Project ARC is an educational consulting organization and Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) that partners with K-12 school districts, educators, and community organizations to design and implement Authentic Project-Learning Experiences (APLEs). Founded on the pillars of Authenticity, Relevancy, and Community, Project ARC provides professional development, curriculum design, and strategic consulting to transform standard curriculum into real-world, high-impact learning.

An APLE (Authentic Project-Learning Experience) is Project ARC’s proprietary framework for project-based learning (PBL). Unlike traditional classroom projects—which often happen at the end of a unit—an APLE integrates academic standards into an ongoing, real-world challenge where students address authentic community issues, collaborate with industry or community partners, and produce meaningful public products.

While Gold Standard PBL focuses on student-driven inquiry, an APLE explicitly emphasizes authentic community impact and community asset mapping. APLEs align academic standards directly with authentic audience involvement, ensuring that student work addresses real problems faced by local organizations or community challenges rather than remaining confined to the classroom.

Project ARC offers comprehensive K-12 educational consulting services, including:

• Professional Development & Workshops: Interactive training for teachers and administrators on designing and scaffolding APLEs.

• Community Asset Mapping: Identifying and connecting local business, civic, and cultural partners with school curricula.

• Curriculum Design & Coaching: Customized support for aligning district learning standards with real-world project frameworks.

• AI Integration in Education: Guidance on leveraging artificial intelligence tools effectively to enhance project design, formative assessment, and student agency.

Project ARC works with K-16 school leaders, district administrators, curriculum directors, classroom teachers, and community partners seeking to increase student engagement, improve learning retention, and build real-world skills through authentic, standards-aligned learning experiences.

We embed AI support into our tailored workshops and have a keynote on AI usage to transform education. We also developed ORCHAReD, our AI formative assessment feedback tool.