EdCircuit Staff 
Novato, CA (February 10, 2025) – As schools in New York and across the country seek to re-imagine the learning experience for students, the Buck Institute for Education (dba PBLWorks), is supporting this work in several schools in New York City with the launch of its 2024-2025 New York City PBL School Leader Network.
PBLWorks is a national provider of professional development for high quality Project Based Learning (PBL). Its PBL School Leader Networks (SLNs) are year-long professional development opportunities designed to help participants transform their schools using PBL. A total of 17 principals and assistant principals and eight instructional coaches from eight schools in New York City are participating in the 2024-2025 New York City SLN, which launched in November.
“Schools across the country are being more intentional about the way they are thinking about teaching and learning in order to ensure graduates are set up for success and are ready for the world. High-quality Project Based Learning is an incredibly powerful way to support student success because it engages students in authentic learning experiences that inspire them and build skills like critical thinking, collaboration, and teamwork,” said Bob Lenz, CEO of PBLWorks. “The New York City School Leader Network is an opportunity for leaders to collaborate, share ideas, and learn together while addressing the unique challenges and opportunities of leading schools in NYC. Many participants share how being part of a cohort has made all the difference!”
The 2024-2025 New York cohort’s first meeting in November came just a week after an announcement by the New York State Department of Education of a proposed timeline for its “NY Inspires” plan to transform education in New York. The plan includes adopting the New York State Portrait of a Graduate, sunsetting diploma assessment requirements, and more. The NY Inspires report lists project-based learning as one of the experiences educators suggested students could use to demonstrate proficiency in learning standards and the components of the NYS Portrait of a Graduate.
“Being a part of NYC’s SLN gave me the time and space to do my best thinking and planning around Project Based Learning implementation,” said Beth Hert, Founding Principal at Corona Arts & Sciences Academy and participant in the 2023-2024 NYC School Leader Network. “With the current challenge posed for NYC principals to reimagine the student experience, this was a perfect opportunity to hit the ground running and put structures in place to support this type of hands-on work.”
PBLWorks’ School Leader Networks are based on the PBLWorks Leadership Theory of Action, informed research-based practices, practitioner feedback, and field studies that describe a systemic approach to transforming schools using high-quality PBL with students at the center. PBLWorks’ prior SLNs have included an Hawaii Innovative Leadership Network (HILN) and a Massachusetts SLN (MA SLN) which together engaged a total of 86 school leaders, reaching more than 182,000 students. Its Kentucky School Leader Network was part of a partnership with the Kentucky Department of Education that engaged more than 2,100 educators in PBLWorks’ professional learning.
Participants of the New York City SLN will engage in virtual and in-person programming and workshops throughout the year. The events are designed to help them create conditions at their schools that allow teachers to adapt and facilitate high-quality projects that are intellectually challenging and engaging for all students, especially Black and Brown students.
Participants will have access to a rich suite of tools and resources designed to support the implementation of Gold Standard PBL and will work together to craft an ambitious vision for PBL at their schools. They will create and implement school-wide action plans, design professional development, examine ways to rethink school structures to support PBL, learn and apply change-leadership strategies, and collect evidence of student success.
For more information or to learn about upcoming cohorts, visit https://www.pblworks.org/school-leader-networks-sln
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 quality Project Based Learning, and on supporting school and system leaders in creating the conditions for these teachers to succeed with all students.
# # #
Subscribe to edCircuit to stay up to date on all of our shows, podcasts, news, and thought leadership articles.
