Summary: Brisbane School District partnered with CraftED Curriculum during the 2024–2025 school year to implement schoolwide Project Based Learning across its TK-8 schools. CraftED delivered a multi-phase support model including a full-day August kickoff, ongoing virtual coaching sessions through January, e-course resources, and a spring reflection workshop. Through this structured support, teachers across all grade levels developed and launched new PBL units, built a shared vision for quality PBL, and grew in confidence and capacity. The partnership successfully turned an ambitious district goal into real classroom practice and created momentum for continued PBL growth.

Case Study

Client: Brisbane School District (Brisbane Elementary & Panorama Elementary + Middle School), California (TK-8)

Date: 2024–2025 School Year

The Challenge:

Brisbane School District was ready to elevate Project Based Learning (PBL) across its elementary and middle schools. Leadership set a clear annual goal: every grade level would plan and implement one new high-quality PBL unit by February.

Teachers had varying levels of PBL experience, and the district needed to:

  • Build shared understanding of quality PBL.
  • Support concrete project planning and design.
  • Provide differentiated follow-up coaching.
  • Help teachers reflect on implementation and plan for sustainability.

The Solution

CraftED Curriculum partnered with district leaders (including Principals Sarah Neidhart and others) to deliver a comprehensive, multi-phase support package:

  • Full-Day PBL PD (August 19, 2024): In-person kickoff for elementary and middle school staff.
  • Targeted Virtual Project Coaching: Series of 1.5-hour sessions throughout the fall and winter.
  • E-courses + Resources: PBL Certificate e-courses and Keep It Real with PBL book materials for teachers.
  • End-of-Year Reflection Workshop: Designed to help teachers reflect on student work and assessment practices.

Implementation Highlights

The August PD day featured interactive protocols adapted from CraftED’s Calibration Workshop model, including:

  • Gallery Walk of past projects.
  • Chalk Talk protocols analyzing student learning experiences.
  • Goal setting and grade-level planning time.
  • Virtual office hours with Jenny.

Follow-up virtual coaching sessions (September–January) gave grade-level teams dedicated time to refine driving questions, scaffolding, assessments, and integration strategies.

In spring 2025, a reflection session focused on Looking at Student Work protocols, rubric tuning, and setting goals for the following year.

This structure combined big-picture calibration with practical, just-in-time support, which was exactly what teachers needed to move from ideas to implemented units.

The Results

Brisbane School District made significant progress toward its goal of schoolwide PBL implementation. Teachers:

  • Developed and launched new PBL units across grade levels.
  • Gained confidence through structured planning and coaching.
  • Built a stronger shared vision for quality PBL.
  • Created momentum for continued growth in subsequent years.

The partnership helped turn an ambitious district goal into actionable classroom practice, strengthening teacher capacity and student engagement in deeper learning.

This engagement shows how a well-sequenced combination of calibration, planning support, coaching, and reflection can help districts successfully scale high-quality PBL.

Ready to strengthen PBL at your school?

Contact Jenny at jenny@craftedcurriculum.com to explore a custom PBL calibration workshop, summer planning support, or ongoing coaching package.

About the Author: Jenny

PBL Thought Leader, AI & PBL Pedagogical Architect, Published Author & Speaker, Custom curriculum designer, Founder of CraftED Curriculum. Check out my book!