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Teaching Our Cities & Schoolyards: Project-Based Learning In Action

  Robyn Stewart           May 30, 2022

What if urban public schools could mobilize their cities and schoolyards as classrooms – helping city students connect to their urban environments, master high academic standards, and grow into environmental stewards? Teaching our Cities and Schoolyards was a two-year project that aimed to do just that, with support from the EPA’s Environmental Education Grant Program. Two Common Ground programs – Teaching Our Cities and the Schoolyards Program...

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Bishop Woods Architecture & Design Magnet School

New Haven, CT
Cara Campo, Assistant Principal

Bishop Woods is a K-8, Title 1 public magnet school located in New Haven, CT, with an architecture and design theme.

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The Greene School

West Greenwich, RI
Brendan Haggerty, Science, Instructional Guide

The Greene School embraces an educational discipline of 'learn-by-doing.' Known as EL Education (Expeditionary Learning), our approach is rooted in the idea that learning is active, challenging, meaningful, public, and collaborative. Our students grow academically and socially, become environmental stewards.

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Boston Green Academy

Brighton, MA
Matt Holzer, Headmaster

Boston Green Academy welcomes diverse students of all abilities, educates and empowers them to succeed in college and career, and prepares them to lead in the sustainability of our community and world.

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Edgewood Creative Thinking Through STEAM Magnet School

New Haven, CT
Holly Smith, Magnet Resource Teacher

Edgewood Creative Thinking through STEAM Magnet School is a K-8 New Haven Magnet School of Choice in New Haven, CT. Edgewood’s mission is to provide a nurturing environment in which all students will reach their full social and academic potential and become responsible citizens and lifelong learners.

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Elm City Montessori School

New Haven, CT
David Weinreb, Magnet Resource Teacher

Elm City Montessori School is a racially and economically diverse New Haven public elementary school serving PreK-3 through 8th grade. It is New Haven’s first public Montessori school, and Connecticut’s only local charter school.

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Barnard Environmental Science and Technology School

New Haven, CT
Lana Rowan, Environmental Theme Coach

Barnard is a Title 1 magnet school in New Haven, CT, with an environmental science theme.

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Broadview Middle School

Danbury, CT
Sue Mills, Teacher

Broadview Middle School is a grade 6-8 school set in an urban city neighborhood next to Danbury Hospital.

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Common Ground High School

New Haven, CT
Joel Tolman, Project Director, Teaching Our Cities

Common Ground High School -- the nation's longest-running environmental charter school -- is committed to growing a new, more diverse generation of successful college students and powerful environmental leaders. Common Ground is located on 20 acres of city park land, and also operates an urban farm and community environmental center.

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Connecticut River Academy

East Hartford, CT
Heather Jacobi, Curriculum Coach

Connecticut River Academy at Goodwin College is a magnet high school located along the Connecticut River in East Hartford. CTRA's sustainability theme provides hands-on learning in environmental studies and advanced manufacturing. CTRA also offers unique college and career experiences, including the opportunity to earn tuition free college credits.

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Waterbury Career Academy

Waterbury, CT
Elizabeth Pantoni, Spanish Teacher

Waterbury Career Academy (WCA) is an application-based public school housing grades 9-12 within the city of Waterbury. Only city residents can attend the school so all of our students reside within the city of Waterbury. The school opened its doors in 2013 with a focus on four career strands: IT, Health, Human Services, and Manufacturing. Our goal is to prepare students for colleges and careers within their strand. The school currently houses 792 students, and we hope to help our students make interdisciplinary connections both in school and within our city community through this project.

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New Roots School

Ithaca, NY
Tina Nilsen-Hodges, Principal & Superintendent

New Roots Charter School is a small urban public high school in Ithaca, New York. Our mission to educate for sustainability and justice by fostering understanding of the human and natural history of our city and region, and creating strong, respectful working relationships between people of diverse ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

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Teaching Our Cities

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Rooting Urban Public Schools In Their Urban Environments

Featured Blog Post: 
Teaching Our Cities & Schoolyards: Project-Based Learning In Action
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Dive into a collection of practices that help our cities' young people grow into powerful leaders & successful students.

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Hear voices and stories from our partner schools, project staff, and advisors.

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Visit urban public schools that are embracing the urban environments that they and their students call home.

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Meet Our Schools
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Explore Our Practices
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Learn About the Project
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Explore Our Practices

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Read Our Blog

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Meet Our Schools

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New: Experience Our Projects

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Starting in 2022, learn about authentic projects and performance tasks, helping students meet high academic expectations through real work connected to their urban environments -- documented through a new, joint effort of Common Ground's Schoolyards Program, K-12 schools across New England, and Teaching Our Cities.