The Buck Institute for Education (BIE) is a non profit research and development organization working to make schools and classrooms more effective through the use of problem and project based learning. BIE creates curriculum and training materials, provides professional development, and conducts and disseminates research. BIE conducts many projects in partnership with other organizations including WestEd, the National High School Alliance, the Johnson Foundation and the George Lucas Educational Foundation.

Created in 1987, BIE receives permanent funding from the Leonard and Beryl Buck Trust, and funding for specific projects from foundations, schools and school districts, state educational agencies and the federal government. Brief descriptions of BIE program areas appear below.

Project Based Learning (PBL)
BIE conducts Professional Development workshops for high school teachers and other educators throughout the United States. These workshops prepare participants to design, conduct and assess standards-focused Project Based Learning. Starting with a proven training agenda, we customize these workshops to meet the specific needs of the client teachers and schools.

BIE has published the well-received Project Based Learning Handbook which is used by educators in 49 states and in 26 other countries including Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Kyrgyzstan. The entire Handbook can also be purchased from this website or from Amazon.com. Sections of the PBL Handbook are also available for download.

BIE has led the effort to create www.PBL-Online.org, a website that introduces preservice and practicing teachers to Project Based Learning, and coaches them in project planning, project implementation and project assessment.

BIE strongly supports the small high school reform movement. Much of BIE’s PBL work assists teachers in small high schools and small learning communities throughout the United States implement Project Based Learning. BIE also convenes educational leaders to consider how to improve pedagogy in small high schools, and issues Briefing Papers on small high school pedagogy.

Problem Based Learning
Rigor and Relevance are guiding principles of today’s high school reform movement. Rigorous learning results in the deep understanding of essential knowledge and concepts. Relevant learning shows students how what they are learning can make a difference in their own lives and the lives of others.
Problem based learning leads students to gain essential knowledge and concepts in the context of real world problem solving. Students:

• confront a realistic dilemma that, through analysis, investigation, research, and
  discussion allows for more than one possible solution;
• become intrigued by the problem they are addressing, and motivated to learn the standards-based knowledge that is essential to understanding and solving the problem;
• work with their peers to solve the problem, with coaching from the teacher; and
• demonstrate their new knowledge in authentic formats, often to an external audience.

Most of the research on problem based learning comes from professional schools (e.g., schools of medicine, nursing and engineering) where conditions are very different from K-12 public schools. However, a problem based approach to curriculum and instruction is frequently a defined component of current school reform models, including the small high schools movement.  Unfortunately, there are few appropriate curricular materials available.  BIE has helped lead efforts to incorporate the problem based model into high school settings, either as an option within our project based learning materials and training or as sets of units BIE has developed for high school social studies courses.

Problem Based Economics
According to National Council on Economic Education (NCEE), the goal of economics education is to “help students develop the real-life skills they need to succeed: to be able to think and choose responsibly as consumers, savers, investors, citizens, members of the workforce, and effective participants in a global economy.”   However, a 1999 survey found that “Half of all American adults receive a failing grade for their knowledge of basic economic concepts” and “High school students across America receive an average grade of 48% for their understanding of basic economic principles. In addition, most teachers are not prepared to teach economics and are discouraged by their teaching experiences, because good instructional materials are often unavailable, and professional development is scanty at best.  

The Buck Institute has partnered with university economists and expert teachers to create a well-defined Problem-Based Economics (PBE) curriculum. The units provide clear instructions for covering core content and are introduced with a 2-day workshop led by expert teachers who have used the materials in classrooms.  The PBE units address all of the high school standards set forth in the Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics, and are also appropriate for introductory-level college courses. Field tests and ongoing evaluation studies in a variety of classrooms have demonstrated the effectiveness of the units.  

PBE works well for diverse students in a variety of school settings – from elite private schools to continuation high schools. There is evidence that students who do poorly with traditional instruction, suggesting that the curriculum may help close the pervasive “achievement gap” by helping all students, including minorities, benefit from rigorous and engaging curriculum.

BIE conducts PBE training workshops for school districts and other educational organizations throughout the United States. Training workshops are also conducted at the Institute’s offices in Novato, California. Problem Based Economics materials and training can also be found at selected Centers for Economic Education affiliated with the National Council for Economic Education and located at colleges and universities throughout the United States. Problem Based Economics materials can also be purchased or downloaded from this website.

Problem Based Government (PBG)
Using design principles tested and refined in the creation of the Problem Based Economics units, BIE has created six Problem Based Government curriculum units for use in high school and community college classrooms. These units align with key high school content standards set forth by the states and in the National Standards for Civics and Government, and encourage students to learn problem-solving skills at the same time they develop a deep understanding of American political institutions and government.

For many students, such understanding is sorely needed. In 1998 the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) evaluated twelfth-grade students’ knowledge of civics and American government, and discovered that 35% of students tested did not have a basic understanding of the principles and institutions on which democracy in the United States is based.

BIE conducts PBG training workshops for school districts and other educational organizations throughout the United States. Training workshops are also conducted at the Institute’s offices in Novato, California. Problem Based Government materials can be purchased or downloaded from this website.

Research and Evaluation
BIE’s current research focuses on the impact of Problem Based Economics and technology on student learning, and the impact and implementation of  Project Based pedagogy. Past research on other topics is also available.