"Help Us Create Engaged Learners"

We are Julia, James, Edward, Ninah and Julie - 5 teachers from  Lincoln Park High School, a public school in Chicago, asking for your help to send us to "Project Zero Classroom" this summer.   This professional development program focuses on designing interdisciplinary curriculum to address the ethical and social dimensions of learning.  The great news is that all 5 of us have been accepted into the program!  Now we need the funds to get there and are asking for your help.

We are NOT a selective enrollment high school.  We believe that outstanding learning environments should be accessible to ALL students.

Our students come from over 150 elementary schools throughout the city and are thus at a variety of skill levels when they enter our school.  So, the question arises- how do we appropriately differentiate learning in our classrooms for this wide variety of skill levels? The Project Zero’s emphasis on the need to make learning engaging for all learners will help us to work towards finding solutions for this challenge as well. 

Tuition for each of us is $3,295 per teacher, plus airfare and hotel for the week long program.   Yes, this is a huge ask.  We consider it an investment in our children's futures and hope you will too!     ANY amount you are able to contribute will help get us closer to creating the best possible learning environment for our wonderful students.  Thanks!

Here's a look at some of our amazing kids from Lincoln Park High in Chicago: 


Ms. Julie Spaulding, Biology:
"I would love to be able to find multiple ways for students to express their learning, previous experiences, and knowledge of the different ideas we discuss.  Participation in PZC would help me to better engage my students in this inquiry, to help them develop their questions further, and to provide ALL of my students with an opportunity to display their learning."



Ms. Julia Davidson, History & English:
"I am a member of our History Department equity study group. While we believe that the work of these study groups has been making strides this school year, participating in PZC will allow teachers from different departments who teach students at different levels to collaborate on new curriculum ideas. "


Mr. James Conzen, History:
"In attempting to address the inequity within our school, we are asking ourselves to question what learning looks like in our classrooms and whether or not we are culturally biased in our understanding of how we see learning. Project Zero’s focus on making learning visible, and understanding the cognitive processes behind learning, would aide our ability to dissect learning within our school and take the next appropriate steps in addressing inequity."


Mr. Edward Gadient, English:
"My lowest-performing students don’t see the class as relevant, useful or engaging; they don’t realize how intelligent and profound their own thoughts are; finally, they aren’t able to express their own thinking on our written assessments. These problems are related and compound each other. I want to reorient my class so that learning experiences reach everyone and they can not only see their own intelligence, but they know how they are learning from the work they are doing. "

Ms. Ninah de Ruijter, History:
"Project Zero’s focus on helping teachers make learning more engaging and visible would greatly enhance our ability to work on the issues of improving equity within our entire school, not just the classroom of a few teachers."


Thanks so much for your support!

Julia, James, Edward, Ninah and Julie
Lincoln Park High School - Chicago