current project topics on education

Research Topics & Ideas: Education

170+ Research Ideas To Fast-Track Your Project

If you’re just starting out exploring education-related topics for your dissertation, thesis or research project, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll help kickstart your research topic ideation process by providing a hearty list of research topics and ideas , including examples from actual dissertations and theses..

PS – This is just the start…

We know it’s exciting to run through a list of research topics, but please keep in mind that this list is just a starting point . To develop a suitable education-related research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , and a viable plan of action to fill that gap.

If this sounds foreign to you, check out our free research topic webinar that explores how to find and refine a high-quality research topic, from scratch. Alternatively, if you’d like hands-on help, consider our 1-on-1 coaching service .

Overview: Education Research Topics

• How to find a research topic (video)
• List of 50+ education-related research topics/ideas
• List of 120+ level-specific research topics 
• Examples of actual dissertation topics in education
• Tips to fast-track your topic ideation (video)
• Free Webinar : Topic Ideation 101
• Where to get extra help

Education-Related Research Topics & Ideas

Below you’ll find a list of education-related research topics and idea kickstarters. These are fairly broad and flexible to various contexts, so keep in mind that you will need to refine them a little. Nevertheless, they should inspire some ideas for your project.

• The impact of school funding on student achievement
• The effects of social and emotional learning on student well-being
• The effects of parental involvement on student behaviour
• The impact of teacher training on student learning
• The impact of classroom design on student learning
• The impact of poverty on education
• The use of student data to inform instruction
• The role of parental involvement in education
• The effects of mindfulness practices in the classroom
• The use of technology in the classroom
• The role of critical thinking in education
• The use of formative and summative assessments in the classroom
• The use of differentiated instruction in the classroom
• The use of gamification in education
• The effects of teacher burnout on student learning
• The impact of school leadership on student achievement
• The effects of teacher diversity on student outcomes
• The role of teacher collaboration in improving student outcomes
• The implementation of blended and online learning
• The effects of teacher accountability on student achievement
• The effects of standardized testing on student learning
• The effects of classroom management on student behaviour
• The effects of school culture on student achievement
• The use of student-centred learning in the classroom
• The impact of teacher-student relationships on student outcomes
• The achievement gap in minority and low-income students
• The use of culturally responsive teaching in the classroom
• The impact of teacher professional development on student learning
• The use of project-based learning in the classroom
• The effects of teacher expectations on student achievement
• The use of adaptive learning technology in the classroom
• The impact of teacher turnover on student learning
• The effects of teacher recruitment and retention on student learning
• The impact of early childhood education on later academic success
• The impact of parental involvement on student engagement
• The use of positive reinforcement in education
• The impact of school climate on student engagement
• The role of STEM education in preparing students for the workforce
• The effects of school choice on student achievement
• The use of technology in the form of online tutoring

Level-Specific Research Topics

Looking for research topics for a specific level of education? We’ve got you covered. Below you can find research topic ideas for primary, secondary and tertiary-level education contexts. Click the relevant level to view the respective list.

Research Topics: Pick An Education Level

Primary education.

• Investigating the effects of peer tutoring on academic achievement in primary school
• Exploring the benefits of mindfulness practices in primary school classrooms
• Examining the effects of different teaching strategies on primary school students’ problem-solving skills
• The use of storytelling as a teaching strategy in primary school literacy instruction
• The role of cultural diversity in promoting tolerance and understanding in primary schools
• The impact of character education programs on moral development in primary school students
• Investigating the use of technology in enhancing primary school mathematics education
• The impact of inclusive curriculum on promoting equity and diversity in primary schools
• The impact of outdoor education programs on environmental awareness in primary school students
• The influence of school climate on student motivation and engagement in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of early literacy interventions on reading comprehension in primary school students
• The impact of parental involvement in school decision-making processes on student achievement in primary schools
• Exploring the benefits of inclusive education for students with special needs in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of teacher-student feedback on academic motivation in primary schools
• The role of technology in developing digital literacy skills in primary school students
• Effective strategies for fostering a growth mindset in primary school students
• Investigating the role of parental support in reducing academic stress in primary school children
• The role of arts education in fostering creativity and self-expression in primary school students
• Examining the effects of early childhood education programs on primary school readiness
• Examining the effects of homework on primary school students’ academic performance
• The role of formative assessment in improving learning outcomes in primary school classrooms
• The impact of teacher-student relationships on academic outcomes in primary school
• Investigating the effects of classroom environment on student behavior and learning outcomes in primary schools
• Investigating the role of creativity and imagination in primary school curriculum
• The impact of nutrition and healthy eating programs on academic performance in primary schools
• The impact of social-emotional learning programs on primary school students’ well-being and academic performance
• The role of parental involvement in academic achievement of primary school children
• Examining the effects of classroom management strategies on student behavior in primary school
• The role of school leadership in creating a positive school climate Exploring the benefits of bilingual education in primary schools
• The effectiveness of project-based learning in developing critical thinking skills in primary school students
• The role of inquiry-based learning in fostering curiosity and critical thinking in primary school students
• The effects of class size on student engagement and achievement in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of recess and physical activity breaks on attention and learning in primary school
• Exploring the benefits of outdoor play in developing gross motor skills in primary school children
• The effects of educational field trips on knowledge retention in primary school students
• Examining the effects of inclusive classroom practices on students’ attitudes towards diversity in primary schools
• The impact of parental involvement in homework on primary school students’ academic achievement
• Investigating the effectiveness of different assessment methods in primary school classrooms
• The influence of physical activity and exercise on cognitive development in primary school children
• Exploring the benefits of cooperative learning in promoting social skills in primary school students

Secondary Education

• Investigating the effects of school discipline policies on student behavior and academic success in secondary education
• The role of social media in enhancing communication and collaboration among secondary school students
• The impact of school leadership on teacher effectiveness and student outcomes in secondary schools
• Investigating the effects of technology integration on teaching and learning in secondary education
• Exploring the benefits of interdisciplinary instruction in promoting critical thinking skills in secondary schools
• The impact of arts education on creativity and self-expression in secondary school students
• The effectiveness of flipped classrooms in promoting student learning in secondary education
• The role of career guidance programs in preparing secondary school students for future employment
• Investigating the effects of student-centered learning approaches on student autonomy and academic success in secondary schools
• The impact of socio-economic factors on educational attainment in secondary education
• Investigating the impact of project-based learning on student engagement and academic achievement in secondary schools
• Investigating the effects of multicultural education on cultural understanding and tolerance in secondary schools
• The influence of standardized testing on teaching practices and student learning in secondary education
• Investigating the effects of classroom management strategies on student behavior and academic engagement in secondary education
• The influence of teacher professional development on instructional practices and student outcomes in secondary schools
• The role of extracurricular activities in promoting holistic development and well-roundedness in secondary school students
• Investigating the effects of blended learning models on student engagement and achievement in secondary education
• The role of physical education in promoting physical health and well-being among secondary school students
• Investigating the effects of gender on academic achievement and career aspirations in secondary education
• Exploring the benefits of multicultural literature in promoting cultural awareness and empathy among secondary school students
• The impact of school counseling services on student mental health and well-being in secondary schools
• Exploring the benefits of vocational education and training in preparing secondary school students for the workforce
• The role of digital literacy in preparing secondary school students for the digital age
• The influence of parental involvement on academic success and well-being of secondary school students
• The impact of social-emotional learning programs on secondary school students’ well-being and academic success
• The role of character education in fostering ethical and responsible behavior in secondary school students
• Examining the effects of digital citizenship education on responsible and ethical technology use among secondary school students
• The impact of parental involvement in school decision-making processes on student outcomes in secondary schools
• The role of educational technology in promoting personalized learning experiences in secondary schools
• The impact of inclusive education on the social and academic outcomes of students with disabilities in secondary schools
• The influence of parental support on academic motivation and achievement in secondary education
• The role of school climate in promoting positive behavior and well-being among secondary school students
• Examining the effects of peer mentoring programs on academic achievement and social-emotional development in secondary schools
• Examining the effects of teacher-student relationships on student motivation and achievement in secondary schools
• Exploring the benefits of service-learning programs in promoting civic engagement among secondary school students
• The impact of educational policies on educational equity and access in secondary education
• Examining the effects of homework on academic achievement and student well-being in secondary education
• Investigating the effects of different assessment methods on student performance in secondary schools
• Examining the effects of single-sex education on academic performance and gender stereotypes in secondary schools
• The role of mentoring programs in supporting the transition from secondary to post-secondary education

Tertiary Education

• The role of student support services in promoting academic success and well-being in higher education
• The impact of internationalization initiatives on students’ intercultural competence and global perspectives in tertiary education
• Investigating the effects of active learning classrooms and learning spaces on student engagement and learning outcomes in tertiary education
• Exploring the benefits of service-learning experiences in fostering civic engagement and social responsibility in higher education
• The influence of learning communities and collaborative learning environments on student academic and social integration in higher education
• Exploring the benefits of undergraduate research experiences in fostering critical thinking and scientific inquiry skills
• Investigating the effects of academic advising and mentoring on student retention and degree completion in higher education
• The role of student engagement and involvement in co-curricular activities on holistic student development in higher education
• The impact of multicultural education on fostering cultural competence and diversity appreciation in higher education
• The role of internships and work-integrated learning experiences in enhancing students’ employability and career outcomes
• Examining the effects of assessment and feedback practices on student learning and academic achievement in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty professional development on instructional practices and student outcomes in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty-student relationships on student success and well-being in tertiary education
• The impact of college transition programs on students’ academic and social adjustment to higher education
• The impact of online learning platforms on student learning outcomes in higher education
• The impact of financial aid and scholarships on access and persistence in higher education
• The influence of student leadership and involvement in extracurricular activities on personal development and campus engagement
• Exploring the benefits of competency-based education in developing job-specific skills in tertiary students
• Examining the effects of flipped classroom models on student learning and retention in higher education
• Exploring the benefits of online collaboration and virtual team projects in developing teamwork skills in tertiary students
• Investigating the effects of diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus climate and student experiences in tertiary education
• The influence of study abroad programs on intercultural competence and global perspectives of college students
• Investigating the effects of peer mentoring and tutoring programs on student retention and academic performance in tertiary education
• Investigating the effectiveness of active learning strategies in promoting student engagement and achievement in tertiary education
• Investigating the effects of blended learning models and hybrid courses on student learning and satisfaction in higher education
• The role of digital literacy and information literacy skills in supporting student success in the digital age
• Investigating the effects of experiential learning opportunities on career readiness and employability of college students
• The impact of e-portfolios on student reflection, self-assessment, and showcasing of learning in higher education
• The role of technology in enhancing collaborative learning experiences in tertiary classrooms
• The impact of research opportunities on undergraduate student engagement and pursuit of advanced degrees
• Examining the effects of competency-based assessment on measuring student learning and achievement in tertiary education
• Examining the effects of interdisciplinary programs and courses on critical thinking and problem-solving skills in college students
• The role of inclusive education and accessibility in promoting equitable learning experiences for diverse student populations
• The role of career counseling and guidance in supporting students’ career decision-making in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty diversity and representation on student success and inclusive learning environments in higher education

Education-Related Dissertations & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic in education, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses in the education space to see how this all comes together in practice.

Below, we’ve included a selection of education-related research projects to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• From Rural to Urban: Education Conditions of Migrant Children in China (Wang, 2019)
• Energy Renovation While Learning English: A Guidebook for Elementary ESL Teachers (Yang, 2019)
• A Reanalyses of Intercorrelational Matrices of Visual and Verbal Learners’ Abilities, Cognitive Styles, and Learning Preferences (Fox, 2020)
• A study of the elementary math program utilized by a mid-Missouri school district (Barabas, 2020)
• Instructor formative assessment practices in virtual learning environments : a posthumanist sociomaterial perspective (Burcks, 2019)
• Higher education students services: a qualitative study of two mid-size universities’ direct exchange programs (Kinde, 2020)
• Exploring editorial leadership : a qualitative study of scholastic journalism advisers teaching leadership in Missouri secondary schools (Lewis, 2020)
• Selling the virtual university: a multimodal discourse analysis of marketing for online learning (Ludwig, 2020)
• Advocacy and accountability in school counselling: assessing the use of data as related to professional self-efficacy (Matthews, 2020)
• The use of an application screening assessment as a predictor of teaching retention at a midwestern, K-12, public school district (Scarbrough, 2020)
• Core values driving sustained elite performance cultures (Beiner, 2020)
• Educative features of upper elementary Eureka math curriculum (Dwiggins, 2020)
• How female principals nurture adult learning opportunities in successful high schools with challenging student demographics (Woodward, 2020)
• The disproportionality of Black Males in Special Education: A Case Study Analysis of Educator Perceptions in a Southeastern Urban High School (McCrae, 2021)

As you can see, these research topics are a lot more focused than the generic topic ideas we presented earlier. So, in order for you to develop a high-quality research topic, you’ll need to get specific and laser-focused on a specific context with specific variables of interest.  In the video below, we explore some other important things you’ll need to consider when crafting your research topic.

Get 1-On-1 Help

If you’re still unsure about how to find a quality research topic within education, check out our Research Topic Kickstarter service, which is the perfect starting point for developing a unique, well-justified research topic.

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59 Comments

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Special education

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Research title related to school of students

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parental involvement and students academic performance

Science education topics?

plz tell me if you got some good topics, im here for finding research topic for masters degree

How about School management and supervision pls.?

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Kindly help me with the research questions on the topic” Effects of workplace conflict on the employees’ job performance”. The effects can be applicable in every institution,enterprise or organisation.

Greetings, I am a student majoring in Sociology and minoring in Public Administration. I’m considering any recommended research topic in the field of Sociology.

I’m a student pursuing Mphil in Basic education and I’m considering any recommended research proposal topic in my field of study

Kindly help me with a research topic in educational psychology. Ph.D level. Thank you.

Project-based learning is a teaching/learning type,if well applied in a classroom setting will yield serious positive impact. What can a teacher do to implement this in a disadvantaged zone like “North West Region of Cameroon ( hinterland) where war has brought about prolonged and untold sufferings on the indegins?

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I wish to get help on topics of research on educational administration PhD level

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I would to inquire on research topics on Educational psychology, Masters degree

I am PhD student, I am searching my Research topic, It should be innovative,my area of interest is online education,use of technology in education

request suggestion on topic in masters in medical education .

Look at British Library as they keep a copy of all PhDs in the UK Core.ac.uk to access Open University and 6 other university e-archives, pdf downloads mostly available, all free.

May I also ask for a topic based on mathematics education for college teaching, please?

Please I am a masters student of the department of Teacher Education, Faculty of Education Please I am in need of proposed project topics to help with my final year thesis

Am a PhD student in Educational Foundations would like a sociological topic. Thank

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Greetings and Regards I am a doctoral student in the field of philosophy of education. I am looking for a new topic for my thesis. Because of my work in the elementary school, I am looking for a topic that is from the field of elementary education and is related to the philosophy of education.

Masters student in the field of curriculum, any ideas of a research topic on low achiever students

In the field of curriculum any ideas of a research topic on deconalization in contextualization of digital teaching and learning through in higher education

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I am a graduate with two masters. 1) Master of arts in religious studies and 2) Master in education in foundations of education. I intend to do a Ph.D. on my second master’s, however, I need to bring both masters together through my Ph.D. research. can I do something like, ” The contribution of Philosophy of education for a quality religion education in Kenya”? kindly, assist and be free to suggest a similar topic that will bring together the two masters. thanks in advance

Hi, I am an Early childhood trainer as well as a researcher, I need more support on this topic: The impact of early childhood education on later academic success.

I’m a student in upper level secondary school and I need your support in this research topics: “Impact of incorporating project -based learning in teaching English language skills in secondary schools”.

Although research activities and topics should stem from reflection on one’s practice, I found this site valuable as it effectively addressed many issues we have been experiencing as practitioners.

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110+ Exceptional Education Research Topics Ideas

Topics for education research usually comprise school research topics, research problems in education, qualitative research topics in education, and concept paper topics about education to mention a few.

If you’re looking for research titles about education,  you’re reading the right post! This article contains 110 of the best education research topics that will come in handy when you need to choose one for your research. From sample research topics in education, to research titles examples for high school students about education – we have it all.

Educational Research Topics

Research title examples for college students, quantitative research titles about education, topics related to education for thesis, research titles about school issues, ph.d. research titles in education, elementary education research topics, research title examples about online class, research titles about modular learning, examples of research questions in education, special education research titles.

The best research titles about education must be done through the detailed process of exploring previous works and improving personal knowledge.

Here are some good research topics in education to consider.

What Are Good Research Topics Related to Education?

• The role of Covid-19 in reinvigorating online learning
• The growth of cognitive abilities through leisure experiences
• The merits of group study in education
• Merits and demerits of traditional learning methods
• The impact of homework on traditional and modern education
• Student underdevelopment as a result of larger class volumes
• Advantages of digital textbooks in learning
• The struggle of older generations in computer education
• The standards of learning  in the various academic levels
• Bullying and its effects on educational and mental health
• Exceptional education tutors: Is the need for higher pay justifiable?

The following examples of research titles about education for college students are ideal for a project that will take a long duration to complete. Here are some education topics for research that you can consider for your degree.

• Modern classroom difficulties of students and teachers
• Strategies to reform the learning difficulties within schools
• The rising cost of tuition and its burden on middle-class parents
• The concept of creativity among public schools and how it can be harnessed
• Major difficulties experienced in academic staff training
• Evaluating the learning cultures of college students
• Use of scientific development techniques in student learning
• Research of skill development in high school and college students
• Modern grading methods in underdeveloped institutions
• Dissertations and the difficulties surrounding their completion
• Integration of new gender categories in personalized learning

These research topics about education require a direct quantitative analysis and study of major ideas and arguments. They often contain general statistics and figures to back up regular research. Some of such research topics in education include:

• The relationship between poor education and increased academic fees
• Creating a social link between homeschool and traditional schoolgoers
• The relationship between teacher satisfaction and student performance
• The divide between public and private school performance
• The merits of parental involvement in students’ cognitive growth.
• A study on child welfare and its impact on educational development
• The relationship between academic performance and economic growth
• Urbanization in rural areas and its contribution to institutional growth
• The relationship between students and professors in dissertation writing
• The link between debt accumulation and student loans
• Boarding schools and regular schools: The role these two school types play in cognitive development

Educational-related topics used for a thesis normally require a wide aspect of study and enough educational materials.  Here are some education research topics you can use for write my thesis .

• The difficulties of bilingual education in private universities
• Homework and its impact on learning processes in college education
• Dissertation topic selection: Key aspects and research obligations
• Social media research topics and their educational functions
• A detailed educational review of student learning via virtual reality techniques
• Ethnicities in universities and their participation in group activities
• The modern approach to self-studying for college students
• Developing time management skills in modern education
• Guidelines for teacher development in advanced educational institutions
• The need for religious education in boarding schools
• A measure of cognitive development using digital learning methods

A research title about school issues focuses on activities surrounding the school environment and its effects on students, teachers, parents, and education in general. Below are some sample research titles in education, relating to school issues.

• Learning English in bilingual schools
• A study of teachers’ role as parent figures on school grounds
• Addressing the increased use of illegal substances and their effects in schools
• The benefits of after-class activities for foreign students
• Assessing student and teacher relationships
• A study of the best methods to implement safety rules in school
• Major obstacles in meeting school schedules using boarding students as a case study
• The need for counseling in public and private schools: Which is greater?
• Academic volunteering in understaffed public schools
• Modern techniques for curbing school violence among college students
• The advantages and disadvantages of teacher unions in schools

As you create your proposed list of research topics in education, consider scientific journals for referencing purposes. Here are some Ph.D. research titles for education.

• The modern methods of academic research writing
• The role of colleges in advanced mental care
• The merits and demerits of Ph.D. studies in Europe and Africa
• Interpersonal relationships between students and professors in advanced institutions
• A review of community colleges: merits and demerits
• Assessing racism in academic ethnic minorities
• The psychological changes of students in higher education
• The questionable standards of student loan provisions
• The merits of personalized teaching techniques in colleges
• The wage gap between private and public university teachers
• Teacher responsibilities in private universities versus public universities

The research topics in elementary education in 2023 are very different from the elementary education research topics from five or ten years ago. This creates interesting grounds for different research titles for elementary education.

Here are some elementary education title research ideas.

• Assessing quick computer literacy among elementary school pupils.
• The role of video games in childhood brain development
• Male vs female role models in early education periods
• The advantages of digital textbooks in elementary schools
• The impact of modern curriculums on elementary education
• Lack of proper school grooming is a cause of violence.
• Should elementary school children be taught about LGBTQ?
• A review of the need for sexual education in elementary schools
• The effects of emotional dependence in early childhood learners.
• The need for constant technology supervision of elementary school students
• Advantages of computer-guided education in elementary schools

Here are some research title examples for students taking online classes.

• The academic difficulties experienced by online students.
• A study of decreased attention in online classes
• The upsides and downsides of online education
• The rising fees of online and traditional education in universities
• A detailed study on the necessity of college internships
• The need to provide college scholarships based on environmental achievements
• How online education terminates university fraternities and sororities.
• The role of academic supervisors in career selection
• Why interactive assignments improved learning capabilities during the pandemic
• Merits of education in online learning environments
• Why online lessons are the least effective for some college students

The modular learning approach focuses primarily on learning outcomes. Here are some examples of research titles about modular learning.

• Modular learning and the role of teachers in its execution
• Teaching techniques of religious institutions
• Potential risks of accelerated learning
• Modular learning on students’ future performances
• The general overview of modular learning amongst students
• The modern Advantages and disadvantages of inclusive classes
• Observing student developments in modular learning
• Music therapy for fostering modular learning techniques
• The creation of a personalized curriculum for students.
• Applications of modular learning both in home-schooling?
• The benefits of modular learning towards creating a more holistic educational system

These research title examples about education answer important questions and they can also be argumentative essay topics .

Here are some titles of research about education questions.

• What impacts do learning approaches provide for students?
• How can schools manage their increasing gender differences?
• What fosters the provision of learning needs?
• What are the best educational recruitment methods?
• How can cognitive development improve education?
• How can you assess the moral growth of institutions?
• What are the primary causes of educational differences in geographical locations?
• How can institutions address increasing mental health needs?
• Why is early intervention essential in students with mental health setbacks?
• What are the characteristics of mental health deterioration among students?
• What techniques are acceptable in regulating the violence of students in institutions

Some of the research title examples about education include:

• How do schools create more personalized learning methods?
• Evaluating mental health setbacks during education
• The impact of modern technology on special education
• The cognitive improvements via specialized learning in dyslexic children
• The psychological link between dyslexia and bullying in high school
• Impact of social isolation in special education classes
• The difficulties in providing specialized learning environments
• A study of orphan students with disabilities and their aptitudes for learning
• How special classes improve the self-esteem of disabled students.
• How to use modern teaching techniques in unique learning environments.
• A study of the application of digital games to autistic learning

Final words about education research topics

We have provided some reliable examples of a research topic about education you can use for write my thesis . You can use these research titles in education to cultivate your ideas, create inspiration, or for online research. Remember always to select a topic that you’re naturally passionate about and do diligent research, and reach out to our professional writing services if you need any help.

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250+ Educational Research Topics: Exploring the Path to Educational Excellence

Education is the cornerstone of human development, and its continuous improvement relies on diligent research and exploration. Educational research topics serve as beacons, guiding scholars and practitioners toward innovations that enhance teaching methodologies, student engagement, and overall learning outcomes. These educational research topics delve into the depths of educational systems, dissecting their intricacies to identify effective strategies and interventions. 

From investigating the impact of technology integration on student achievement to exploring the benefits of inclusive education, educational research delves into diverse areas of study. 

In this blog series, we embark on an enlightening journey, shedding light on a myriad of educational research topics. By examining these subjects, we aim to unravel valuable insights that can shape the future of education, fostering an enriching learning experience for all.

Table of Contents

How to choose the right educational research topics?

Choosing the right educational research topic requires careful consideration. Here are some steps to help you select a suitable topic:

Identify your interests

Start by reflecting on your own interests within the field of education. What topics or issues capture your attention? Consider areas such as student learning, teaching methods, educational policies, or educational technology.

Conduct a literature review

Read widely in the field of education to familiarize yourself with current research trends and gaps in knowledge. Identify areas where more research is needed or where existing studies have conflicting results.

Consider practical relevance

Think about the practical implications of the research topic. Is it relevant to current educational challenges or issues? Will the findings have the potential to inform and improve educational practice?

Consult with experts

Seek guidance from professors, researchers, or professionals in the field of education. Discuss your potential research topics with them and get their insights and recommendations. They can provide valuable feedback and suggest areas that align with your research goals.

Narrow down the scope

Once you have a general idea, narrow down your topic to make it more focused and manageable. Consider the available resources, time constraints, and the feasibility of conducting research in that specific area.

Define research objectives

Clearly define your research objectives and questions. What specific aspects of the topic do you want to explore? Ensure that your research objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

Research feasibility

Consider the availability of data and resources required to conduct research on your chosen topic. Evaluate whether you have access to relevant literature, data sources, or research participants. Additionally, consider ethical considerations and any potential constraints that may impact your research.

Seek feedback

Share your potential research topic with peers or mentors and seek their feedback. They can provide valuable insights, suggest improvements, or offer alternative perspectives.

Remember, selecting a research topic is an iterative process. It’s essential to be flexible and open to adjustments as you gather more information and refine your research objectives.

15+ College educational research topics

• The effectiveness of flipped classrooms in improving student engagement and learning outcomes.
• The impact of online learning on student achievement and retention rates.
• Strategies for promoting critical thinking skills in college classrooms.
• The influence of active learning techniques on student participation and comprehension.
• The role of project-based learning in developing real-world skills among college students.
• Factors influencing student motivation and engagement in higher education.
• The effectiveness of peer tutoring programs in supporting student learning and success.
• The impact of online discussion forums on student interaction and collaboration.
• The role of feedback and assessment in enhancing student learning and performance.
• The relationship between classroom environment and student academic achievement.
• Strategies for promoting effective communication skills among college students.
• The impact of experiential learning opportunities on student career readiness.
• The effectiveness of blended learning approaches in higher education.
• The role of metacognition in promoting deep learning among college students.
• The impact of diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus climate and student experiences.
• Factors influencing student decision-making in choosing majors and career paths.
• The effectiveness of student support services (e.g., counseling, tutoring, mentoring) in promoting student success.
• The relationship between student engagement in co-curricular activities and academic performance.

15+ Health educational research topics

• The effectiveness of health education programs in reducing risky behaviors among teenagers.
• The impact of school-based physical activity interventions on children’s health and well-being.
• The role of nutrition education in promoting healthy eating habits among adolescents.
• The effectiveness of sex education programs in reducing teen pregnancy rates.
• The impact of mental health education on student well-being and academic performance.
• The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in reducing stress and improving mental health among students.
• The role of health education in preventing substance abuse among young adults.
• The impact of comprehensive sex education on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to sexual health.
• The effectiveness of school-based vaccination programs in improving immunization rates among students.
• The role of physical education in promoting lifelong physical activity and healthy lifestyle habits.
• The impact of school wellness policies on student health outcomes.
• The effectiveness of health literacy interventions in improving health knowledge and behaviors.
• The role of peer education in promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention among young people.
• The impact of nutrition education on reducing childhood obesity rates.
• The effectiveness of school-based bullying prevention programs on student mental health and well-being.
• The role of school nurses in promoting health and providing healthcare services to students.
• The impact of health education on knowledge and behaviors related to hygiene and disease prevention.

15+ Educational research topics on Medicine

• The effectiveness of online medical education in comparison to traditional classroom-based education.
• The impact of simulation-based training on medical students’ clinical skills and confidence.
• Strategies for promoting interprofessional education and collaboration in healthcare settings.
• The role of virtual reality in medical education and its impact on knowledge retention and skill development.
• The use of gamification in medical education to enhance engagement and learning outcomes.
• Investigating the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) in medical schools.
• Assessing the impact of clinical rotations on medical students’ clinical competency and preparedness.
• Exploring the integration of cultural competency training in medical education curricula.
• Investigating the use of e-portfolios for reflective practice and competency assessment in medical education.
• The effectiveness of flipped classroom models in medical education.
• Investigating the impact of longitudinal clerkships on medical students’ professional identity formation.
• Examining the use of standardized patients in medical education and their impact on students’ communication and clinical skills.
• Exploring the role of medical simulation centers in enhancing medical students’ procedural skills and patient safety.
• Investigating the impact of peer teaching and peer-assisted learning in medical education.
• Assessing the effectiveness of team-based learning (TBL) in medical education.
• Investigating the use of virtual patient cases for clinical reasoning and decision-making skills development.
• The role of medical humanities in developing empathy and cultural understanding among medical students.

15+ Educational research topics on Environment

• The effectiveness of environmental education programs in promoting environmental awareness and behavior change among students.
• Investigating the role of schools in fostering environmental literacy and sustainability.
• Assessing the impact of outdoor learning experiences on students’ environmental knowledge and attitudes.
• Exploring the effectiveness of the environmental education curriculum in developing students’ eco-literacy.
• Investigating the relationship between environmental education and pro-environmental behavior in children.
• Examining the impact of environmental education on students’ attitudes towards conservation and environmental stewardship.
• Investigating the role of teachers in promoting environmental education and sustainability practices in schools.
• Assessing the effectiveness of school recycling programs in reducing waste and promoting environmental responsibility.
• Investigating the impact of school gardens on students’ understanding of and connection to the environment.
• Exploring the role of environmental education in fostering climate change awareness and action among students.
• Assessing the effectiveness of environmental education interventions in addressing environmental justice issues.
• Investigating the impact of environmental education on students’ understanding of biodiversity and ecosystem conservation.
• Exploring the use of technology and digital tools in enhancing environmental education and engagement.
• Assessing the effectiveness of environmental education in promoting sustainable consumption and lifestyle choices.
• Investigating the role of environmental education in mitigating environmental pollution and promoting environmental health.

15+ Educational research topics on Sport and Entertainment

• The impact of physical education on academic performance.
• Strategies for promoting physical activity among children and adolescents.
• The role of sports in character development and life skills acquisition.
• The influence of sports participation on self-esteem and self-confidence.
• The effectiveness of coaching styles in enhancing athlete performance and motivation.
• The impact of sport on social integration and community development.
• The role of sports in promoting gender equality and empowerment.
• The relationship between sports and academic engagement among student-athletes.
• The effects of sports specialization on long-term athletic success and well-being.
• The role of sports in promoting mental health and well-being.
• Strategies for preventing and managing sports-related injuries among athletes.
• The impact of sports marketing and sponsorship on consumer behavior.
• The influence of sports media on public perception and participation in sports.
• The role of entertainment education in promoting health and well-being.
• The effects of celebrity endorsements in the entertainment industry.
• The impact of music and dance education on cognitive development and academic achievement.
• The use of virtual reality and augmented reality in sports training and entertainment experiences.
• The effects of video games on cognitive skills and decision-making abilities in sports.

15+ Educational research topics for college students

• The effectiveness of online learning in higher education.
• The impact of student engagement on academic performance in college.
• Strategies for improving critical thinking skills in college students.
• The role of self-regulated learning in college success.
• The effects of student motivation on academic achievement in college.
• The impact of flipped classrooms on student learning in college.
• The effectiveness of peer tutoring programs in college settings.
• The influence of social media on student well-being and academic performance in college.
• The benefits and challenges of incorporating experiential learning in college curricula.
• The relationship between college student stress levels and academic performance.
• The impact of diverse learning environments on student learning outcomes in college.
• Strategies for promoting effective time management skills among college students.
• The role of metacognitive strategies in improving study habits and academic success in college.
• The effectiveness of active learning strategies in college classrooms.
• The influence of cultural competence in teaching and learning in college settings.
• The effects of collaborative learning on student engagement and academic achievement in college.
• The role of feedback and assessment practices in enhancing student learning in college.
• The impact of study abroad programs on intercultural competency development in college students.

15+ Educational research topics on Media and Communication

• The influence of media literacy education on critical thinking skills of students.
• The role of social media in shaping students’ attitudes and behaviors.
• The impact of media use on academic performance and learning outcomes.
• Effective strategies for teaching media literacy in the classroom.
• The use of digital media in promoting creativity and expression among students.
• The effects of media violence on children and adolescents.
• Media representations of diverse cultures and their effects on students’ perceptions.
• The role of media in shaping students’ political and social awareness.
• The influence of the media on body image and self-esteem among students.
• Media literacy and its relationship to digital citizenship.
• The role of media in promoting cultural understanding and tolerance among students.
• The impact of media on students’ language development and communication skills.
• The use of media in promoting active learning and student engagement.
• The effects of social media on students’ social interactions and relationships.
• The role of media in enhancing students’ information literacy skills.
• Media portrayal of gender roles and its impact on students’ attitudes and beliefs.
• The use of multimedia in improving students’ retention and comprehension of educational content.
• The influence of the media on students’ decision-making processes.

15+ Educational research topics on Technology

• The impact of online learning platforms on student engagement and academic performance.
• The effectiveness of educational apps in enhancing early childhood learning.
• The role of virtual reality in improving students’ understanding of complex concepts.
• Investigating the effectiveness of gamification in motivating students to learn.
• The use of artificial intelligence in personalized learning: benefits and challenges.
• Exploring the impact of mobile devices on student collaboration and information sharing.
• Analyzing the effectiveness of online discussion forums in promoting critical thinking skills.
• The use of educational video content for enhancing student comprehension and retention.
• Investigating the role of social media in supporting collaborative learning environments.
• The impact of coding and programming education on students’ problem-solving abilities.
• Assessing the effectiveness of blended learning models in K-12 classrooms.
• The influence of technology on teacher-student relationships and classroom dynamics.
• Investigating the factors influencing teachers’ adoption of technology in the classroom.
• The use of educational robotics in promoting STEM education and computational thinking skills.
• Examining the effects of digital storytelling on students’ creativity and narrative skills.
• The impact of online assessment tools on student performance and feedback effectiveness.
• Investigating the role of artificial intelligence in adaptive learning and personalized instruction.

15+ Educational research topics on Politics

• The influence of political ideologies on civic education.
• The role of political socialization in shaping young citizens’ political attitudes.
• The impact of political party affiliation on educational policies.
• The effectiveness of civic education programs in promoting political participation among youth.
• The influence of political bias in educational materials and its implications for student learning.
• The role of education in fostering democratic values and citizenship.
• The impact of political discourse in the classroom on student engagement and critical thinking.
• The relationship between political knowledge and voting behavior among college students.
• The representation of political issues and controversies in educational curricula.
• The impact of political activism and student protests on educational institutions.
• The influence of political factors on educational funding and resource allocation.
• The role of education in promoting tolerance and understanding in politically divided societies.
• The impact of political polarization on classroom dynamics and educational outcomes.
• The role of educational institutions in promoting political literacy and informed decision-making.
• The effects of political campaign advertising on students’ political attitudes and behavior.
• The impact of political decentralization on educational governance and policies.
• The role of education in addressing social justice issues and promoting political equality.

15+ Educational research topics on Thesis

• The effectiveness of project-based learning in enhancing student engagement and achievement.
• The impact of teacher-student relationships on student motivation and academic performance.
• The role of parental involvement in students’ academic success.
• The influence of socioeconomic status on educational opportunities and outcomes.
• The effects of inclusive education on students with disabilities.
• The effectiveness of differentiated instruction in meeting the diverse learning needs of students.
• The impact of early childhood education on long-term academic and social development.
• The role of assessment and feedback in promoting student learning and achievement.
• The effectiveness of online learning compared to traditional classroom instruction.
• The relationship between school climate and student well-being and academic success.
• The impact of teacher professional development on instructional practices and student outcomes.
• The effectiveness of peer tutoring in enhancing student learning and academic performance.
• The influence of cultural diversity on classroom dynamics and student learning experiences.
• The effects of homework on student achievement and overall well-being.
• The role of educational leadership in school improvement and student success.
• The impact of social-emotional learning programs on students’ social skills and emotional well-being.
• The effectiveness of educational interventions for students with learning disabilities.
• The relationship between teacher beliefs and instructional practices in the classroom.
• The role of school counseling in supporting students’ academic and personal development.
• The effects of school-based nutrition programs on students’ health and academic performance.

15+ Psychology Educational research topics

• The influence of the classroom environment on student motivation and learning.
• The effects of teacher-student relationships on academic achievement and social-emotional development.
• The impact of mindfulness-based interventions on student well-being and academic performance.
• Gender differences in academic achievement and career choices in STEM fields.
• The role of self-efficacy in student learning and academic success.
• The effects of bullying on students’ psychological well-being and academic performance.
• The relationship between parental involvement and student achievement.
• The effectiveness of different teaching strategies in promoting critical thinking skills.
• The impact of peer tutoring on student learning outcomes.
• The role of motivation in academic procrastination among students.
• The effects of classroom diversity on intergroup relations and academic achievement.
• The relationship between learning styles and academic performance.
• The influence of educational technology on cognitive processes and learning outcomes.
• The effects of stress on students’ cognitive functioning and academic performance.
• The role of emotional intelligence in student success and well-being.
• The impact of extracurricular activities on students’ social and emotional development.
• The effectiveness of positive reinforcement techniques in classroom management and student behavior.

15+ Educational research topics on Sociology

• The influence of social class on educational attainment.
• The impact of cultural diversity in the classroom on student learning.
• The role of gender in educational achievement and career choices.
• Examining the effects of racial and ethnic segregation in schools.
• Exploring the relationship between teacher expectations and student performance.
• Investigating the effects of social capital on educational outcomes.
• Analyzing the impact of poverty on educational opportunities.
• Examining the role of social networks in students’ academic success.
• The influence of family background and socioeconomic status on educational outcomes.
• Exploring the effects of tracking and ability grouping in schools.
• Investigating the impact of school discipline policies on marginalized student populations.
• Examining the role of socialization in shaping students’ attitudes and behaviors.
• Analyzing the effects of peer influence on academic performance and engagement.
• Investigating the role of teacher-student relationships in student motivation and achievement.
• Exploring the effects of school climate and culture on student well-being and learning.
• Analyzing the impact of educational policies on educational equity and social justice.
• Investigating the relationship between educational institutions and social inequality.
• Exploring the effects of cultural capital on educational access and success.

15+ Educational research topics on Culture

• The influence of cultural diversity on student achievement in multicultural classrooms.
• The role of cultural sensitivity in teacher-student interactions and its impact on student learning outcomes.
• Exploring the relationship between cultural background and student engagement in the classroom.
• Investigating the effects of culturally responsive teaching practices on academic performance.
• Examining the impact of culturally relevant curriculum on student motivation and self-esteem.
• The role of cultural values in shaping parental involvement in education.
• Exploring the impact of culturally inclusive pedagogy on student attitudes towards diversity.
• Investigating the challenges and benefits of integrating culturally diverse literature in the classroom.
• The influence of cultural identity on student resilience and academic success.
• Examining the impact of cultural competency training on teachers’ ability to meet the needs of culturally diverse students.
• Investigating the role of cultural factors in shaping educational policies and practices.
• The impact of cultural integration programs on social cohesion and intercultural understanding in schools.
• Exploring the relationship between cultural competence of school leaders and the school climate.
• Investigating the influence of cultural stereotypes on teacher expectations and student outcomes.
• The role of cultural capital in educational achievement and attainment.
• Examining the impact of multicultural education on reducing prejudice and discrimination among students.
• Investigating the effects of cultural immersion experiences on students’ understanding of global citizenship.

15+ Leadership  Educational research topics

• The role of transformational leadership in improving student achievement.
• Exploring the relationship between instructional leadership and teacher effectiveness.
• Investigating the impact of distributed leadership on school culture and climate.
• Examining the influence of ethical leadership on organizational trust in educational institutions.
• The role of instructional coaching in supporting teacher leadership and professional development.
• Investigating the leadership practices that promote teacher collaboration and collective efficacy.
• Exploring the impact of principal leadership on teacher job satisfaction and retention.
• Investigating the effectiveness of distributed leadership in facilitating educational change.
• The role of servant leadership in promoting a positive school climate and student well-being.
• Exploring the relationship between instructional leadership and student engagement.
• Investigating the impact of instructional leadership on the implementation of evidence-based practices.
• The role of leadership in fostering parent and community engagement in schools.
• Examining the effectiveness of instructional leadership in promoting educational equity and closing achievement gaps.
• Investigating the leadership practices that facilitate successful school turnaround efforts.
• Exploring the impact of leadership development programs on leadership capacity in educational settings.
• Investigating the relationship between leadership styles and teacher motivation and job satisfaction.
• The role of distributed leadership in promoting instructional improvement and professional learning communities.

15+ Educational research topics for For Middle School

• The effectiveness of project-based learning in middle school classrooms.
• The impact of differentiated instruction on student achievement in mathematics.
• The role of physical activity and its influence on academic performance.
• The benefits of incorporating educational games in middle school curriculum.
• The effects of peer tutoring on student engagement and learning outcomes.
• The relationship between parental involvement and academic success in middle school.
• The impact of social-emotional learning programs on student behavior and well-being.
• The effectiveness of flipped classrooms in middle school science education.
• The influence of arts education on creativity and critical thinking skills.
• The role of mindfulness techniques in improving attention and concentration in middle school students.
• The benefits of incorporating multicultural literature in middle school English language arts.
• The impact of inquiry-based learning on student motivation and scientific inquiry skills.
• The effectiveness of cooperative learning strategies in middle school social studies classrooms.
• The relationship between school climate and student academic performance.
• The impact of technology integration on middle school students’ digital literacy skills.
• The benefits of incorporating financial literacy education in middle school curriculum.
• The role of teacher-student relationships in promoting a positive classroom environment.

15+ Educational research topics for For High School

• The effects of implementing project-based learning on student engagement and academic performance.
• The impact of flipped classrooms on student learning and retention of content.
• The role of teacher-student relationships in promoting academic success and well-being in high school.
• Investigating the effectiveness of different instructional methods (e.g., lecture, group work, online learning) in high school classrooms.
• Examining the influence of parental involvement on high school students’ academic achievement.
• The relationship between extracurricular activities and academic performance in high school.
• Exploring the effectiveness of different assessment methods (e.g., tests, projects, portfolios) in measuring high school students’ learning outcomes.
• Investigating the impact of integrating social-emotional learning (SEL) programs in high school curriculum on students’ well-being and academic achievement.
• The effects of incorporating technology in high school classrooms on students’ motivation and learning outcomes.
• Investigating the factors influencing high school students’ career decision-making and exploring effective career guidance approaches.
• Examining the impact of different teaching strategies on high school students’ critical thinking skills.
• Exploring the role of student voice and participation in decision-making processes in high schools.
• Investigating the effects of school climate and culture on high school students’ academic performance and well-being.
• The influence of parental expectations and aspirations on high school students’ educational attainment.
• Examining the impact of personalized learning approaches on high school students’ achievement and motivation.
• Investigating the effects of teacher professional development programs on instructional practices and student outcomes in high schools.
• The relationship between high school students’ self-regulation skills and academic achievement.

Tips to write educational research topics

Here are some tips to help you write effective educational research topics:

Identify a specific research problem: Start by identifying a specific issue or problem within the field of education that you want to investigate. Narrow down your topic to a specific aspect or area that interests you.

Be clear and concise: Formulate your research topic in a clear and concise manner. Avoid using vague or general terms. Make sure your topic is specific enough to guide your research and provide focus.

Consider the significance and relevance: Ensure that your research topic is significant and relevant to the field of education. Think about the potential impact and contribution of your research to the existing knowledge base.

Conduct a literature review: Before finalizing your research topic, conduct a literature review to familiarize yourself with the existing research and identify any gaps or areas for further investigation. This will help you refine your topic and ensure its originality.

Consult with experts: Seek feedback from your professors, advisors, or other experts in the field of education. They can provide valuable insights and suggestions for refining your research topic.

Formulate research questions or objectives: Once you have identified your research problem, formulate specific research questions or objectives that you aim to address in your study. These will guide your research and provide a clear focus.

Consider feasibility: Evaluate the feasibility of your research topic in terms of available resources, data availability, and ethical considerations. Make sure your topic is manageable within the given constraints.

Stay flexible: Keep in mind that your research topic may evolve as you delve deeper into the literature and conduct your research. Be open to adjustments and modifications along the way to ensure that your topic remains relevant and aligned with your research goals.

By following these tips, you can develop a strong and focused educational research topic that will serve as the foundation for your study.

In conclusion, educational research topics play a crucial role in advancing our understanding of various aspects of education. These topics provide opportunities to explore innovative teaching methods, evaluate the impact of interventions, and investigate factors that influence student learning and well-being. 

By conducting research in high school settings, we can identify effective instructional strategies, examine the role of technology, and understand the importance of student-teacher relationships. Additionally, research topics in education shed light on the significance of parental involvement, extracurricular activities, and social-emotional learning in promoting student success. 

Through rigorous investigation, educational research topics contribute to evidence-based practices that can enhance educational outcomes and create a positive impact on the lives of high school students.

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The Hottest Topics in Edtech for 2022!

• Education Leadership

For a few years now, we’ve shared on this blog the hottest edtech trends of the year based on the topics resonating with educators who submit proposals to present at the annual ISTE conference . The topics that presenters submit can tell us a lot about what educators are interested in — and experimenting with — in their schools and classrooms.

Often the topics don’t change much from year to year, but that hasn’t been the case the past two years. 

Last year, after many months of remote learning under their belts, educators were eager to share their best practices about online learning, as well as how to build equity and boost social emotional learning, which were three of the hottest topics going into 2021.

While those topics made the list again this year, there were some surprises at the top of the list. Here are the eight hottest topics for 2022, starting with No 8. 

8. Augmented, mixed and virtual reality 

The ISTE community has been excited about this topic for years now, but it’s been elevated recently as tools for immersive learning become more affordable, accessible and easier for both teachers and students to use.

“Education has just started to tap into what it can bring,” says Camilla Gagliolo, a longtime educator and ISTE’s senior director of event content. “Personally, I’m really excited about the growth in AR/VR and in immersive learning.”

Augmented reality involves superimposing a computer-generated image on your view of the real world. Think Pokemon Go. 

Virtual reality is a 3D, computer-generated environment that you can immerse yourself in. Using an Oculus or a similar headset, you can transport yourself to a another place or time and interact within it, whether it’s visiting the Great Pyramid of Giza or exploring the functions of the human body.

Some of the newer trends involve being able to interact with historical events that have been recreated in a virtual environment. So, you can show up at an event and actually be part of it — well, sort of.

The pandemic has caused a lot of educators to focus on how to better engage students in content online, and AR/VR is a sure-fire way to do that. 

In addition to having students experience learning through AR/VR, many educators are helping students create their own experiences.

Look for sessions on how to do this and much more with AR/VR in your classroom when the ISTELive 22 program goes live in February.

7. Social-emotional learning

As soon as COVID-19 closed school buildings in 2020, it was immediately clear that educators would need to do far more than teach their students. Every single student was struggling with something in addition to trying to adapt to a new way of learning, and educators were on the front lines of helping students feel safe, secure, emotionally stable and ready to learn. 

But many of their needs — like food, internet and medical care — were shared by the whole family, so educators realized they couldn’t help students in isolation. They had to work with families as a whole. 

In a way, roles were reversed — or at least blurred: Educators helped families meet their basic needs by assisting them with finding resources like meals, child care and other services, while parents took over a lot of the teaching tasks. 

What evolved was a whole-village approach to education, where, for the first time on a grand scale, teachers and schools were working in concert with students and families. 

“When the parent community took over the teaching, the teachers had to help the parents help the children,” Gagliolo said. “There is a new role for parents, and I think this is going to change how we work with parents going forward.”

Many individual educators and school systems as a whole developed innovative ways of working with parents and are eager to share what they’ve learned at ISTELive 22 .

6. Equity and inclusion

Never has equity and inclusion seemed more urgent than in the past two years. The pandemic brought inequities — whether they were due to socio-economic status, special needs or the family circumstances of the student — into sharp focus. 

The most immediate need was devices and bandwidth. Schools, government, the business sector and local communities combined forces to deliver devices and connectivity to nearly every household in the country, but that's not enough.

“ It took a pandemic to give every kid a device,” Gagliolo says. “Now the challenge is to get meaningful learning with these devices.”

Educators have been doing just that — experimenting with ways to make learning more engaging, student-centered and inclusive with technology tools.

 “Even Zoom has become a tool of access,” Gagliolo says. “The pandemic actually brought to the forefront what tech can do to bridge equity and meet the need for tools, platforms and access.”

Although the learning curve was high, many educators discovered strategies and ideas for making learning more accessible to a range of learners using various tools. And they are eager to share what worked at ISTELive 22.

5. Online tools and apps

This topic has been a favorite of presenters and ISTE conference participants for years because it appeals to the tech geek in all of us. But this time around, there’s an emphasis on highlighting tools that — just like students and educators themselves — have made a big leap in what they are capable of because of the pandemic.

“There’s been so much improvement in tools and apps,” Gagliolo said. “They were forced to be much more stable. They can handle more interaction and have developed features for connecting students with teachers.”

A lot of what the newest versions of tools are offering allow students to learn — and share their learning — in a variety of ways, whether it’s being able to quickly upload a video, make a comment via a sound recording, or create and quickly upload an artifact.

Free creation tools like Adobe Spark as well as myriad video-creation tools have taken a big leap in terms of ease of use and accessibility.    

4. Distance, online, blended learning

This was hands-down the hottest topic of 2021 as educators around the globe were still learning how to best transition their teaching to online formats. The biggest hurdle at first was how to use the tools. The learning curve was high as educators had to figure out everything from creating breakout groups in Zoom and Teams to establishing rules about cameras and appropriate backgrounds. 

This year the topic is less about how to use the technology and more about how to best engage students. 

And the stakes are high. Disengaged students can simply turn off their cameras when they are bored. But with the threat of learning loss looming, no educator wants any student to miss out on access to learning. So they’ve been coming up with lots of ways to stimulate collaboration and build community — online and in person. 

“There are a lot of new strategies and new tools developed over the past two years that engage students at a high level,” Gagliolo says. 

Although it’s not exactly new, she points to FlipGrid, as a tool that’s being used in diverse ways. It allows students to record comments, facilitates a connection between home and school, and lets students demonstrate their storytelling chops.

And speaking of tools, learning management systems, once the bane of educators’ existence, have enjoyed a resurgence. Educators in general have become more comfortable with these tools and are seeing the potential for communicating with students and parents in a much more streamlined way. 

3. Computer science and computational thinking

Computer science and computational thinking have long been a favorite topic of teachers who love technology and see it as a gateway for their students to enter STEM careers. So it’s no surprise that it made it to the No. 3 spot on the list.

What is more surprising is the evolution of computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) as something strictly reserved for math and science class to a discipline that has infiltrated all subjects, from literature and art to music and dance.

“You think of CS and CT as being for math and science, but we’re seeing educators incorporating it into language learning and storytelling quite a bit,” Gagliolo says. “It’s taking different shapes and forms and not just in the traditional areas.” 

Tools like Scratch, Snap, Tynker and KODU allow students to use programming to create stories. They develop their characters, or sprites, and build out their environments. “They can create their world and their scenario,” Gagliolo says.

2. Instructional design and delivery

Of all the topics on the list, this one is perhaps the most exciting because it illustrates a sophistication in how educators are thinking about educational technology, Gagliolo says. The focus is on educational strategies and instruction with technology for higher-order thinking — not tools and gadgets.

“The pedagogy and learning strategies are rising to the top more than the technology topics,” Gagliolo said. “It shows that awareness that learning comes first and tech tools are there to support.”

Instructional design and delivery covers an array of topics from designing content in online formats that is accessible to all learners to ensuring that the content is culturally relevant. It covers ways to encourage community and interaction among students and teachers as well as an awareness of research on how students learn and how online delivery differs from face to face. 

This information is not just from educators who have the instructional designer title. Remote learning  made educators of all subject areas and grade bands realize that they, too, were assuming the role of instructional designers. 

1. Project-based learning 

Also known as problem- and challenge-based learning, PBL is a model where students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects. 

While this model isn’t new to ISTE presenters, what’s astonishing is that it landed on the top, Gagliano said. What it shows is that as educators become more comfortable with various tools, they are focusing more on pedagogy and how to guide students to use tools to practice their personal passions and achieve their goals.

“It’s a level of maturity that ISTE has advocated for for a long time,” she said. "It’s more about the learning strategy than the tool.”

Many of the conference proposals related to PBL are for poster sessions, which means these are from educators eager to show a project their students have taken on. What that shows is that PBL has moved from the theoretical to the practical. These are projects that have been tested in classrooms around the world.

Many of them, Gagliolo says, are related to design thinking. Students are coming up with problems and solutions, prototyping and iterating. 

Diana Fingal is ISTE's director of editorial content.

• artificial intelligence

What Will We Be Reading This Year?

• Posted January 2, 2020
• By Emily Boudreau

Immigration — and welcoming newcomers

While the story of migration is a human one, in the past few years, it has become a contentious political one as well. Within the United States, classroom demographics have shifted dramatically, teachers struggle to support students whose families have been torn apart, and stories of abuse at the border haunt news cycles. At HGSE, Professor Roberto Gonzales leads the new Immigration Initiative at Harvard . As part of the initiative, Gonzales will work with a community of Harvard researchers from different schools to conduct non-partisan research that informs immigration policy. “Research aimed at understanding the mechanisms that facilitate and constrain immigrant incorporation is incredibly useful to policymakers and practitioners on the ground — in communities and local organizations,” Gonzales told  us. “It is my hope that through IIH we can lift up this work and make it available to inform key stakeholders.”

Usable Knowledge has a series on how schools are welcoming newcomers ; we'll continue to develop that theme this year.  

Last fall's results of the NAEP exam were disappointing  to say the least, showing that most reading scores, as measured by NAEP, dropped significantly, despite a combination of reform efforts and government spending. This drop left experts searching for a culprit — was it  balanced literacy ? Pedagogy? The amount of time students spent on screens ? The way we think about and evaluate test scores themselves? Still, some states performed well and perhaps offer interesting case studies moving forward. Looking ahead to the new year, Usable Knowledge has editorial plans to offer insight and research from HGSE experts on the best contemporary approaches to literacy instruction.

What should students be learning — and how should we be measuring it?

NAEP and other assessments tell part of the story, but what components of learning do they miss? Are there things we should be measuring but aren’t? After all, research suggests that there may be a disconnect between what kids are learning in schools and what they need to know to be successful in the future. How can we align curricula to match? In Search of Deeper Learning , a 2019 book by HGSE Professor Jal Mehta  and educator Sarah Fine, explored the importance of a curriculum that allows space for authentic learning — and showed what that kind of learning looks like in highs schools across the country. They discussed the topic in-depth on the Harvard EdCast , in what became the podcast's most popular episode to date. HGSE Professor David Deming also picked up the theme, writing an op-ed for The New York Times about the importance of collaborative thinking in contemporary workplaces and the startling lack of curriculum, especially in higher education, that allows students to build this skill.

Digital literacy

From smart phones to smart boards, children and teachers need to navigate digital worlds daily. But when are kids actually taught to use and engage with technology meaningfully? And whose responsibility is it to teach them? A forthcoming study from Project Information Literacy , led by researcher Alison Head , will explore how college students navigate the news and information that the internet and their devices flood them with — and how they make decisions about what to trust and act on. This research is especially important considering the network of algorithms that now influences behavior and the choices people make about what products to buy, what news sources they consume, and even how they construct their world views.  

And what does all this digital action mean for kids' privacy and their healthy development? “Unlike us as adults, [kids] have not yet had a chance to have a childhood and adolescence that is protected; a childhood and adolescence where they can make mischief, even make some mistakes and grow up better for having made them by figuring out who they are, what makes them tick, and how they want to be in the world, ” law professor and author of Sharenthood: Why We Should Think Before We Talk About Our Kids Online Leah Plunkett told the Harvard EdCast. “And if we're depriving them of that space, we really do run the risk of depriving them of, or at least limiting their ability to become the grownups that they're meant to be.”

Trauma and supporting vulnerable students

Studies continue to demonstrate the impact trauma has on young minds and bodies, as well as on the practitioners who work with communities that have absorbed trauma. But researchers still have unanswered questions on the best way to support students, practitioners, and communities and how to help nurture resilience. Education Redesign Lab director and HGSE Professor Paul Reville says , “The challenge [for trauma-sensitive schools and educators] is to broaden that set of contacts [and resources] to the whole community, to take the whole village into the challenge of raising young people who can be successful and participate in a 21st-century democracy.” At HGSE, the  Center on the Developing Child at Harvard , the Education Redesign Lab , and the new REACH Initiative are advocating for research that supports and informs the development and expansion of trauma-sensitive schools and communities in the United States and around the world.

The election and civics education

After a historic vote in the House of Representatives to impeach  President Donald Trump and a looming trial in the senate, the 2020 elections stand as an important marker for the future of American democracy. Yet teachers may fear that discussing politics and elections in classrooms can be contentious . Still, educators need to help even young students develop the critical thinking skills and knowledge necessary to participate in a democracy. HGSE Professor Meira Levinson’s work on civics education gained traction in the 2016 election cycle and will likely continue to influence the way teachers talk about democracy in classrooms in 2020. Levinson recently debuted a multimedia case study  that expands on her work with  Justice in Schools to bring conversations about ethical and educational dilemmas into the classroom, and there will be more to come in the year ahead.

Usable Knowledge

Connecting education research to practice — with timely insights for educators, families, and communities

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4 trends that will shape the future of higher education

Higher education needs to address the problems it faces by moving towards active learning, and teaching skills that will endure in a changing world. Image:  Vasily Koloda for Unsplash

.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;color:inherit;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:hover,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:focus,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-focus]{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(168,203,251,0.5);} Diana El-Azar

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Stay up to date:.

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• Measures adopted during the pandemic do not address the root causes of the problems facing higher education.
• Institutions need to undertake true reform, moving towards active learning, and teaching skills that will endure in a changing world.
• Formative assessment is more effective than high-stakes exams in equipping students with the skills they need to succeed.

Since the onset of the recent pandemic, schools and universities have been forced to put a lot of their teaching online. On the surface, this seems to have spurred a series of innovations in the education sector. Colleges around the world embraced more flexibility, offering both virtual and physical classrooms. Coding is making its way into more school curricula , and the SAT exam for college admission in the US has recently been shortened and digitized , making it easier to take and less stressful for students.

These changes might give the illusion that education is undergoing some much-needed reform. However, if we look closely, these measures do not address the real problems facing higher education. In most countries, higher education is inaccessible to the socio-economically underprivileged, certifies knowledge rather than nurtures learning, and focuses on easily-outdated knowledge. In brief, it is failing on both counts of quality and access.

Have you read?

Four ways universities can future-proof education, the global education crisis is even worse than we thought. here's what needs to happen, covid-19’s impact on jobs and education: using data to cushion the blow, higher education trends.

In the last year, we have started to see examples of true reform, addressing the root causes of the education challenge. Below are four higher education trends we see taking shape in 2022.

1. Learning from everywhere

There is recognition that as schools and universities all over the world had to abruptly pivot to online teaching, learning outcomes suffered across the education spectrum . However, the experiment with online teaching did force a reexamination of the concepts of time and space in the education world. There were some benefits to students learning at their own pace, and conducting science experiments in their kitchens . Hybrid learning does not just mean combining a virtual and physical classroom, but allowing for truly immersive and experiential learning, enabling students to apply concepts learned in the classroom out in the real world.

So rather than shifting to a “learn from anywhere ” approach (providing flexibility), education institutions should move to a “learn from everywhere ” approach (providing immersion). One of our partners, the European business school, Esade, launched a new bachelor’s degree in 2021, which combines classes conducted on campus in Barcelona, and remotely over a purpose-designed learning platform, with immersive practical experiences working in Berlin and Shanghai, while students create their own social enterprise. This kind of course is a truly hybrid learning experience.

2. Replacing lectures with active learning

Lectures are an efficient way of teaching and an ineffective way of learning. Universities and colleges have been using them for centuries as cost-effective methods for professors to impart their knowledge to students.

However, with digital information being ubiquitous and free, it seems ludicrous to pay thousands of dollars to listen to someone giving you information you can find elsewhere at a much cheaper price. School and college closures have shed light on this as bad lectures made their way into parents’ living rooms, demonstrating their ineffectiveness.

Education institutions need to demonstrate effective learning outcomes, and some are starting to embrace teaching methods that rely on the science of learning. This shows that our brains do not learn by listening, and the little information we learn that way is easily forgotten (as shown by the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve , below). Real learning relies on principles such as spaced learning, emotional learning, and the application of knowledge.

The educational establishment has gradually accepted this method, known as 'fully active learning'. There is evidence that it not only improves learning outcomes but also reduces the education gap with socio-economically disadvantaged students. For example, Paul Quinn College, an HBCU based in Texas, launched an Honors Program using fully active learning in 2020, combined with internships at regional employers. This has given students from traditionally marginalised backgrounds the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained at university in the real world.

3. Teaching skills that remain relevant in a changing world

According to a recent survey, 96% of Chief Academic Officers at universities think they are doing a good job preparing young people for the workforce . Less than half (41%) of college students and only 11% of business leaders shared that view. Universities continue to focus on teaching specific skills involving the latest technologies, even though these skills and the technologies that support them are bound to become obsolete. As a result, universities are forever playing catch up with the skills needed in the future workplace.

What we need to teach are skills that remain relevant in new, changing, and unknown contexts. For example, journalism students might once have been taught how to produce long-form stories that could be published in a newspaper; more recently, they would have been taught how to produce shorter pieces and post content for social media. More enduring skills would be: how to identify and relate to readers, how to compose a written piece; how to choose the right medium for your target readership. These are skills that cross the boundaries of disciplines, applying equally to scientific researchers or lawyers.

San Francisco-based Minerva University, which shares a founder with the Minerva Project, has broken down competencies such as critical thinking or creative thinking into foundational concepts and habits of mind . It teaches these over the four undergraduate years and across disciplines, regardless of the major a student chooses to pursue.

4. Using formative assessment instead of high-stake exams

If you were to sit the final exam of the subject you majored in today, how would you fare? Most of us would fail, as that exam did not measure our learning, but rather what information we retained at that point in time. Equally, many of us hold certifications in subject matters we know little about.

Many people gain admission to higher education based on standardized tests that skew to a certain socio-economic class , rather than measure any real competency level. Universities then try to rectify this bias by imposing admission quotas, rather than dissociating their evaluation of competence from income level. Many US universities are starting to abandon standardized tests, with Harvard leading the charge , and there have been some attempts to replace high-stake exams with other measures that not only assess learning outcomes but actually improve them.

Formative assessment, which entails both formal and informal evaluations through the learning journey, encourages students to actually improve their performance rather than just have it evaluated. The documentation and recording of this assessment includes a range of measures, replacing alphabetical or numerical grades that are uni-dimensional.

The COVID-19 pandemic and recent social and political unrest have created a profound sense of urgency for companies to actively work to tackle inequity.

The Forum's work on Diversity, Equality, Inclusion and Social Justice is driven by the New Economy and Society Platform, which is focused on building prosperous, inclusive and just economies and societies. In addition to its work on economic growth, revival and transformation, work, wages and job creation, and education, skills and learning, the Platform takes an integrated and holistic approach to diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice, and aims to tackle exclusion, bias and discrimination related to race, gender, ability, sexual orientation and all other forms of human diversity.

The Platform produces data, standards and insights, such as the Global Gender Gap Report and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 4.0 Toolkit , and drives or supports action initiatives, such as Partnering for Racial Justice in Business , The Valuable 500 – Closing the Disability Inclusion Gap , Hardwiring Gender Parity in the Future of Work , Closing the Gender Gap Country Accelerators , the Partnership for Global LGBTI Equality , the Community of Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officers and the Global Future Council on Equity and Social Justice .

The International School in Geneva just launched its Learner Passport that includes measures of creativity, responsibility and citizenship. In the US, a consortium of schools have launched the Mastery Transcript Consortium that has redesigned the high school transcript to show a more holistic picture of the competencies acquired by students.

Education reform requires looking at the root cause of some of its current problems. We need to look at what is being taught (curriculum), how (pedagogy), when and where (technology and the real world) and whom we are teaching (access and inclusion). Those institutions who are ready to address these fundamental issues will succeed in truly transforming higher education.

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World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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• School Leaders

Learn How to Support Stressed and Anxious Students.

65+ Real-World Project-Based Learning Ideas for All Ages and Interests

Find and implement solutions to real-world problems.

Project-based learning is a hot topic in many schools these days, as educators work to make learning more meaningful for students. As students conduct hands-on projects addressing real-world issues, they dig deeper and make personal connections to the knowledge and skills they’re gaining. But not just any project fits into this concept. Learn more about strong project-based learning ideas, and find examples for any age or passion.

What is project-based learning?

Project-based learning (PBL) uses real-world projects and student-directed activities to build knowledge and skills. Kids choose a real-world topic that’s meaningful to them (some people call these “passion projects”), so they’re engaged in the process from the beginning. These projects are long-term, taking weeks, months, or even a full semester or school year. Students may complete them independently or working in small groups. Learn much more about project-based learning here.

What makes a good PBL project?

In many ways, PBL is more like the work adults do in their daily jobs, especially because student efforts have potential real-world effects. A strong PBL project:

• Addresses a real-world issue or problem
• Requires sustained and independent inquiry, in and out of the classroom
• Allows students voice and choice throughout the project
• Combines elements of many disciplines
• Includes collaboration with public partners, such as universities, community organizations, or businesses
• Produces a public product that is seen by those outside the school community
• Covers a complete process, including activities like research, design, production, marketing or public awareness, and enlisting supporters or investors

Outdoor Project-Based Learning Ideas

• Create a new local park, or improve an existing one by adding new features or providing needed maintenance.
• Plant a community garden to provide food for a soup kitchen, food pantry, or other organization.
• Design and create a butterfly, pollinator, or other wildlife garden to support the local ecosystem.
• Build a new walking or biking trail that’s safe for people of all ages to use.
• Devise and implement a way to reduce litter in your community.
• Set up and manage a school or community compost pile, and distribute the resulting soil to those who need it most.
• Find and help the public use a new way to grow food that requires less soil, water, or fertilizers, which are in short supply in some parts of the world.
• Design, build, and install a completely unique piece of playground equipment that serves a specific purpose or need.

School Community Project-Based Learning Ideas

• Start a comprehensive recycling program at school, or substantially improve participation in an existing one.
• Add collaborative artwork like murals or other displays to school hallways, bathrooms, or grounds.
• Determine a location or program at your school that needs improvement, then make a plan, raise the funds, and implement your ideas.
• Come up with ways to celebrate your school’s diversity and improve relationships between all students.
• Start and run a school store , including inventory, financial plans, and marketing.
• Write a school handbook for new students, with tips and tricks for helping them feel at home.
• Figure out how to offer healthier, better-tasting meals and snacks in the school cafeteria.
• Implement a mentoring program for older students to help younger students, with planned activities and appropriate training for older students.
• Design and propose a new style of grading system that ensures equity.
• Find ways to improve the indoor recess experience at your school.
• Set up and run a new school newspaper, magazine, podcast, video channel, etc.

Greater Community Project-Based Learning Ideas

• Coordinate a community art project in a central location to celebrate local culture or artists.
• Set up a program for schoolkids to socialize with senior citizens in nursing homes, hospitals, or retirement communities.
• Create a program to offer free translation services for ESL families in the community.
• Help a local animal shelter improve its facilities, or find new ways to match homeless pets with their forever families.
• Build and maintain Little Free Libraries around your community, especially in underserved areas.
• Help local businesses become more environmentally conscious, increasing sustainability and decreasing waste.
• Create and lead a walking tour of your community, highlighting its culture, history, landmarks, and more.
• Find a way to record and celebrate local voices in your community’s history.
• Come up with ideas for welcoming immigrants and other newcomers to your community.
• Set up a series of events that will encourage the community to mix and experience each others’ foods, cultures, and more.
• Create and implement a new program to inspire a love of books and reading in preschool students.
• Set up and help run a new charitable organization your community needs.

Social Issues Project-Based Learning Ideas

• Start an awareness campaign on a topic that’s important to you, like anti-bullying, healthy living, protecting the environment, civil rights, equality and equity, etc.
• Come up with and implement ways to increase voter turnout in your community, especially among younger voters.
• Write, record, and share with a wider audience your own TED Talk–style video on an issue that hasn’t been covered yet or on which you have a unique perspective.
• Devise and implement ways for unheard voices to be amplified in your school or community.
• Write and publicly perform a play that highlights a social issue that’s important to you.
• Look for areas in your community that present challenges to those with disabilities, and help to improve them to overcome those challenges.
• Research, write, and publicly present and defend a position paper on an issue that’s important to your community.
• Choose a real court case, then research the law and work with legal experts to prepare and present your own case as you would in a courtroom.
• Write, edit, seek, and incorporate real-world feedback, and publish or publicly present your own book, poem, or song on an issue that’s important to you.
• Start a program to teach a specific group (e.g., preschoolers, senior citizens, business owners) to care for and protect the environment.
• Plan and hold a fundraiser to support an issue you care about.
• Choose a law you feel is unjust, and write, research, and publicly present and defend a position paper about your desired change.

STEM Project-Based Learning Ideas

• Create an app that meets a specific purpose for a specific audience.
• Invent something new that the world needs, and then fund, create, and sell your product in the community.
• Design a game to help students learn important STEM concepts.
• Find a simple way to improve an existing product, especially if it cuts costs or improves environmental sustainability.
• Explore ways to reduce the amount of waste we produce, especially plastic and other landfill-bound items.
• Write a book or graphic novel that’s entertaining but also teaches kids about science or math.
• Devise new ways to provide clean drinking water to communities where water is scarce.
• Build an effective solar oven people can use to cook during extended power outages, or in areas where electricity isn’t available.
• Work with a university or STEM organization to gather, analyze, and present real-world scientific data.
• Design a building to fit a specific purpose or need, including researching the requirements and zoning laws, accurately drafting a plan, determining the costs, and presenting the plan to the proposed client.
• Create an interactive hands-on exhibit to teach people about STEM concepts.
• Determine a type of website you believe is missing, then research, build, and publish the site you envision.

Creative Arts Project-Based Learning Ideas

• Organize an art show for the community, seeking out those who ordinarily might not have a chance to display their work.
• Create and teach an art class in your area of expertise to children, the elderly, or another segment of the population.
• Design a mural for an area in your community that needs beautification, and seek funding or other assistance from community members to install it.
• Write a play about a topic that’s meaningful to you or your community. Work with the community to stage a performance for all to attend.
• Invite local dancers to perform at a school or community Festival of Dance, highlighting a variety of cultures and dance styles.
• Start a regular writer’s workshop where community writers can come together to share and seek feedback. Invite local authors or publishing experts to speak as guests.
• Collect stories, poems, and essays from local authors, and put them together into a book. Sell the book to raise money for a cause that’s important to local writers.
• Gather singers or instrumentalists from your community into a choir or band. Put on a concert to raise money for a special cause, or take your choir on tour to local retirement homes, hospitals, etc.
• Write a song about a person or cause that’s important to you. Produce and record the song, then find a way to share it with others.
• Make a short film about a local hero, community event, or local place. Invite others to do the same, and organize a local film festival.

What are some your favorite project-based learning ideas? Come share your thoughts in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook !

Plus, meaningful service learning projects for kids and teens ..

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The World Bank Group is the largest financier of education in the developing world, working in 90 countries and committed to helping them reach SDG4: access to inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030.

Education is a human right, a powerful driver of development, and one of the strongest instruments for reducing poverty and improving health, gender equality, peace, and stability. It delivers large, consistent returns in terms of income, and is the most important factor to ensure equity and inclusion.

For individuals, education promotes employment, earnings, health, and poverty reduction. Globally, there is a  9% increase in hourly earnings for every extra year of schooling . For societies, it drives long-term economic growth, spurs innovation, strengthens institutions, and fosters social cohesion.  Education is further a powerful catalyst to climate action through widespread behavior change and skilling for green transitions.

Developing countries have made tremendous progress in getting children into the classroom and more children worldwide are now in school. But learning is not guaranteed, as the  2018 World Development Report  (WDR) stressed.

Making smart and effective investments in people’s education is critical for developing the human capital that will end extreme poverty. At the core of this strategy is the need to tackle the learning crisis, put an end to  Learning Poverty , and help youth acquire the advanced cognitive, socioemotional, technical and digital skills they need to succeed in today’s world. 

In low- and middle-income countries, the share of children living in  Learning Poverty  (that is, the proportion of 10-year-old children that are unable to read and understand a short age-appropriate text) increased from 57% before the pandemic to an estimated  70%  in 2022.

However, learning is in crisis. More than 70 million more people were pushed into poverty during the COVID pandemic, a billion children lost a year of school , and three years later the learning losses suffered have not been recouped .  If a child cannot read with comprehension by age 10, they are unlikely to become fluent readers. They will fail to thrive later in school and will be unable to power their careers and economies once they leave school.

The effects of the pandemic are expected to be long-lasting. Analysis has already revealed deep losses, with international reading scores declining from 2016 to 2021 by more than a year of schooling.  These losses may translate to a 0.68 percentage point in global GDP growth.  The staggering effects of school closures reach beyond learning. This generation of children could lose a combined total of  US$21 trillion in lifetime earnings  in present value or the equivalent of 17% of today’s global GDP – a sharp rise from the 2021 estimate of a US$17 trillion loss. 

Action is urgently needed now – business as usual will not suffice to heal the scars of the pandemic and will not accelerate progress enough to meet the ambitions of SDG 4. We are urging governments to implement ambitious and aggressive Learning Acceleration Programs to get children back to school, recover lost learning, and advance progress by building better, more equitable and resilient education systems.

Last Updated: Mar 25, 2024

The World Bank’s global education strategy is centered on ensuring learning happens – for everyone, everywhere. Our vision is to ensure that everyone can achieve her or his full potential with access to a quality education and lifelong learning. To reach this, we are helping countries build foundational skills like literacy, numeracy, and socioemotional skills – the building blocks for all other learning. From early childhood to tertiary education and beyond – we help children and youth acquire the skills they need to thrive in school, the labor market and throughout their lives.

Investing in the world’s most precious resource – people – is paramount to ending poverty on a livable planet.  Our experience across more than 100 countries bears out this robust connection between human capital, quality of life, and economic growth: when countries strategically invest in people and the systems designed to protect and build human capital at scale, they unlock the wealth of nations and the potential of everyone.

Building on this, the World Bank supports resilient, equitable, and inclusive education systems that ensure learning happens for everyone. We do this by generating and disseminating evidence, ensuring alignment with policymaking processes, and bridging the gap between research and practice.

The World Bank is the largest source of external financing for education in developing countries, with a portfolio of about $26 billion in 94 countries including IBRD, IDA and Recipient-Executed Trust Funds. IDA operations comprise 62% of the education portfolio.

The investment in FCV settings has increased dramatically and now accounts for 26% of our portfolio.

World Bank projects reach at least 425 million students -one-third of students in low- and middle-income countries.

The World Bank’s Approach to Education

Five interrelated pillars of a well-functioning education system underpin the World Bank’s education policy approach:

• Learners are prepared and motivated to learn;
• Teachers are prepared, skilled, and motivated to facilitate learning and skills acquisition;
• Learning resources (including education technology) are available, relevant, and used to improve teaching and learning;
• Schools are safe and inclusive; and
• Education Systems are well-managed, with good implementation capacity and adequate financing.

The Bank is already helping governments design and implement cost-effective programs and tools to build these pillars.

Our Principles:

• We pursue systemic reform supported by political commitment to learning for all children. 
• We focus on equity and inclusion through a progressive path toward achieving universal access to quality education, including children and young adults in fragile or conflict affected areas , those in marginalized and rural communities,  girls and women , displaced populations,  students with disabilities , and other vulnerable groups.
• We focus on results and use evidence to keep improving policy by using metrics to guide improvements.   
• We want to ensure financial commitment commensurate with what is needed to provide basic services to all. 
• We invest wisely in technology so that education systems embrace and learn to harness technology to support their learning objectives.   

Laying the groundwork for the future

Country challenges vary, but there is a menu of options to build forward better, more resilient, and equitable education systems.

Countries are facing an education crisis that requires a two-pronged approach: first, supporting actions to recover lost time through remedial and accelerated learning; and, second, building on these investments for a more equitable, resilient, and effective system.

Recovering from the learning crisis must be a political priority, backed with adequate financing and the resolve to implement needed reforms.  Domestic financing for education over the last two years has not kept pace with the need to recover and accelerate learning. Across low- and lower-middle-income countries, the  average share of education in government budgets fell during the pandemic , and in 2022 it remained below 2019 levels.

The best chance for a better future is to invest in education and make sure each dollar is put toward improving learning.  In a time of fiscal pressure, protecting spending that yields long-run gains – like spending on education – will maximize impact.  We still need more and better funding for education.  Closing the learning gap will require increasing the level, efficiency, and equity of education spending—spending smarter is an imperative.

• Education technology  can be a powerful tool to implement these actions by supporting teachers, children, principals, and parents; expanding accessible digital learning platforms, including radio/ TV / Online learning resources; and using data to identify and help at-risk children, personalize learning, and improve service delivery.

Looking ahead

We must seize this opportunity  to reimagine education in bold ways. Together, we can build forward better more equitable, effective, and resilient education systems for the world’s children and youth.

Accelerating Improvements

Supporting countries in establishing time-bound learning targets and a focused education investment plan, outlining actions and investments geared to achieve these goals.

Launched in 2020, the  Accelerator Program  works with a set of countries to channel investments in education and to learn from each other. The program coordinates efforts across partners to ensure that the countries in the program show improvements in foundational skills at scale over the next three to five years. These investment plans build on the collective work of multiple partners, and leverage the latest evidence on what works, and how best to plan for implementation.  Countries such as Brazil (the state of Ceará) and Kenya have achieved dramatic reductions in learning poverty over the past decade at scale, providing useful lessons, even as they seek to build on their successes and address remaining and new challenges.  

Universalizing Foundational Literacy

Readying children for the future by supporting acquisition of foundational skills – which are the gateway to other skills and subjects.

The  Literacy Policy Package (LPP)   consists of interventions focused specifically on promoting acquisition of reading proficiency in primary school. These include assuring political and technical commitment to making all children literate; ensuring effective literacy instruction by supporting teachers; providing quality, age-appropriate books; teaching children first in the language they speak and understand best; and fostering children’s oral language abilities and love of books and reading.

Advancing skills through TVET and Tertiary

Ensuring that individuals have access to quality education and training opportunities and supporting links to employment.

Tertiary education and skills systems are a driver of major development agendas, including human capital, climate change, youth and women’s empowerment, and jobs and economic transformation. A comprehensive skill set to succeed in the 21st century labor market consists of foundational and higher order skills, socio-emotional skills, specialized skills, and digital skills. Yet most countries continue to struggle in delivering on the promise of skills development. 

The World Bank is supporting countries through efforts that address key challenges including improving access and completion, adaptability, quality, relevance, and efficiency of skills development programs. Our approach is via multiple channels including projects, global goods, as well as the Tertiary Education and Skills Program . Our recent reports including Building Better Formal TVET Systems and STEERing Tertiary Education provide a way forward for how to improve these critical systems.

Addressing Climate Change

Mainstreaming climate education and investing in green skills, research and innovation, and green infrastructure to spur climate action and foster better preparedness and resilience to climate shocks.

Our approach recognizes that education is critical for achieving effective, sustained climate action. At the same time, climate change is adversely impacting education outcomes. Investments in education can play a huge role in building climate resilience and advancing climate mitigation and adaptation. Climate change education gives young people greater awareness of climate risks and more access to tools and solutions for addressing these risks and managing related shocks. Technical and vocational education and training can also accelerate a green economic transformation by fostering green skills and innovation. Greening education infrastructure can help mitigate the impact of heat, pollution, and extreme weather on learning, while helping address climate change. 

Examples of this work are projects in Nigeria (life skills training for adolescent girls), Vietnam (fostering relevant scientific research) , and Bangladesh (constructing and retrofitting schools to serve as cyclone shelters).

Strengthening Measurement Systems

Enabling countries to gather and evaluate information on learning and its drivers more efficiently and effectively.

The World Bank supports initiatives to help countries effectively build and strengthen their measurement systems to facilitate evidence-based decision-making. Examples of this work include:

(1) The  Global Education Policy Dashboard (GEPD) : This tool offers a strong basis for identifying priorities for investment and policy reforms that are suited to each country context by focusing on the three dimensions of practices, policies, and politics.

• Highlights gaps between what the evidence suggests is effective in promoting learning and what is happening in practice in each system; and
• Allows governments to track progress as they act to close the gaps.

The GEPD has been implemented in 13 education systems already – Peru, Rwanda, Jordan, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sierra Leone, Niger, Gabon, Jordan and Chad – with more expected by the end of 2024.

(2)  Learning Assessment Platform (LeAP) : LeAP is a one-stop shop for knowledge, capacity-building tools, support for policy dialogue, and technical staff expertise to support student achievement measurement and national assessments for better learning.

Supporting Successful Teachers

Helping systems develop the right selection, incentives, and support to the professional development of teachers.

Currently, the World Bank Education Global Practice has over 160 active projects supporting over 18 million teachers worldwide, about a third of the teacher population in low- and middle-income countries. In 12 countries alone, these projects cover 16 million teachers, including all primary school teachers in Ethiopia and Turkey, and over 80% in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Vietnam.

A World Bank-developed classroom observation tool, Teach, was designed to capture the quality of teaching in low- and middle-income countries. It is now 3.6 million students.

While Teach helps identify patterns in teacher performance, Coach leverages these insights to support teachers to improve their teaching practice through hands-on in-service teacher professional development (TPD).

Our recent report on Making Teacher Policy Work proposes a practical framework to uncover the black box of effective teacher policy and discusses the factors that enable their scalability and sustainability.

 Supporting Education Finance Systems

Strengthening country financing systems to mobilize resources for education and make better use of their investments in education.

Our approach is to bring together multi-sectoral expertise to engage with ministries of education and finance and other stakeholders to develop and implement effective and efficient public financial management systems; build capacity to monitor and evaluate education spending, identify financing bottlenecks, and develop interventions to strengthen financing systems; build the evidence base on global spending patterns and the magnitude and causes of spending inefficiencies; and develop diagnostic tools as public goods to support country efforts.

Working in Fragile, Conflict, and Violent (FCV) Contexts

The massive and growing global challenge of having so many children living in conflict and violent situations requires a response at the same scale and scope. Our education engagement in the Fragility, Conflict and Violence (FCV) context, which stands at US$5.35 billion, has grown rapidly in recent years, reflecting the ever-increasing importance of the FCV agenda in education. Indeed, these projects now account for more than 25% of the World Bank education portfolio.

Education is crucial to minimizing the effects of fragility and displacement on the welfare of youth and children in the short-term and preventing the emergence of violent conflict in the long-term. 

Support to Countries Throughout the Education Cycle

Our support to countries covers the entire learning cycle, to help shape resilient, equitable, and inclusive education systems that ensure learning happens for everyone. 

The ongoing  Supporting  Egypt  Education Reform project , 2018-2025, supports transformational reforms of the Egyptian education system, by improving teaching and learning conditions in public schools. The World Bank has invested $500 million in the project focused on increasing access to quality kindergarten, enhancing the capacity of teachers and education leaders, developing a reliable student assessment system, and introducing the use of modern technology for teaching and learning. Specifically, the share of Egyptian 10-year-old students, who could read and comprehend at the global minimum proficiency level, increased to 45 percent in 2021.

In  Nigeria , the $75 million  Edo  Basic Education Sector and Skills Transformation (EdoBESST)  project, running from 2020-2024, is focused on improving teaching and learning in basic education. Under the project, which covers 97 percent of schools in the state, there is a strong focus on incorporating digital technologies for teachers. They were equipped with handheld tablets with structured lesson plans for their classes. Their coaches use classroom observation tools to provide individualized feedback. Teacher absence has reduced drastically because of the initiative. Over 16,000 teachers were trained through the project, and the introduction of technology has also benefited students.

Through the $235 million  School Sector Development Program  in  Nepal  (2017-2022), the number of children staying in school until Grade 12 nearly tripled, and the number of out-of-school children fell by almost seven percent. During the pandemic, innovative approaches were needed to continue education. Mobile phone penetration is high in the country. More than four in five households in Nepal have mobile phones. The project supported an educational service that made it possible for children with phones to connect to local radio that broadcast learning programs.

From 2017-2023, the $50 million  Strengthening of State Universities  in  Chile  project has made strides to improve quality and equity at state universities. The project helped reduce dropout: the third-year dropout rate fell by almost 10 percent from 2018-2022, keeping more students in school.

The World Bank’s first  Program-for-Results financing in education  was through a $202 million project in  Tanzania , that ran from 2013-2021. The project linked funding to results and aimed to improve education quality. It helped build capacity, and enhanced effectiveness and efficiency in the education sector. Through the project, learning outcomes significantly improved alongside an unprecedented expansion of access to education for children in Tanzania. From 2013-2019, an additional 1.8 million students enrolled in primary schools. In 2019, the average reading speed for Grade 2 students rose to 22.3 words per minute, up from 17.3 in 2017. The project laid the foundation for the ongoing $500 million  BOOST project , which supports over 12 million children to enroll early, develop strong foundational skills, and complete a quality education.

The $40 million  Cambodia  Secondary Education Improvement project , which ran from 2017-2022, focused on strengthening school-based management, upgrading teacher qualifications, and building classrooms in Cambodia, to improve learning outcomes, and reduce student dropout at the secondary school level. The project has directly benefited almost 70,000 students in 100 target schools, and approximately 2,000 teachers and 600 school administrators received training.

The World Bank is co-financing the $152.80 million  Yemen  Restoring Education and Learning Emergency project , running from 2020-2024, which is implemented through UNICEF, WFP, and Save the Children. It is helping to maintain access to basic education for many students, improve learning conditions in schools, and is working to strengthen overall education sector capacity. In the time of crisis, the project is supporting teacher payments and teacher training, school meals, school infrastructure development, and the distribution of learning materials and school supplies. To date, almost 600,000 students have benefited from these interventions.

The $87 million  Providing an Education of Quality in  Haiti  project supported approximately 380 schools in the Southern region of Haiti from 2016-2023. Despite a highly challenging context of political instability and recurrent natural disasters, the project successfully supported access to education for students. The project provided textbooks, fresh meals, and teacher training support to 70,000 students, 3,000 teachers, and 300 school directors. It gave tuition waivers to 35,000 students in 118 non-public schools. The project also repaired 19 national schools damaged by the 2021 earthquake, which gave 5,500 students safe access to their schools again.

In 2013, just 5% of the poorest households in  Uzbekistan  had children enrolled in preschools. Thanks to the  Improving Pre-Primary and General Secondary Education Project , by July 2019, around 100,000 children will have benefitted from the half-day program in 2,420 rural kindergartens, comprising around 49% of all preschool educational institutions, or over 90% of rural kindergartens in the country.

In addition to working closely with governments in our client countries, the World Bank also works at the global, regional, and local levels with a range of technical partners, including foundations, non-profit organizations, bilaterals, and other multilateral organizations. Some examples of our most recent global partnerships include:

UNICEF, UNESCO, FCDO, USAID, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation:  Coalition for Foundational Learning

The World Bank is working closely with UNICEF, UNESCO, FCDO, USAID, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as the  Coalition for Foundational Learning  to advocate and provide technical support to ensure foundational learning.  The World Bank works with these partners to promote and endorse the  Commitment to Action on Foundational Learning , a global network of countries committed to halving the global share of children unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10 by 2030.

Australian Aid, Bernard van Leer Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Canada, Echida Giving, FCDO, German Cooperation, William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, Conrad Hilton Foundation, LEGO Foundation, Porticus, USAID: Early Learning Partnership

The Early Learning Partnership (ELP) is a multi-donor trust fund, housed at the World Bank.  ELP leverages World Bank strengths—a global presence, access to policymakers and strong technical analysis—to improve early learning opportunities and outcomes for young children around the world.

We help World Bank teams and countries get the information they need to make the case to invest in Early Childhood Development (ECD), design effective policies and deliver impactful programs. At the country level, ELP grants provide teams with resources for early seed investments that can generate large financial commitments through World Bank finance and government resources. At the global level, ELP research and special initiatives work to fill knowledge gaps, build capacity and generate public goods.

UNESCO, UNICEF:  Learning Data Compact

UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank have joined forces to close the learning data gaps that still exist and that preclude many countries from monitoring the quality of their education systems and assessing if their students are learning. The three organizations have agreed to a  Learning Data Compact , a commitment to ensure that all countries, especially low-income countries, have at least one quality measure of learning by 2025, supporting coordinated efforts to strengthen national assessment systems.

UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS):   Learning Poverty Indicator

Aimed at measuring and urging attention to foundational literacy as a prerequisite to achieve SDG4, this partnership was launched in 2019 to help countries strengthen their learning assessment systems, better monitor what students are learning in internationally comparable ways and improve the breadth and quality of global data on education.

FCDO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation:  EdTech Hub

Supported by the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the EdTech Hub is aimed at improving the quality of ed-tech investments. The Hub launched a rapid response Helpdesk service to provide just-in-time advisory support to 70 low- and middle-income countries planning education technology and remote learning initiatives.

MasterCard Foundation

Our Tertiary Education and Skills  global program, launched with support from the Mastercard Foundation, aims to prepare youth and adults for the future of work and society by improving access to relevant, quality, equitable reskilling and post-secondary education opportunities.  It is designed to reframe, reform, and rebuild tertiary education and skills systems for the digital and green transformation.

Bridging the AI divide: Breaking down barriers to ensure women’s leadership and participation in the Fifth Industrial Revolution

Common challenges and tailored solutions: How policymakers are strengthening early learning systems across the world

Compulsory education boosts learning outcomes and climate action

Areas of focus.

Digital Technologies

Early Childhood Development

Education Data & Measurement

Education Finance

Education in Fragile, Conflict & Violence Contexts

Girls’ Education

Higher Education

Inclusive Education

Initiatives

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• Tertiary Education and Skills Program
• Service Delivery Indicators
• Evoke: Transforming education to empower youth
• Global Education Policy Dashboard
• Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel
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Collapse and Recovery: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Eroded Human Capital and What to Do About It

BROCHURES & FACT SHEETS

Publication: Realizing Education's Promise: A World Bank Retrospective – August 2023

Education and Climate Change flyer - November 2022

Learning Losses Brochure - October 2022

World Bank Group Education Fact Sheet - September 2022

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Human Development Topics

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Global Education Newsletter - March 2024

What's happening in the World Bank Education Global Practice? Read to learn more.

Human Capital Project

The Human Capital Project is a global effort to accelerate more and better investments in people for greater equity and economic growth.

Impact Evaluations

Research that measures the impact of education policies to improve education in low and middle income countries.

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CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

Project titles & descriptions, links to others.

An important consideration in the education of K-12 students classified as English learners is the program model(s) through which they will receive English language development (ELD) instruction: either as a separate ELD pull-out class or in a general education classroom in which a language specialist co-teaches and/or collaborates with the primary classroom teacher. The efficacy of these models has been the subject of ongoing debate, with co-teaching gaining traction nationwide: in so doing, it raises critical questions about how language is defined, taught, and learned by teachers and students in these settings. This research partnership with multiple Oregon schools uses qualitative methods to explore the development and implementation of ESL (English as a second language) co-teaching as an instructional model designed to support multilingual children and youth’s language development through teacher collaboration. It explores school, teacher, and student development through observation, interview, and support of teachers as they engage in action research around their own co-teaching. Contact:  Amanda Kibler

Format and learning model

Drawing from methods in historical sociology, this project examines how public universities in California and New York responded to four influenza pandemics: “Asian Influenza" (1957-1960), the “Hong Kong Virus” (1967-1970), the H1N1 pandemic (2008-2009), and COVID-19 (2020-2022). In addition to robust systems of public higher education, California and New York have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and have served as important receiving states for waves of Asian immigrants. We use web scraping techniques to create an open repository of institutional responses to COVID-19 between January 2020 and May 2022, which we combine with materials from university archives, and supplemental community archives from 1957-present. Using a framework of racialized organization practices and situational crisis communications theory, our analysis clarifies how universities’ responses to influenza pandemics signaled both their role as a public good and coalesced with racialized discourses to illuminate the broader systemic inequalities underscored during crises. Our project’s focus on Anti-Asian animus extends our understanding of universities racial histories and will yield a novel virtual repository of annotated responses to COVID-19 for public use.

How to become a teacher

A scientifically and technologically literate citizenry is essential to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and to ensure that the US remains economically competitive in an increasingly resource-constrained global marketplace. Fusing STEM and business curricula in undergraduate education is a critical and necessary step in preparing both STEM and non-STEM majors to address issues of global sustainability. Developing transdisciplinary curriculum that addresses these goals involves faculty working collaboratively to combine knowledge and skills from different disciplines to create a new or transformed understanding of concepts and ideas that moves beyond just one discipline and supports students' development of critical thinking skills aimed at addressing complex and wicked problems. The ultimate goals of this National Science Foundation funded project is to produce, disseminate, deliver and improve novel transdisciplinary curriculum modules focused on sustainability problems that can be used in a wide variety of STEM and business courses.  The grant supports OSU-based research and evaluation concerning grant-related phenomena and related changes to educators and their organizations via quantitative and qualitative methods investigating pedagogical knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of faculty and administrators at three different postsecondary institutions. We intend to inform those aiming for individual- and organizational-based transformation towards efficacious transdisciplinary teaching and learning. Contact:  Jana Bouwma-Gearhart

Building Quantitative Capacity in Contextualized STEM Education Research 

The research will result in a multi-faceted literature review investigating the relationship between contextualized educational approaches and  science education outcomes. Contact:  Michael Giamellaro

Designing Ambitious Mathematics Instructional Tools: A Collaborative Research-Practice Partnership 

This extensive, two-year, research-practice partnership aims to build and investigate collaboration among three educational systems where leaders and teachers are investing in instructional innovations that cultivate students’ opportunities to learn robust mathematics.  The development aims are to (1) support within and across district processes for identifying instructional challenges in practice that are hindering high-quality mathematics instruction for each and every student, (2) support efforts to address these challenges via investments in professional learning that enable designing, enacting, and refining instructional tools, and (3) create sustainable means for building evidence of the impact of tool use on teachers’ instruction and students’ participation and learning.  Our research aims to examine the processes employed to create instructional tools that fit inside of curricular resources, classroom tool use and adaptation, and student learning and participation.  This proposal is both timely and essential to build a body of evidence documenting districts’ innovations for instructional improvement and to realize how these efforts may support educational system coherence so vital to improvement.  To realize the full potential of tool design and use for instructional improvement and increased system coherence, leaders, teachers, and university researchers are committed to working in partnership to share and gain insights collaboratively. Contact:  Rebekah Elliott

Developing and Researching K-12 Teacher Leaders Enacting Anti-bias Mathematics Education (DREAM)

DREAM, a collaborative project between Portland State University, Chapman University, Oregon State University, and Teachers Development Group is a Design and Development Level II project, in the National Science Foundation's Discovery Research K-12 Program, Teaching Strand. The purpose of the project is to design, develop, and facilitate an innovative community-centered, job-embedded professional learning model with the aim of enacting anti-bias mathematics education and supporting teacher leadership. There are longstanding calls for anti-bias education in the mathematics classroom (AMTE, NCTM). In particular, there is an increased recognition that engaging all students in mathematics education requires an explicit focus on anti-bias mathematics teacher education. Our cutting-edge model for anti-bias mathematics education professional learning will support two cohorts of teacher leaders for two years each as they work in elementary, middle, and high school settings within urban, suburban, and rural districts who serve racially, ethnically, and socio-economically diverse communities. We will conduct two cycles of development, implementation, reflective analysis of the PD model with two cohorts. Contact:  Rebekah Elliott

Does Institutional Classification Make a Difference?: The Case of Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions

Initiated under the broader Minority Serving Institution (MSI) category, Asian American and Native American, Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) is an equity-based federal classification used to designate institutions that invest additional resources in supporting low-socioeconomic Asian American and Pacific Islander students. This study utilizes organizational theory to explore how seven of these institutions construct and embody an AANAPISI identity in light of current institutional norms and values. Through interviews, observations, and document analysis, the study seeks to answer the following research questions: How is the AANAPISI identity constructed in light of dominant institutional norms, values and practices? How do institutional agents enact and embody that identity in their behaviors and practices? Answering these questions illuminates a larger question—does this higher education policy matter? Rather than assessing the “effects” of policy on student outcomes, this study examines how federal policy can alter institutional behavior. That is, the extent to which AANAPISIs embody the status’ aims of equity reveals the influence of federal policy on organizational behavior. This project is generously supported by the Spencer Foundation. Contact:  Bach Mai Dolly Nguyen

ESTEME @ OSU

Oregon State University, like many others, is on the brink of a transformation where the bodies of scholarship concerning teaching and learning are being applied inward to comprehensively examine and evolve the institutions own practices. Our focus is in inspiring and studying change concerning teaching and learning in OSU’s large-enrollment introductory STEM courses. The ESTEME @ OSU (Enhancing STEM Education at Oregon State University) project is focusing on increasing the use of evidence-based instructional practices (EBIPs) to enhance the effectiveness of STEM classes. The project is supported by the National Science Foundation's WIDER program with project investigators, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students across the STEM disciplines and the College of Education.  Jana Bouwma-Gearhart is lead researcher concerning the project’s impact on organizational learning and change.  Contact:   Jana Bouwma-Gearhart

From Data to Equity: Exploring data Accessibility and Analysis in Washington State

The project advances an ethnographic approach to explore the landscape of racial data utility to increase school and community data literacy through heightened knowledge of data access and analysis. In partnership with a school district and two community-based organizations (CBOs), we aim to 1) identify barriers to data literacy; 2) provide educational opportunities on data accessibility, and analysis; and 3) gain insights to how agencies, districts and states can address data literacy barriers for schools and communities. Theoretically, the project seeks to understand how changes in racial categorization influence individual and structural perception and behavior across the sector of public education in Washington State. The project is generously funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Contact:  Bach Mai Dolly Nguyen

Innovation and Entrepreneurship: A Seismic Shift in Promotion and Tenure Considerations

Our abilities to align the intellectual capabilities of university faculty with the US innovation economy has profound impacts on society and the larger global economy. This National Science Foundation funded project supports efforts to: 1) explore the current state of faculty members’ innovation and entrepreneurial (I&E) impact within promotion and tenure (P&T) considerations, across US institutions of higher education, and 2) strategically develop a coalition of institutions across US types that can promote structures and processes that inclusively recognize faculty I&E impacts nationally, and 3) document the intra- and inter-institutional successes and challenges to inclusively recognize faculty I&E nationally.  We will (a) disseminate our research to various stakeholders, (b) foster communication and information sharing amongst the higher education ecosystem on I&E, (c) develop and advance best practices and road maps for individual universities to augment their individual P&T guidelines to more inclusively support I&E amongst their faculty, and (d) inform future relevant research. Contact:  Jana Bouwma-Gearhart

Institutional Agents: Exploring High School Counselors' College Knowledge  in California Title I Schools

High school counselors are tasked with helping students in the areas of academic achievement and career development, yet prior research has explained they are under-trained, under-resourced, and/or have limited time to focus, specifically, on college advising.  This exacerbates the claim that low-income children, in particular, are relegated into inferior schools with inadequate resources.  As a result, counselors in this context are not always in a position to offer the substantive knowledge nor resources to support low-income students’ transition to college. Unfortunately, very little research has substantiated what counselors know and the resources they possess to advise low-income students in their transition to college.  To address this gap, the current study will explore the college knowledge of counselors in California Title I high schools.  The current study expands on a previous exploration of what high school counselors in California Title I schools knew about the new National Collegiate Athletic Association eligibility requirements.  Through the lens of institutional agents framework, using a mixed methods exploratory phenomenological approach, we will examine what knowledge and resources counselors in California Title I high schools possess regarding other aspects of the college-going process.  Contact: Tenisha Tevis

Language, Cultural Sustenance and Knowledge-building through Science (LaCuKnoS)

LaCuKnoS is a research and development project to test and refine an instructional model for fostering the interplay of language development, cultural sustaining pedagogies, and disciplinary knowledge building to enhance science learning for all students, with a particular focus on the assets and needs of multilingual learners. The project builds on research begun by Dr. Buxton in Georgia, with funding from the National Science Foundation, and is now being implemented and refined in Oregon. The LaCuKnoS project integrates and applies theories from functional linguistics, cultural studies, and the sociology of knowledge, to address the emerging nexus of new standards for science learning, shifting demographics in schools and society, and the changing workforce landscape for high satisfaction, living wage occupations. Central to the project are co-learning workshops where multilingual learners, their families, their science teachers and the researchers all come together to explore the practices that support the LaCuKnoS model. Contact:  Cory Buxton

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

This article is part of the research topic.

Building the Future of Education Together: Innovation, Complexity, Sustainability, Interdisciplinary Research and Open Science

Bridging the Gap: Bioinspired Robotics as Catalyst for Interdisciplinary Education Provisionally Accepted

• 1 School of Engineering and Sciences, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM), Mexico

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

In the current educational landscape, prioritizing interdisciplinary skills and sustainable innovation is key. This study explores the impact of an innovative pedagogical approach that combines biology with engineering. Undergraduate students at Tecnol ógico de Monterrey in Mexico City engaged in creating bioinspired robots for real-world applications. Two teams concentrated on developing robots for post-earthquake search and rescue, while two additional teams focused on wildlife observation. These projects were based on initial workshops that covered animal biomechanics, soft robotics, and neuroscience. The project culminated in functional robotic prototypes, reflecting the success of this cross-disciplinary educational model.Post-project assessments revealed a marked increase in students' skills in both biological understanding and robotic design, underscoring the transformative potential of integrating diverse fields of study. This experimental curriculum demonstrates that combining traditional knowledge with technological innovation through digital platforms and open innovation significantly enhances learning outcomes. The study presents a compelling case for educational strategies that foster analytical reasoning, empathy, and emotional literacy, alongside scientific acumen. It offers insights for educators and policymakers into the benefits of merging biology, robotics, and education, promoting a model that prepares students as holistic thinkers and versatile innovators for future challenges.

Keywords: bioinspired robotics, education innovation, Experiential learning, higher education, interdisciplinary learning

Received: 23 Jan 2024; Accepted: 25 Apr 2024.

Copyright: © 2024 Cayetano-Jimenez, Bustamante-Bello and Ramírez-Cadena. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Mx. Israel U. Cayetano-Jimenez, School of Engineering and Sciences, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM), Monterrey, 64849, Nuevo León4, Mexico Dr. Rogelio Bustamante-Bello, School of Engineering and Sciences, Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM), Monterrey, 64849, Nuevo León4, Mexico

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Twenty Ideas for Engaging Projects

Twenty ideas for getting engaging projects going in your classroom.

The start of the school year offers an ideal time to introduce students to project-based learning. By starting with engaging projects, you'll grab their interest while establishing a solid foundation of important skills, such as knowing how to conduct research, engage experts, and collaborate with peers. In honor of Edutopia's 20th anniversary, here are 20 project ideas to get learning off to a good start.

1. Flat Stanley Refresh: Flat Stanley literacy projects are perennial favorites for inspiring students to communicate and connect, often across great distances. Now Flat Stanley has his own apps for iPhone and iPad, along with new online resources. Project founder Dale Hubert is recently retired from the classroom, but he's still generating fresh ideas to bring learning alive in the "flatlands."

2. PBL is No Accident: In West Virginia, project-based learning has been adopted as a statewide strategy for improving teaching and learning. Teachers don't have to look far to find good project ideas. In this CNN story about the state's educational approach, read about a project that grew out of a fender-bender in a school parking lot. When students were asked to come up with a better design for the lot, they applied their understanding of geometry, civics, law, engineering, and public speaking. Find more good ideas in West Virginia's Teach21 project library.

3. Defy Gravity: Give your students a chance to investigate what happens near zero gravity by challenging them to design an experiment for NASA to conduct at its 2.2 second drop tower in Brookpark, Ohio. Separate NASA programs are offered for middle school and high school. Or, propose a project that may land you a seat on the ultimate roller coaster (aka: the "vomit comet"), NASA aircraft that produces periods of micro and hyper gravity ranging from 0 to 2 g's. Proposal deadline is Sept. 21, and flight week takes place in February 2012.

4. Connect Across Disciplines: When students design and build kinetic sculptures, they expand their understanding of art, history, engineering, language arts, and technology. Get some interdisciplinary project insights from the Edutopia video, Kinetic Conundrum . Click on the accompanying links for more tips about how you can do it, too.

5. Honor Home Languages: English language learners can feel pressured to master English fast, with class time spent correcting errors instead of using language in meaningful ways. Digital IS, a site published by the National Writing Project, shares plans for three projects that take time to honor students' home languages and cultures, engaging them in critical thinking, collaboration, and use of digital tools. Anne Herrington and Charlie Moran curate the project collection, "English Language Learners, Digital Tools, and Authentic Audiences."

6. Rethink Lunch: Make lunch into a learning opportunity with a project that gets students thinking more critically about their mid-day meal. Center for Ecoliteracy offers materials to help you start,  including informative essays and downloadable planning guides . Get more ideas from this video about a middle-school nutrition project, "A Healthy School Lunch."

7. Take a Learning Expedition: Expeditionary Learning schools take students on authentic learning expeditions, often in neighborhoods close to home. Check out the gallery for project ideas.

8. Find a Pal: If PBL is new to you, consider joining an existing project. You'll benefit from a veteran colleague's insights, and your students will get a chance to collaborate with classmates from other communities or even other countries. Get connected at ePals , a global learning community for educators from more than 200 countries.

9. Get Minds Inquiring: What's under foot? What are things made of? Science projects that emphasize inquiry help students make sense of their world and build a solid foundation for future understanding. The Inquiry Project supports teachers in third to fifth grades as they guide students in hands-on investigations about matter. Students develop the habits of scientists as they make observations, offer predictions, and gather evidence. Companion videos show how scientists use the same methods to explore the world. Connect inquiry activities to longer-term projects, such as creating a classroom museum that showcases students' investigations.

10. Learn through Service: When cases of the West Nile virus were reported in their area, Minnesota students sprang into action with a project that focused on preventing the disease through public education. Their project  (PDF) demonstrates what can happen when service-learning principles are built into PBL. Find more ideas for service-learning projects from the National Youth Leadership Council .

11. Locate Experts: When students are learning through authentic projects, they often need to connect with experts from the world outside the classroom. Find the knowledgeable experts you need for STEM projects through the National Lab Network . It's an online network where K-12 educators can locate experts from the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

12. Build Empathy: Projects that help students see the world from another person's perspective build empathy along with academic outcomes. The Edutopia video, "Give Me Shelter" , shows what compassionate learning looks like in action. Click on the companion links for more suggestions about how you can do it, too.

13. Investigate Climate Science: Take students on an investigation of climate science by joining the newest collaborative project hosted by GLOBE , Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment. The Student Climate Research Campaign includes three components: introductory activities to build a foundation of understanding, intensive observing periods when students around the world gather and report data, and research investigations that students design and conduct. Climate project kicks off Sept. 12.

14. Problem-Solvers Unite: Math fairs take mathematics out of the classroom and into the community, where everyone gets a chance to try their hand at problem solving. Galileo Educational Network explains how to host a math fair . In a nutshell, students set up displays of their math problems but not the solutions. Then they entice their parents and invited guests to work on solutions. Make the event even more engaging by inviting mathematicians to respond to students' problems.

15. Harvest Pennies: Can small things really add up to big results? It seems so, based on results of the Penny Harvest . Since the project started in New York in 1991, young philanthropists nationwide have raised and donated more than $8 million to charitable causes, all through penny drives. The project website explains how to organize students in philanthropy roundtables to study community issues and decide which causes they want to support.

16. Gather Stories: Instead of teaching history from textbooks, put students in the role of historian and help them make sense of the past. Learn more about how to plan oral history projects in the Edutopia story, "Living Legends." Teach students about the value of listening by having them gather stories for StoryCorps .

17. Angry Bird Physics: Here's a driving question to kickstart a science project: "What are the laws of physics in Angry Birds world?" Read how physics teachers like Frank Noschese and John Burk are using the web version of the popular mobile game in their classrooms.

18. Place-Based Projects: Make local heritage, landscapes, and culture the jumping-off point for compelling projects. That's the idea behind place-based education, which encourages students to look closely at their communities. Often, they wind up making significant contributions to their communities, as seen in the City of Stories project .

19. News They Can Use: Students don't have to wait until they're grown-ups to start publishing. Student newspapers, radio stations, and other journalism projects give them real-life experiences now. Award-winning journalism teacher Esther Wojcicki outlines the benefits this post on the New York Times Learning Network . Get more ideas about digital-age citizen journalism projects at MediaShift Idea Lab .

20. The Heroes They Know: To get acquainted with students at the start of the year and also introduce students to PBL processes, High Tech High teacher Diana Sanchez asked students to create a visual and textual representation of a hero in their own life. Their black-and-white exhibits were a source of pride to students, as Sanchez explains in her project reflection . Get more ideas from the project gallery at High Tech High , a network of 11 schools in San Diego County that emphasize PBL. To learn more, watch this Edutopia video interview with High Tech High founding principal Larry Rosenstock.

Please tell us about the projects you are planning for this school year.