Project Zero Classroom 2025

The weeklong Project Zero Classroom institute (PZC) features research-based tools, frameworks, and approaches to instruction and assessment that deepen learning and understanding for all students. As a participant, you will explore ways to enhance student engagement, encourage learners to think critically and creatively, and make learning and thinking visible. Through a combination of presentations, interactive workshops, and small learning groups, you will have the opportunity to explore ideas and practices with PZ researchers, educators experienced in applying PZ ideas in their contexts, and fellow participants from around the world.

• Overview
• Program Details
• Who Should Attend
• Schedule
• Registration
• Tuition
• Scholarships
• Payment
• Participation
• Cancellations/Refunds
• Substitutions
• Completion Certificates
• Questions?

Overview

How can the classroom become a place where today’s learners become the citizens and leaders of tomorrow? For more than 55 years, Project Zero has pioneered research that examines key facets of human potential such as intelligence and creativity, asking how educators and schools can design learning experiences that are engaging and exciting for all learners.

From June 23 - 27, 2025, Project Zero will host the Project Zero Classroom (PZC) institute in person in Cambridge, MA on the campus of the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). (We are sorry that we cannot provide a hybrid online participation option.) In the company of PZ researchers and experienced educators from around the world, participants open up the questions at the heart of teaching and learning: What kinds of learning experiences and assessment practices will best prepare students for the demands of an unpredictable, ever-shifting future? How does understanding develop? How do educators nurture critical and creative thinking? How do educators ensure that all students are learning?

Program Details

During this five-day, in-person institute, you will take part in a variety of learning activities that invite you to explore and practice Project Zero principles and strategies for teaching and learning. Whether you are a teacher or in the role of supporting and leading teachers and teaching, you will reflect on your current teaching, instructional leadership, and assessment practices and develop new approaches to learning, planning, and instructional strategies that respond to the diverse ways in which your students engage and learn.

The program explores fundamental educational questions including:

• What does it mean to understand? How does understanding develop?
• What are the roles of reflection and assessment in learning?
• How can we nurture critical thinking and creativity?
• How can we design learning experiences for and with diverse learners and contexts?

Who Should Attend

• Early childhood, elementary, middle, and secondary school educators
• School administrators and teacher educators
• Those in other educator roles, including (but not limited to) artists, teaching artists, museum educators, after-school educators, nonprofit staff members

Participants may apply as individuals or as groups. Due to limited building capacity and anticipated high demand, schools/organizations may not initially register groups of more than 10 participants. PZ encourages schools and organizations of all means to register, and attendance preference will be given to educators working in schools/organizations that have regular, direct access to students.

Schedule

The PZC program begins on Monday, June 23 and ends Friday, June 27, 2025. All five days, the program will begin at 8:30 am with continental breakfast available at 8:00 am. Tuesday through Thursday, the program will end at 5:00 pm. On Friday, the program will end at 1:00 pm.

Monday, June 23

• 8:30 - 10:15 am welcome and opening plenary
• 10:15 - 10:45 am break
• 10:45 am - 12:45 pm study group (lunch provided at 12:00)
• 12:45 - 1:00 pm brief break
• 1:00 - 3:30 pm mini course
• 3:30 - 3:45 pm brief break
• 3:45 - 5:45 pm study group

Tuesday - Thursday, June 24 - 26

• 8:30 - 10:00 am plenary session
• 10:00 - 10:30 am break
• 10:30 am - 1:00 pm mini course
• 1:00 - 2:30 pm lunch (on your own)
• 2:30 - 5:00 pm study group

Friday, June 27

• 8:30 - 11:00 am study group
• 11:00 - 11:30 am break
• 11:30 am - 1:00 pm closing plenary

Registration

Registration is now open for the PZC. The PZC registration and payment deadline is Wednesday, February 12, 2025. However, the institute may fill before the registration deadline. Registration is rolling; on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants may apply as individuals or as groups.

To register for the PZC, complete the following steps:

1. Complete the pre-registration form. A brief pre-registration form must be completed to access the PZC registration site and scholarship application (if applicable). Within 2 business days after your pre-registration form is submitted, we will send you an email from pzlearn@gse.harvard.edu with links to access the PZC registration site.

   a. Applying for a scholarship? Complete the pre-registration form. If you are applying for a scholarship, complete the pre-registration form first, indicating that you intend to apply for a scholarship. Learn more about eligibility criteria on the PZC scholarships page (or below) before indicating that you plan to apply for a scholarship. Within 2 business days of completing the pre-registration form, we will send you an email with the link to the scholarship application. 

2. Complete the registration form. The registration link will be provided in the email confirming you are welcome to register. Please complete the registration form within 5 days of receiving the registration link. Payment does not need to be made at the time of registration but must be completed within 4 weeks (20 business days) of registering.

Due to limited building capacity and anticipated high demand, organizations may not initially register more than 10 participants. All groups of 6 or more should contact us at pzlearn@gse.harvard.edu for a link to a group registration form. Groups wishing to send more than 10 participants should also write to us at pzlearn@gse.harvard.edu.

Please note: Project Zero and the Harvard Graduate School of Education are closed for holidays during the following dates: Wednesday, November 27 - Sunday, December 1, 2024 and Monday, December 23, 2024 - Wednesday, January 1, 2025. If you complete a pre-registration form during those periods, you can expect a response by Tuesday, December 3, 2024 and Friday, January 3, 2025, respectively.

The registration process fully supports and accommodates those schools and organizations that go through an internal payment request process (e.g. purchase orders) to complete the application and select the payment option for that process. 

Tuition

The tuition for the five-day 2025 PZC program is $3,999 per participant. Tuition includes the five days of programming, all instructional materials required for participation in the program, lunch on the opening day. Also included are continental breakfast and morning and afternoon snacks throughout the program. Travel, accommodations, and incidentals, as well as lunch (Tuesday - Friday) and dinner during the program are not included in the tuition.

We do not reserve participant hotel room blocks or have discount partnerships through the PZC, but the area offers many accommodations within walking distance or located on a nearby bus or subway route. We would recommend using travel and vacation rental websites to find nearby accommodations. Once on these travel sites, use the Harvard Graduate School of Education address where the PZC will take place: 13 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138.

Scholarships

With generous support from many individual and foundation donors, PZ is able to offer professional learning scholarships to support a range of schools, districts, and organizations, as well as a diverse group of educators. These scholarships aim to support educators working in under-resourced contexts and/or with historically marginalized students. 

At the present time, we can only offer PZC scholarships to educators in the United States. Scholarships are available to educators outside the United States for other PZ offerings, including online courses. 

Please note the PZC scholarship eligibility guidelines:

• In the United States, public school educators working in schools with a free and reduced lunch rate of 30% or more, Title I schools, OR educators working primarily with students who attend these schools. 
• Educators must work directly with students in a classroom setting on a daily basis, and/or serve as leaders and/or administrators in schools or other organizations that enroll students in classroom settings on a daily basis.
• PZC scholarship awards will cover 30-50% of the program tuition. Available funds will likely be awarded well before that time, so we encourage potential applicants to apply as soon as they are able. You do not need to have your funding secured to apply for a scholarship.

A limited number of scholarships are available for eligible educators to participate in the PZC on a first-come, first-served basis. 

To apply for a scholarship for the PZC, follow these steps:

1. Complete pre-registration form. A brief pre-registration form must be completed to access the PZC registration site and scholarship application form. Indicate that you plan to apply for a scholarship. Within two business days after your pre-registration form is submitted, we will send you an email from pzlearn@gse.harvard.edu with links to access the scholarship application form.
2. Complete the scholarship application before completing the registration. The form asks for proof of eligibility and rationale for attending the institute and intended impact the institute will have on the applicant’s practice. Scholarship funds are applicable to program tuition only and cannot be used to support travel or other expenses associated with attending or participating in the PZC. 
3. Complete the registration form. The link to the form will be provided in the scholarship response. If you are approved, you will be given a code to submit. If you are not approved and are still able to attend, we welcome your registration. Scholarships are limited and first come, first served for those who are eligible. 

Scholarship Group Applicants: Scholarship applicants may apply as individuals or as groups (of up to 6 people). While a school/organization may register up to 10 educators for the PZC, scholarship funding is limited to a maximum of 6 participants per school/organization. (Due to limited availability of funding, some schools/organizations may be awarded scholarships for fewer participant spots than requested.) 

Please visit the PZC Scholarships page for more information.

Payment & Policies: Please Read Before Registering

Payment

Payment is not required at the time of your registration but is due within four weeks of your registration date. Once you register, you and/or your group members are enrolled in the PZC. If you will not be paying when you register, please select “Check, Wire, Purchase Order, or Other.” All payments must be finalized by February 12, 2025 (the registration deadline) unless documentation is provided to PZ that payment is in process (e.g. for purchase orders or other internal payment request processes) or organizations have approval from Project Zero for an extension. 

If you are not able to pay by February 12, contact Project Zero staff to request an extension at pzlearn@gse.harvard.edu. Please note that failure to pay by the payment deadline or by your approved extension will result in your withdrawal from the program. We accept payment by credit card, check, and bank wire transfer. In your PZC registration confirmation email, you will receive specific payment instructions as part of the confirmation process. 

Participation

The PZC program is highly interactive. Therefore, fluency in English is essential and required.

Participants are encouraged to attend in teams so they can reflect together during the program and, having had a common set of experiences, continue their learning after the program. Individual participants are also welcome.

Cancellations/Refunds

To cancel your participation and request a refund, please email pzlearn@gse.harvard.edu no later than April 1, 2025. We cannot issue refunds after this date. A 5% credit card processing fee will be subtracted from the original amount paid.

The Harvard Graduate School of Education reserves the right to change faculty or cancel programs at its discretion and is not responsible for any planning expenses incurred.

Substitutions

Substitutions for registered participants, including those registered as part of a group, will be made only on a limited basis, and for significant, qualifying events (e.g. death in the family, serious illness, etc.). In the case of a significant, qualifying event, please email pzlearn@gse.harvard.edu to request substitutions. We will not be able to make substitutions after Friday, May 30, 2025.

Completion Certificates

If you participate in the PZC and meet the completion requirements, you will receive a Certificate of Completion documenting 30 hours of professional learning. Certificates will be presented in person on the last day of the institute. 

Questions?

If you have questions about the 2025 PZC, please email pzlearn@gse.harvard.edu.