Future+Pathways

Ask any student what is wrong with education today and they will tell you the truth: it's not that schools are no longer what they used to be, it's that they are precisely what they used to be. Therefore, Future Pathways Teaching and Learning Laboratory in the Des Moines Public School District is transforming the face of 21st century teaching and learning. Grounded in the work of Wiggins and McTighe, The Buck Institute, Kohn, Marzano, Dewey, Whitaker, Daggett, and others, Future Pathways instructors engage high school students with project-based learning that honors their interests and is relevant to their lives. Key elements of this educational environment include self-directed learning, projects immersed with technology, understandings that are transferable, embedded 21st century skills, and flexible scheduling with no unnecessary rules. In addition, the staff members study and identify 21st century best practices in teaching and learning; build community, business, and college partnerships; and promote the immersion of upcoming and practicing teachers in research-based education.








 * Examples of Student Projects:**

1. Project:

2. Project: