Today’s education system fails to adequately prepare many students for college and the workforce. One survey found less than a quarter of high school graduates believe their schooling prepared them for life after graduation. Meanwhile, employers want candidates with “21st Century Skills,” but are coming up short due to the lack of focus on project-based learning.

In recent years, however, there has been a promising shift as many states re-evaluate how to prepare students for the world. Twenty states and hundreds of districts have created “Portraits of a Graduate” outlining the skills students should have by graduation such as communication, problem-solving, critical thinking and collaboration.

Meanwhile, the landscape of K-12 assessments is also shifting. Last year when New York set a timeline to eliminate the requirement that students pass the Regents Exam in order to graduate, it joined a growing number of states that have ended reliance solely on exit exams as a condition of graduation. Instead, states are increasingly embracing measures such as performance-based assessments which measure both what students know and whether they can apply that knowledge. These students demonstrate their skills through completing a project or performing a certain activity, which can include. essays, portfolios or research papers.

With the right support, these changes can effectively prepare students for the workforce of tomorrow. We have seen this happen in schools that have taken a project-based learning approach to instruction and assessment.

For instance, the rural Adair County School District in Kentucky launched an initiative to help students build skills outlined in the state’s portrait of a graduate and create a “culture of inquiry.” In one project, high school English and business classes, led by teachers Amy South and JR Thompson, worked together to research local industries and community businesses, interview business owners, analyze marketing strategies and develop comprehensive plans for promoting the community and its local businesses to outsiders.

Read the full article about project-based learning by Bob Lenz and Alprentice McCutchen at The 74.