Purpose-Centered Education, the Audrey Cohen College System of Education, is one of the New American Schools designs. Purpose-Centered Education is based on the premise that students achieve high academic standards when they work to achieve a purpose that will make a positive difference in their lives and the lives of others.
Students focus on a purpose that becomes central to all of their studies each semester.
Students are actively engaged in their own learning, with teachers serving as facilitators and advisors and collaborating with other teachers, parents and community members to support student learning. Students achieve the semester's Purpose by planning, carrying out, and evaluating a Constructive Action through which they apply knowledge and skills to benefit their community. They set a goal, develop a plan of action, implement the plan, document their activities, and assess their results. Twenty-four developmentally appropriate Purposes have been identified, generally one for each semester at each grade level. Instead of taking classes separated by subject area , students take classes that organize the core subjects into Dimensions of Learning, Action, and Assessment.