In operation since 1993 in selected Nashville Davidson Metropolitan schools, curriculum, instruction and assessment are carefully linked to create a learning community where knowledge is respected, where students teach as well as learn, and where there is a feeling of mutual respect for one another's expertise. Students are motivated to conduct research and solve problems because they are authentic and clearly important to the community.
Students start with what they already know and build their knowledge from there.
They must do their own research and work collectively on complex, realistic problems that are anchored in the disciplines they are studying. For instance, in the Fostering Communities of Learning component of the program, students are divided into small research groups. Assisted by a teacher or aide, each group uses reference materials, electronic mail, or Internet resources to gather information on a project. After a time, the class reorganizes with each group sending a representative to another group to share what he or she has learned. For that school year, sixth grade students were assessed.