• Common Mission/Vision and Excitement

• Collaboration and Input

It was also clear that true collaboration was necessary for success in every project-based environment we encountered.  An entirely top-down approach would lead to less creativity, buy-in, and commitment.  At successful study sites, teachers, designers, builders, etc. all felt that their input was valued.  Each team player felt ownership of the work being completed.  In a Big Picture school, this has impact amongst staff and how students need to view the project process.

• Consistency and Maintenance of Goals

It also became apparent how important it was to stay on task and not be sidelined by other projects.  To start this process, you must have guiding questions to help you meet your objective.  This was one aspect of our own school that was verified through our TIIP research, and now we will move to strengthen it.  Students will often stray from their work, as do professionals.  Some of our study sites noted that often this was because the goal was unclear.  If this is the case, you must stop and refocus and redefine your goal.  This was also enlightening as we often have students fall by the wayside far into the semester, and the inclination is sometimes to allow them to carry on with the same project work because they had "worked on it for so long already".  However, we saw that this is a practice in futility, and learning how to refocus is an important skill for our students.

• Clear Responsibilities of Group Members

• Clear Decision-Making Structure

Along with clear responsibilities and job delineations, a successful organization must know how decisions are made and by whom.  Are all decisions voted on by all stakeholders?  Do CEOS, Presidents, or Principals have the final say in everything? Somethings?  It is important to define how decisions (both big and small) will be made in your organization.  Without this understanding, resentment and/or confusion can grow.  This can lead to a lack of excitement and buy-in, which will erode your progress toward success.  For project-based schools with student-driven projects, this means who, if anyone, gives final "approval" of projects? Who determines requirements for project work? Who decides whether a student can work with another student? Putting in place procedures for staff at your school to make decisions is key.  It is also important when building an Advisory culture at a project-based school to also have a clear decision-making structure in your classroom.  Students need as much buy-in as staff, and that includes decision-making.  How will this look at your school?

• Beautiful Work

One commonality we saw between both successful schools and businesses that we visited was a display of beautiful work.  These organizations were proud of what they produced and they took care to show it proudly and professionally.  Completed projects and products were noticeable throughout their spaces.  This was not only great advertising for visitors, it also served as a constant reminder of what we do here as well as what is expected in terms of quality.  This has clear implications for schools that are pushing their students to do in-depth, authentic work.  Student work at the high school level can and should be professional, and this should be showcased throughout the school.  It also continues to provide another way for students to have ownership of the school, and to foster safe and creative competition to push one another to higher levels.  Along with work being not only "beautiful", it is also important to clearly and consistently document work.  For students, this process must begin in the 9th grade.

• Communal Workstations/Classrooms with Movable and Multipurpose Furniture

At most of the sites we visited there were clear communal work areas.  At schools, this could be tables instead of desks, or designated areas for group work.  In businesses, this meant no cubicles, and few offices, but lots of open areas, meeting rooms, large tables, and windows.  The environment where you work is often key to how you work.  Freeing students from rows of single desks can allow for creativity and collaboration, just as it does in the business world.  In many locations, furniture and work areas were not permanently defined and could be moved or changed to accommodate different situations.  Providing students with areas where they can quietly work and reflect alone but also share their thoughts with others allows for a more authentic approach to project work.  In a school, this could mean having desks arranged in one format for a "lesson", and another for "project time".  It appeared to us that the more creative a site was, the more fluid the physical environment. 

• Additional Time for Working Together

Working in a project-based environment means that you are asking a lot from your stakeholders.  Projects are not always linear and they require a lot of collaboration and, frankly, time.  In every successful study site we visited there was clear time set aside for collaboration, and that time was valued.  This means that teachers, artists, architects, etc. might need to meet outside of work time, but they were all granted some time during the business day to work together.  What was most important about this time was that it was often structured and planned, meaning that the time was taken seriously and not wasted.  Objectives were set and guidelines for collaboration were in place.  In today's economy, particularly for California schools, finding time to allow teachers to collaborate is a gigantic challenge.  However, we saw over and over again that this is one of the most important indicators for success.  For project-based schools to be truly collaborative, teachers and staff must have time to work together outside of the classroom.