Make It Matter: A Collaborative Student-Led Engagement and Persistence Program

Students stay in school at higher rates if they understand the value of their learning and if they are intrinsically motivated by the topics. The student-centered program Make it Matter is designed to give students a reason to persist through school. This open inquiry-based process guides students through the process of doing research and producing outcomes (such as an event, a publication, or a work of art) and can be applied to any topic. Pilots are being run over a range of education levels on a variety of topics, including English Language Arts and undergraduate STEM research opportunities, which we discuss here. Initial results from the high school English Language Arts program showed a 30% reduction in failing grades as compared with the previous quarter.