Y-PLAN

Does Y-PLAN align with major academic standards and initiatives?

It does! Y-PLAN projects are rigorous, high-quality learning experiences that build college, career, and civic readiness. Y-PLAN supports the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills (ATC21S), as well as emerging project-based learning (PBL) and ‘linked learning’ initiatives.

Y-PLAN’s theoretical framework and curriculum are informed by school-to-career research. By providing students with versatile, real-world skills, Y-PLAN is well-suited for schools with ‘career academies’ that offer specialized curricula related to certain fields and professions.

Whether and How is Y-PLAN different from YPAR (Youth-Participatory Action Research)?

Y-PLAN and YPAR are complementary strategies and share many similarities, as both improve educational experiences by having young people investigate and shape real-world issues. However, they have notable differences in how project topics are selected and ultimately approached.

YPAR asks young people to independently choose topics before recruiting relevant community partners. Y-PLAN students, on the other hand, typically are presented with critical project questions from civic partners who genuinely need youth insights to support their work. These individuals are referred to as ‘civic clients’ to underscore the professional dynamic of Y-PLAN partnerships; students essentially serve as youth consultants for decisionmakers engaged in authentic, civic initiatives.

Can K-12 teachers lead Y-PLAN projects in their school if their school district has not formally adopted the methodology?

Yes, absolutely! Like any project-based learning (PBL) endeavor, Y-PLAN projects are significant undertakings and most teachers benefit from at least some institutional support but many teachers can also incorporate this approach on their own. If you would like to pitch Y-PLAN to your colleagues, you can refer them to this website so they can learn about the methodology and see examples of previous projects.

Can participating K-12 teachers continue following their own curricula?

Yes! Y-PLAN is meant to supplement, not replace, an educator’s curricular plans. A suite of lesson planning and teaching resources is available in the Y-PLAN Digital Toolkit (coming soon), all of which can be adapted to suit your needs.

Can K-12 teachers use parts of the Y-PLAN process without adopting the entire methodology?

While teachers are free to pick and choose specific Y-PLAN materials and lessons that are most helpful, it is not recommended to deviate from the methodology’s underlying, five-step process. These phases follow a simple yet rigorous research process that has been refined over twenty years to maximize student engagement and project impact.

Do K-12 educators need to have existing knowledge on – or teach a subject directly related to – the city planning topics their projects focus on?

Background knowledge is not required! During the project development process, civic partners are invited to provide K-12 educators with background information on relevant city planning issues. Higher-ed partners can also assist in this regard. Additional resources that explain planning topics can be found in the Y-PLAN Digital Toolkit.

City planning, and community development more specifically, is an incredibly interdisciplinary field. As a result, many K-12 educators can participate in Y-PLAN, even if the subjects they teach do not appear connected to policy-making and design. For example, an English teacher’s students helped the Oakland Housing Authority develop communications strategies to inform marginalized communities about earthquake vulnerability and readiness. Her classes learned background information on earthquake science and engineering solutions but primarily focused on her area of expertise: developing clear and effective messaging.

Can more than one K-12 teacher participate in the same Y-PLAN project simultaneously?

Certainly! Y-PLAN offers teachers excellent opportunities for collaboration. Should multiple teachers implement the same project, they are encouraged to streamline their efforts, coordinating logistics such as field trips and meetings with project partners.

Participating teachers can develop integrated curricula across subjects but do not need to be equally involved; for example, a science teacher who is overseeing a Y-PLAN project could see if a social studies teacher could spend one class period examining the historical underpinnings of the project topic. Despite being a minor time commitment for the supporting teacher, this single lesson could offer students a far deeper understanding of the issue.

How do students’ parents and caregivers factor into Y-PLAN projects?

Parents and caregivers can play a valuable role in the Y-PLAN process! For example, during the data collection phase of a project, students interview and survey loved ones and community members to document local experiences. Some guardians also serve as chaperones during field trips. The experience that parents and caregivers often find the most meaningful is seeing students’ final presentations. To increase the number of loved ones in attendance, presentations should ideally occur after the school day.