What does research reveal?

Forty years of accumulated evidence reveals that the instructional strategies and procedures that make up standards-focused, project-based learning are effective in building deep content understanding, raising academic achievement, and encouraging student motivation to learn.

Research studies have demonstrated that student-centered learning environments, like PBL, can:
  • narrow achievement gaps (2,9,11,12)
  • be more effective than traditional instruction in increasing academic achievement on state and national assessments. (1,2,13,14,15,16)
  • be more effective than traditional instruction for content learning, long-term retention, skill development and disposition toward learning. (2,3,4,5,12,13,14,15,16,18,23,24)
  • improve students’ mastery of 21st-century and college, career readiness skills. (6,12,13,21,22,23)
  • be effective with higher and lower-achieving students. (1,7,8,9,22,23)
  • provide an effective model for whole school reform. (10)