The P3 Curriculum is grounded in the notion that the curriculum should come directly and authentically from the communities in which our students live. This idea is based on the belief that even very young children can identify critical issues in their communities and use community assets to address those issues. Much of the current school reform literature speaks to a “relevant and rigorous” curriculum.

At The Project School, relevant means real. Rather than using hypothetical or mock situations, we believe true relevance means children working side-by-side with community members on real projects that will translate into a better community. Diverse constituents from the community come together to discuss, debate, and problem solve around real issues in the local community that ultimately affect and impact the global community. Our realization of this “bringing together” is the curricular summit.

Who?

The summit is composed of invited members of the local and global community who have an intrinsic desire to contribute to solving problems in their communities. The summit is an authentic and diverse cross-section of the community, including policy makers, representatives from professional and business professions, families, students, teachers, philanthropists, artists, musicians, educators, labor and trade workers, clergy, the non-profit sector, health care, housing and development, higher education, concerned citizens, members of diverse ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic status, and more. Any member of the community who truly wants to make a difference can do so, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, age, gender, special ability, sexual orientation, or any other potentially predictive value. The Project School engages participants who want to be engaged, from all walks of life and from all sectors of the community. We believe that all voices have value and we operate under the belief that whoever takes the initiative to come are the right people to have in the room.

How?

As participants are identified and a profile of participants begins to emerge, we will survey the group to see what kinds of questions and topics surface. From this data, a series of panel discussions, debates, lectures, and most importantly, conversations will be organized. Teachers, families, community members, and students from the schools will serve as moderators, facilitators, and process observers during the summit. All events will be accessible to the community and will be recorded and broadcasted on local channels and via the school’s Web site. Online surveys and blogs will also be created to accumulate more data around the topics at the summit.

Where?

The summit will be intentionally housed at the school sites to drive home the notion that the school should serve as the “hub” of the community. The school is a center of personal and communal growth, the spark and the foundation for change in the community—the school IS the community. Communities should see their schools as a source of hope. Schools should be forums for real debate and real learning. At the curricular summit, dialogue and debate will take place around the issues that need to be addressed in the community to make it a better place for everyone. Symbolically, the school is where this synergy of multiple perspectives plays out and is harnessed into action. Participants will begin to see the school as a living, breathing entity that cares about the health and vibrancy of its community.

At 10:00 am on June 7, 2008 staff members, families, and community members assembled at the Harrison Center for the Arts in Indianapolis for the first annual Project School Curricular Summit. Participants brainstormed many of the strengths and challenges in the community. After lunch attention turned to developing topics that would become the focus of the P3 curriculum. During the weeks leading up to the start of school, teachers are developing P3 projects around the ideas generated by the community.