Investigating Impacts of Educational Experiences Study

Investigating Impacts of Educational Experiences was a multi-year (2017-2022) collaboration between Project Zero and United World Colleges (UWC), a global network of eighteen international schools. UWC’s mission is to “make education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.” To fulfill this vision, UWC schools assemble diverse student populations (particularly in terms of national origin and socioeconomic status) in order to encourage cross-cultural exchange, celebration of difference, respect, and personal integrity. UWC is guided by the philosophy of Kurt Hahn, who believed that education has the power to not only prepare students for a full and ethical life but to prevent future conflicts as well.

 

In this study, researchers investigated particular dimensions of the impact of UWC’s model on two cohorts (2020 graduates and 2021 graduates) of students at UWC schools and on alumni. The researchers also worked with a diverse set of thirteen other mission-driven, service-oriented international schools.

 

The goal of the research was to uncover and capture the ways in which experiences and programs at participating schools affected student and alumni populations. We hope that the results presented here will not only inform UWC’s practices and those of the other involved schools but will also contribute to knowledge about best practices for mission-driven schools worldwide.