AUTHENTICITY

Signature projects are based on authentic KEY QUESTIONS that are meaningful to students and that mirror questions addressed by adults in the workplace or community.

Signature Projects are academically rigorous applied learning projects that are a hallmark of School to Career practice in Boston. Signature Projects are characterized by six A's:
Authenticity
   Academic Rigor
   Applied Learning
   Active Exploration
   Adult Connections
   Assessment

Examples of Key Questions

Web Site Project
O'Bryant

How do we communicate important information about the O'Bryant to our community? How do we make responsible decisions about content for the internet?

School to Career Pathway Video Project
Brighton

How can students use their knowledge of the media, arts and communication skills to create a video which reflects the important components of a STC pathway?

Westie Water Wars Project
West Roxbury

How is water a precious commodity of life and how does it act as a common denominator in a community? How can responsible citizens use new media to create a Water Bill of Rights and Responsibilities?

Business Plan (NFTE) Project
East Boston

What does it take for an individual to start his/her own business? Address opportunity recognition, marketing, financial needs, and philanthropy for your business.

One in a Million Class Fund Project
Charlestown

How do we make money by investing in the stock market?

ETA / City Build
Mary Baker Eddy Entryway Structural Design Project
Dorchester

How have architecture and engineering affected this landmark in the city of Boston? In developing the new entryway of the Mary Baker Eddy Library, what are some of the infrastructures needed to accomplish the project?

From pH to Parkland Project
Charlestown

How healthy is the field site around the Little Mystic Canal (behind our school), and what recommendations could we make to organizations that want to improve it?

Books and Bookings Project
East Boston

What geographical, historical, and literary factors have contributed to Boston's "hub of the universe" status? How did Boston get its name? What famous authors are closely tied to the local area? How can literature be tied into a tour of the local area?

Children's Books - Read Them! Share Them! Write Them!
Boston High and West Roxbury

How have the skills you learned in this class affected the way you think about parenting? How can you get children interested in books and what advice can you offer others about the benefits of reading to children? What kinds of activities can nurture a love of reading?

Codman Square Lead Contamination Initiative
Dorchester

How are you and your neighborhood affected by lead contamination of soil? How do we communicate important information about lead contamination to our community?

Narrowing the Digital Divide by Building Computers Project
J.E. Burke

How can students narrow the digital divide? How can students determine if a computer is upgradable and what steps can be taken to upgrade a computer? How can students build computers to distribute in order to help others in the community to be better able to compete in a technological world?

TechAssist - Helping Schools Help Themselves
Madison Park

How can high school students learn authentic technical support skills? How can high school students use these technical support skills (format computers, install operating systems, download software, diagnose and troubleshoot most common computer problems) to serve the community (other classrooms and labs within the school, other schools, community centers, private sector)? How can students build working computers and put them into school service?