CSCR nurtures student development of the knowledge, skills, and competencies that enable students to find purpose as stewards of the ecosystems that sustain our life. We scaffold learner experiences along a clear growth-oriented pathway that increasingly invites challenge and opportunity to grow as a purposeful problem solver.
“Place” introduces students to their watershed, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and how to see and understand that in all the places where they live their lives there are global issues to be addressed at the local level.
“Voice” introduces students to the practice of articulating who they are as learners. Voice equips students with the tools needed to thrive as leaders (agents) of their own learning. We engage students with the language, the learning targets, and the digital tools to author their own progress through sharing digital portfolios that tell the stories of the content they are mastering and the lifelong learning competencies, or WayFinding sills they are developing.
“Lead” presents students with the opportunity to do just that- to lead through commitment to a Varsity Research project. Varsity Research projects require that students dedicate 54 hours or more to a research team and its project goals.
Such leadership experience prepares CSCR student researchers to grow into community-based problem solvers who can “Design” hypothesis-driven, or solution-oriented projects. Design is the stage at which experienced Varsity Research students take ownership of CSCR projects and develop research proposals as Sullivan Scholars.
Students may join CSCR’s work at any age, and we “bring students up to speed” very quickly for older students joining in later years. However, for students who join in middle school and rise to merit scholar (as the graduate quoted above), we scaffold learning to provide students with a clear progression of skills and competencies they can leverage to advance their college and career aspirations.
| Step | Rising | Objective | Step Description |
| PLACE | Grades 8, 9 | Watersheds, local and global | Students actively explore their community and watershed; observe, document, and research the local community in the context of global issues (UN SDGs) |
| VOICE | Grades 9, 10 | Portfolio Skills and Tools | Students enter the world of Varsity Research program; Students acquire the language, tools, and competencies to articulate and curate evidence of learning |
| LEAD | Grades 10, 11 | Varsity Research | Students developing understandings of leadership through dedication to team-based research projects; Students present research to stakeholders and portfolios to CSCR’s institutional partners |
| DESIGN | Grades 11, 12 | Varsity and Student-Designed Varsity Research | Experienced research students craft varsity research iterations and new initiatives; opportunities for in-house, and outside funding are pursued by students as independent research projects designed to address authentic community concerns. Students continue to present research to stakeholders and portfolios to CSCR’s institutional partners; students learn to build social, professional capital. |
| INTERN | Grades 12, College | Intern | Highly committed and capable students assume responsibility for managing all aspects of CSCR as an institution, on the “front end” as research leaders, or at the “back end” assuming leadership with administrative responsibilities. |
| PROJECT LEADER | Upper College, College grad | Paid Position | Students earn a stipend to Assist or Lead Varsity Research projects |