Each year, Warren Township’s Capstone Experience issues the district’s fifth and eighth graders with a staggering challenge: to tackle some of the world’s most complex and persistent problems. Focusing on one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals—like “gender equality,” “clean water and sanitation,” or “affordable and clean energy”—teams of students research, develop and eventually present solutions they believe will actually make a difference. The Capstone isn’t just the culmination of students’ elementary and middle school experiences; it’s also a chance for Warren Township community members to see the learning up close.

Students working on their Capstones get minimal support from their teachers; after all, the point of the experience is to see what they can do with limited classroom guidance. However, that doesn’t mean they have to navigate these massive issues all by themselves. As they conduct their independent research, students are often paired with community partners and industry experts who can help them shape their proposals. 

“Take clean water access, for example,” explains Superintendent Dr. Matthew Mingle. “We have people who work in that field come and meet with the students to give them expert input.” And these conversations have enriched the students’ projects. “At first, our students’ solution for clean water access was a fundraiser,” says Mingle. “Now, at the eighth-grade level, they’re actually developing models for filtration devices.” But it’s not just the students who learn from this arrangement. The experts get something rarely available to outside community members: a glimpse at what learning looks like in action.

The project’s culmination—also known as the Capstone Challenge—offers another window into the quality of education Warren Township offers. When the time finally comes to present their solutions, students face a panel of outside community members. These guests judge the projects—and, by extension, the district itself.

According to Mingle, the whole point of the Capstone Challenge is to answer a crucial question: “After students have been through our schools, do they know how to do research, put ideas together and present those ideas for a panel of adults they’ve never met before?” Through their evaluations, Warren Township’s guest judges provide the answer. 

Community members judge the presentations on four core areas: critical thinking, research quality, presentation skills and teamwork. The provided rubrics also solicit feedback on a broader set of soft skills: Are students demonstrating personal accountability? How well do they receive feedback? Can they self-direct, or do they need more guidance to be successful? 

But Warren Township doesn’t see those evaluations as reflections of the students themselves. In fact, the Capstone Experience isn’t even graded. According to Mingle, “the Capstone is actually meant to be an assessment of the district, not of the students.” For example, if a student struggles with research, that won’t show up as a C on their report card. It will, however, suggest that the district needs to adjust their curriculum to focus more on research skills. 

Once they’ve collected all the feedback from the Capstone Challenge, Warren Township’s leadership team disaggregates it for a board committee to present alongside the district’s standardized test scores. “I think that’s been something important for board members to recognize. Standardized testing is one thing, but this is a way for us to have another source of information,” says Assistant Superintendent William Kimmick. “And the feedback is overwhelmingly that people are impressed with our students. That’s been pretty powerful for when our board members are out in the community discussing the misconceptions that people have.” 

But it’s not just internal stakeholders like board members who gain new perspectives through the Capstone Experience. The judges walk away with a newfound appreciation for their schools, too. Warren Township has found that by bringing the community into their schools—and inviting their feedback—they’re also able to showcase everything the district is already doing right. “The overall experience helps members of the community see the quality of the work, the use of the school facility and students demonstrating skills that are not easily measured through a standardized assessment,” says Kimmick. 

And it’s no accident that the guest judges are often influential members of the community. Over the years, the district has invited local officials, township council members, the mayor and even a congressman—people with their own audiences who can go on to advocate for Warren Township Schools. And advocate they do. According to Mingle, “People are always amazed that kids can have these kinds of conversations.”

As helpful as it is to have influential guest judges advocating for Warren Township Schools, the advocacy of the students themselves is even more powerful. “I think the community’s perception started changing as students’ perceptions started changing,” Kimmick says. “That’s where parents get their information about us—from their kids. And when students speak a certain way about an experience, that goes a long way toward positively influencing adult perceptions.” 

But it’s not just how students describe the process that shifts their parents’ perspectives. It’s how they speak about themselves as a result of that process. Consistently, they come away from the experience having gained research and critical thinking skills, confidence, and resourcefulness. “I’m constantly amazed,” Kimmick says. “Teachers will sometimes say they’re worried about students not taking this seriously, but when the kids get closer and closer to that deadline of a very public presentation, they rise to the occasion.” 

Perhaps the most important lesson students take away from the Capstone Challenge is that the adults in their lives—including their school leaders—are listening to them. “Students used the Capstone Experience to convince us to change the dress code,” Mingle explains. “They researched dress codes around the country, and then they brought their work to the principal, then to me, then to the school board. They convinced the board to make changes based on what they argued were outdated gender stereotypes.” 

Mingle recalls another student project on preserving sea turtle habitats that proposed a governmental solution to the issue. One of the judges, a state senator, “texted our governor on the spot,” he says. “For the kids to know that somebody is actually listening to them was so important. Those kids will never forget that.” 

Kimmick agrees. “I honestly believe that after our eighth and fifth graders forget other things, they’ll remember the Capstone. They’ll remember this process,” he says. And that will be the story they tell as they advocate for Warren Township far into the future.

Warren Township’s Capstone Experience is doing a lot to build the district’s brand—simply by challenging their students and inviting outsiders to witness them rise to the occasion. It’s been such a success that word of it has spread beyond the immediate community. “We frequently have school leaders from other districts reach out to us about the Capstone,” Kimmick says. “Often, we will invite them to volunteer as judges and bring teachers with them so they can understand the way the day flows. We’re always willing to share the experiences, successes and missteps we’ve had along the way.”

But whether districts want to follow the Capstone model or try another strategy, Mingle says the important part is finding ways to show communities what public schools can do. “A lot of people make assumptions about schools and school quality. People have believed that schools aren’t doing what they’re supposed to do since the 1950s,” he says. “And yet there are students coming out of American public schools who are great thinkers and problem solvers. If we can just highlight examples of kids doing great things, that might remind everyone that there’s a lot of good happening behind school doors.” The trick is simply to open those doors wide—to invite people in to see the good for themselves.