Freedom to Explore: Queens School Engages Students with Intensive Project-based Learning

The Young Women’s Leadership School (TYWLS) of Astoria is a school in our Young Women’s Leadership network.

By Daria N. Sharif
Originally published in UFT New York Teacher on February 13, 2026

For two weeks in December, the usual bell schedule at The Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria (TYWLS Astoria) didn’t signal a rush from algebra to English or history to science. Instead, students at the 6–12 girls’ school in Queens spent their school days immersed in single projects — building competition-ready robots, designing makeup artifacts that explore cultural identity, crushing dried insects to make medieval pigments, storyboarding stop-motion films frame by frame, and more.

The pause from regular classes was intentional and all thanks to the Progressive Redesign Opportunity Schools for Excellence (PROSE) program of which TYWLS Astoria is part. PROSE was established in the 2014 DOE-UFT contract and affords schools the freedom to experiment and innovate.

Students at at TYWLS Astoria stand around a mannequin on the floor of a classroom marked as a mock crime scene, with numbered evidence markers and chalk outline — Students demonstrate techniques they learned in the crime scene investigation intensive.

TYWLS Astoria’s “intensives” temporarily replace the traditional school schedule with deep, project-based learning experiences designed to mirror real-world work. Instead of grades, students demonstrate whether they are meeting or exceeding standards in skills like planning, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. “They’re not just filling out worksheets,” Shendler said. “They’re immersed. They can see all the different skills within one project — discerning information, working with peers, planning, collaborating. That’s what they’ll need in college and in jobs.”

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About TYWLS Astoria

The Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria (TYWLS Astoria) is a New York City public school for girls+ established in 2006 with the support of Student Leadership Network. TYWLS Astoria is part of a national network of girls’ schools – including six TYWLS in NYC – implementing Student Leadership Network’s Young Women’s Leadership model and WholeGirl+ Education Framework. This approach nurtures the intellectual curiosity and creativity of young women by supporting the ‘whole girl’ in order to maximize academic achievement, social-emotional well-being, and postsecondary success. The school approaches learning in a dynamic, participatory fashion, encouraging students to take responsibility for their own learning. Learn more on the TYWLS Astoria website.