teaching students real-world success skills such as critical thinking and collaboration.

For example, in the “Community Recipes” project for sixth grade math, students explore proportional reasoning by scaling family and community recipes. They investigate ratios, proportions, and unit rates using graphs, tables, and written descriptions. Along the way, they uncover and share meaningful stories behind each dish. The project culminates in a curated online food blog that highlights their recipes and the cultural connections behind them. Projects are broken down into lessons so teachers can easily align the content to their course calendar. Each lesson includes an outline and in-depth instructions and resources to help even novice teachers execute the project with ease. Features of TEACH include:

• Standards-aligned projects – a project overview shows the standards each project addresses. Importantly, the cadence of each project matches the length of time typically allotted to teach that particular standard, so it doesn’t add additional time to the class calendar.
• Step-by-step instructions that guide teachers in implementing the project and provide a project path outlining learning goals for both content and success skills from project launch to the final presentation.
• Embedded professional learning, including videos from PBL experts sharing teaching tips and guidance for implementing the project with ease.
• PBL and Project-specific Communities, where teachers can communicate with each other and with PBL experts and engage in periodic live events offered by PBLWorks.
• Ready-to-use resources, including Google Slides, project information sheets, project supply lists, downloadable materials such as printable handouts, and websites to share with students.
• A simple, easy-to-use interface that requires no high-tech skills.
• Assessment resources, including rubrics, assignments, and performance-based assessments to help teachers measure content mastery.

Teachers say the TEACH projects have helped them re-invigorate their teaching and engage students more deeply in their learning.

“The PBL units are incredibly interactive!” said middle school social studies teacher Brook Rajnowski. “Much of the content I’ve encountered in the past has been very surface-level, but the PBL unit I implemented allowed us to dive deeper into sources. As a result, these learning experiences have significantly elevated my students’ writing and critical thinking skills. Additionally, the flexibility of the units provides ample opportunities for creativity.”

TEACH is available as a school or district-level subscription. No prior training is needed to use it, however PBLWorks does offer workshops to help schools get the most out of the subscription.

For information or to schedule a demo, visit www.pblworks.org/teach

About PBLWorks TEACH™

PBLWorks TEACH^TM is a web-based application for K-12 schools that want an easier way to implement Project Based Learning (PBL) to ignite student engagement and deeper learning in classrooms. TEACH makes PBL easier to implement by providing ready-to-use, standards-aligned project units for math, science, ELA, and social studies.

PBLWorks TEACH™ is a trademark of PBLWorks.

About PBLWorks

The Buck Institute for Education/PBLWorks believes that all students, especially Black and Brown students, should have access to high-quality Project Based Learning to deepen their learning and achieve success in college, career, and life. Its focus is on building the capacity of teachers to design and facilitate high-quality Project Based Learning, and on supporting school and system leaders in creating the conditions for these teachers to succeed with all students.

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