At PBL World 2026, we celebrated four remarkable examples of leadership through our annual PBL Champions Awards. While each recipient represented a different category—district, school, individual, and international—they all shared something in common: a deep commitment to creating learning experiences that are meaningful, equitable, and driven by student curiosity.
This year's honorees remind us that lasting educational change doesn't happen through a single program, initiative, or workshop. It happens when educators commit to building the conditions where high-quality Project Based Learning can thrive—for every student, every day.
District PBL Champion: Syracuse City School District
The Syracuse City School District in New York was recognized for its visionary and systemic commitment to Project Based Learning across a large, complex urban district.
Like many districts across the country, Syracuse has faced significant challenges, including leadership turnover, staffing changes, and the constant introduction of competing initiatives. Yet district leaders remained steadfast in their belief that Gold Standard PBL was the right instructional approach for their students.
Rather than focusing on isolated implementation efforts, Syracuse designed a comprehensive strategy centered on building internal capacity. The district invested simultaneously in classroom teachers, school leaders, and alternative education environments, creating multiple pathways for Project Based Learning to take root and grow. Through intensive coaching, leadership development, and innovative school redesign efforts, they created a scalable model for sustainable implementation.
What makes Syracuse's story particularly inspiring is its persistence. District leaders understood that meaningful change takes time. They started with willing teacher volunteers, created systems of support around them, and used reflection and continuous improvement to strengthen the work year after year. Their story serves as a powerful reminder that transforming learning at scale requires more than enthusiasm. It requires vision, patience, and an unwavering commitment to students.
School PBL Champion: University Prep Science & Math High School
In Detroit, Michigan, University Prep Science & Math High School (UPSM HS) has embraced Project Based Learning not as an enrichment activity or occasional experience, but as the primary vehicle for instruction.
Under the leadership of Principal Jerry Lawrence and Assistant Principal Elizabeth Hubbell, the school has undergone a remarkable transformation. Faced with enrollment and performance challenges, the leadership team built a culture centered on high expectations, authentic learning, and student agency.
Their vision is rooted in a powerful belief: students should see themselves as solutionists. Rather than accepting an "it is what it is" mentality, students are encouraged to identify challenges in their communities and take action to address them. Through public exhibitions, authentic projects, and community-connected learning, students develop the skills and confidence to become changemakers in Detroit.
The school's commitment to a "wall-to-wall" PBL model extends beyond individual classrooms. Teachers collaborate across content areas, students regularly share their learning with public audiences, and authentic inquiry shapes the daily learning experience.
What makes UPSM HS stand out is its belief that all students deserve access to rigorous, meaningful learning experiences. By embedding Project Based Learning into the fabric of the school, they have transformed not only instruction, but also how students see themselves and their future.
Individual PBL Champion: Beth Hert
Principal Beth Hert of Corona Arts & Sciences Academy (CASA) in Queens, New York, was recognized as this year's Individual PBL Champion for her extraordinary leadership and commitment to creating the conditions for Project Based Learning to flourish.
Since beginning her PBL journey in 2018, Beth has become known for translating vision into action. One of the most visible examples of her leadership is CASA Community Wednesdays, a school-wide initiative that breaks down traditional subject-area silos and creates opportunities for interdisciplinary, authentic learning experiences.
Yet those who know Beth would likely point to something even more important: the culture she has built.
Teachers at CASA describe an environment where innovation is encouraged, risk-taking is supported, and setbacks are viewed as opportunities for reflection rather than reasons to abandon the work. Through distributed leadership and a genuine commitment to empowering others, Beth has helped cultivate a community where both educators and students can thrive.
Her influence extends well beyond her own school. Through conference presentations, leadership networks, and mentoring relationships, she has helped shape Project Based Learning practices across New York City and beyond.
Beth's story reminds us that great leadership isn't about receiving credit. It's about creating the conditions for others to succeed.
International PBL Champion: Millennia World School
Located in Banten, Indonesia, Millennia World School received the International PBL Champion Award for its innovative and deeply integrated approach to Project Based Learning.
At Millennia, PBL is not something added onto an existing curriculum. It is the foundation upon which learning is built.
The school combines Indonesia's national curriculum with Waldorf-inspired practices and Gold Standard PBL, all grounded in a philosophy of Integral Education that seeks to develop the whole child—head, heart, hands, and spirit.
Students engage with real-world challenges, explore meaningful questions, and regularly present their work through public exhibitions. Sustainability, climate action, and community engagement are woven throughout the curriculum, giving students opportunities to apply their learning in authentic and consequential ways.
What stands out most about Millennia is its commitment to helping students see themselves as active contributors to the world around them. Learning is not preparation for life; it is life itself.
Their work demonstrates that while educational contexts may differ around the globe, the power of curiosity, authenticity, and student agency is universal.
Four Champions, One Shared Vision
Although these four champions represent different levels of educational leadership, their stories reveal a common truth. The Syracuse City School District showed us what systemic commitment looks like. University Prep Science & Math High School demonstrated the power of a school-wide vision. Beth Hert exemplified the impact of servant leadership. Millennia World School reminded us that authentic learning transcends borders and cultures. And yet, perhaps the most striking thing about each recipient was not what they accomplished—it was how they talked about it. District leaders credited teachers. School leaders celebrated students. An individual award recipient pointed to her team.
Across every story, success was framed not as personal achievement, but as collective effort. That may be the most important lesson of all. Meaningful, lasting change in education is never the work of one person. It is built through communities of educators who believe deeply in the potential of young people and who are willing to create the conditions for that potential to flourish.
As we celebrated these champions at PBL World 2026, we were reminded of this year's theme: When Curiosity Leads, Learning Lasts. These four champions embody that belief. Their work demonstrates what is possible when curiosity drives learning, when students are trusted with meaningful challenges, and when educators remain committed to building learning experiences that truly matter. Their stories inspire us not only because of what they have achieved, but because of what they make us believe is possible for schools, students, and communities everywhere.
