Artificial Intelligence Has Profound Implications for Work and Learning 

The rise of artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, marks a new era of work and learning. After 40 years of rules-based calculation, AI models “learn” patterns and make predictions without being explicitly programmed for each specific scenario. This enables them to handle complex, ambiguous problems difficult to solve with traditional programming and serve as reasoning and creation engines with a natural language interface. Generative AI models produce text, code, and images on demand, they automate complex processes and are beginning to serve as role-based agents.

• In Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, Warton professor Ethan Mollick Mollick urges us to engage with AI as co-workers, co-teachers, and coaches. He assesses its profound impact on business and education and shows what it means to think and work together with smart machines, and why it’s imperative that we master that skill. 
• The leading model, now awkwardly called ChatGPT-4o, got better, faster, and cheaper last week. Everyone is getting access to a powerful tutor and programs (GPTs) for automating creative tasks. ChatGPT’s multimodal capabilities allow it to “reason across voice, text, and vision”
• LearnLM is Google’s new family of models designed to make learning experiences more personal and engaging including a Learning Coach and Q&A function on YouTube. 
• Jack Clark on Google DeepMind video-to-game capability: Everything will be a kind of seed for a new controllable pocket-universe. All of us will be free to descend into an ever-expanding fractal universe of realities, all of us exploring the latent spaces of our own imaginations. No one is prepared for this nor the metaphysical shock it will create.

AI Requires Reconsideration of Goals, Experiences, and Signals

The rise of AI requires educational institutions (particularly secondary and postsecondary) to reconsider learning goals, learning experiences, and signaling systems (progress reporting, transcripts, credentials, and learner records). 

• In Education for the Age of AI, Charles Fadel said, “Adaptability is the ultimate differentiator with AI.” He urged a “modern emphasis” on imagination, decision-making, dialog, leadership, risk-taking, and resourcefulness.  
• School systems nationwide express new priorities as a Learner Profile or Portrait of a Graduate (see The Portrait Model). Changing expectations, experiences, and signals requires a community conversation and updated agreements.   
• Mastery Transcript Consortium became a subsidiary of ETS last week paving the way for skills transcripts at scale. 

Short and Long-Term Implications of AI 

Given the significant opportunities and challenges of AI, school systems leaders urgently need to develop guidance on the use of AI. Several nonprofits have compiled useful toolkits including Teach AI. AI literacy for teachers and digital literacy for students is an urgent priority.

• St Vrain Valley Schools created Exploration AI, an invitational approach to supporting teacher AI literacy with lots of learning opportunities at school and online. 
• Accreditor MSA announced RAIL (Responsible AI in Learning), an endorsement system and implementation roadmap that starts with AI Literacy, Safety, and Ethics. It includes some AI literacy training from AI for Education. 
• Google released a 2-hour Generative AI for Educators course. Amazon Educate has an Intro to Gen AI. SkillsBuild from IBM offers a suite of free AI courses for students. Common Sense Media has a series of grades 6-12; aiEDU has a 10-week project-based introductory course. Playlab makes it easy for teachers to develop or use apps including project authoring, writing coach, and note taker. 
• Khan Academy developed a learning coach Khanmigo. It’s being piloted by about 4 dozen school systems. LAUSD partnered with AllHere on ED, an attendance chatbot evolving into a whole child acceleration platform.  
• Santa Ana USD developed a comprehensive AI Compass: Your Guide to Navigating an AI World.

The rise of AI offers the greatest value-creation opportunity in history. Existing connectivity, free access to frontier models, and natural language interface make AI a particularly compelling contribution opportunity for young people. The gap young people face today isn’t a digital divide, it’s a possibility divide–relationships with adults that invite them into work that matters (we call it difference making) with smart tools. Inclusive K-12 leadership today means inviting all learners into experiences and environments alive with possibility.  

AI in Education

For the past decade, we’ve been covering advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning, sounding the alarm that it’s not if it’s when and it’s not when… it’s now. This publication highlights trends and developments in artificial intelligence that are shaping teaching and learning.

View Publication

GPT Drafted AI Testimony

After my testimony, I prompted ChatGPT-4o to draft a similar statement. It’s pretty good…

Testimony Before the Public School Board on the Implications of AI and Proposed Next Steps

Introduction:

Good evening, members of the board, educators, parents, and students. I am here today to discuss the implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in our public school system and to propose actionable steps to harness its potential while addressing its challenges.

The Transformative Potential of AI in Education:

AI has the potential to revolutionize education by offering personalized learning experiences, automating administrative tasks, and providing insightful data analytics. These capabilities can lead to improved educational outcomes and more efficient school operations. However, it is crucial that we navigate this transformation thoughtfully to maximize benefits and mitigate risks.

1. Personalized Learning:

• Adaptive Learning Platforms: AI can create adaptive learning environments that tailor educational content to individual students’ needs. By analyzing students’ performance and learning styles, AI systems can adjust the difficulty of lessons and provide targeted resources, enhancing engagement and understanding.
• Early Intervention: AI-powered tools can identify learning gaps and predict which students might need additional support, enabling timely intervention before issues become critical.

2. Administrative Efficiency:

• Automating Routine Tasks: AI can handle repetitive administrative tasks such as grading, attendance tracking, and scheduling, freeing up teachers to focus more on instruction and student interaction.
• Resource Management: AI can optimize resource allocation, ensuring that schools make the best use of their limited resources, whether it’s managing classroom supplies or planning bus routes.
• Enhanced Data Analytics: Performance Monitoring:** AI can provide real-time analytics on student performance, helping educators make data-driven decisions. This could include tracking progress over time, comparing outcomes across different demographics, and identifying effective teaching strategies.
• Improving Curricula: Data insights can inform curriculum development, ensuring that the material remains relevant and effective.
• Addressing the Challenges: While the benefits of AI are promising, there are significant challenges that we must address to ensure its ethical and equitable implementation.

3. Data Privacy and Security:

• Protecting Student Data: With the integration of AI, large amounts of student data are collected and processed. It is imperative to implement robust data protection measures to safeguard this information against breaches and misuse.
• Transparency: Parents, students, and educators need to understand how data is being used. Clear communication about data policies and AI processes is essential.

4. Equity and Access:

• Addressing the Digital Divide:** Ensuring that all students have equal access to AI tools is crucial. This includes providing necessary hardware, reliable internet access, and training on how to use these technologies effectively.
• Avoiding Bias: AI systems can inadvertently perpetuate biases present in the data they are trained on. It is important to continually audit AI algorithms for bias and to strive for fair and inclusive AI practices.

3. Teacher Training and Support:

• Professional Development:** Educators need comprehensive training to effectively integrate AI tools into their teaching. Ongoing professional development opportunities should be provided to keep teachers up-to-date with the latest advancements and best practices.
• Collaborative Approach:** Teachers should be involved in the development and implementation of AI tools, ensuring that these technologies support their instructional strategies and classroom needs.

Proposed Next Steps:

To harness the potential of AI while addressing its challenges, I propose the following steps:

1. Establish an AI Task Force: Form a dedicated task force comprising educators, administrators, parents, students, and AI experts. This task force will be responsible for overseeing the integration of AI in our schools, ensuring it aligns with our educational goals and ethical standards.

2. Develop a Comprehensive AI Policy: Create a district-wide AI policy that addresses data privacy, security, equity, and ethical considerations. This policy should be developed in consultation with all stakeholders and reviewed regularly to adapt to new developments.

3. Invest in Infrastructure and Training: Allocate funding to upgrade technological infrastructure, ensuring all schools have the necessary tools and connectivity. Additionally, invest in professional development programs to equip teachers with the skills to effectively use AI in their classrooms.

4. Pilot Programs and Continuous Evaluation: Implement pilot programs in selected schools to test AI applications in real-world settings. These pilots should be closely monitored and evaluated, with feedback from teachers and students guiding further deployment.

5. Promote Digital Literacy: Incorporate digital literacy into the curriculum, teaching students about AI, its applications, and its implications. This will empower them to use AI responsibly and critically assess its impact on their lives.

6. Foster Community Engagement: Engage the wider community through workshops, seminars, and public forums to raise awareness about AI in education. This will help build trust and ensure that the community is informed and involved in the decision-making process.

Conclusion:

AI has the potential to significantly enhance our educational system, providing personalized learning experiences, improving administrative efficiency, and offering valuable data insights. However, we must proceed with caution, addressing the challenges of data privacy, equity, and bias, and ensuring that our educators are well-equipped to use these tools effectively.

By establishing a clear policy framework, investing in infrastructure and training, and engaging with all stakeholders, we can create an educational environment where AI supports and enhances learning while safeguarding the rights and interests of our students and educators.

Thank you for your attention. I look forward to working together to create a future-ready educational system that leverages the power of AI responsibly and equitably.

The post The Rise of Artificial Intelligence and the Implications for School Districts appeared first on Getting Smart.

Storefront Private Microschools

KaiPod operates four Phoenix-area storefronts. Each serves a maximum of 24 learners with a day split between academics and screen-free enrichment and socialization. Most pods have a math and an English teacher, called learning coaches. Parents, with coaches’ advice, make curriculum choices. It’s often Zern in math and Lexia in reading. Parents and coaches communicate at least weekly. 

KaiPod sites operate from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays and students attend 2-5 days per week. The North Scottsdale storefront (below and featured image) has two pods, lower (grades 3-6) and upper (grades 7-12). And, interestingly, it’s the high school students that often attend 5 days a week.

Most families that send students to KaiPod storefront location use the $7,000 Empowerment Scholarship Account to pay some or all of the tuition (which ranges from $5-10k depending on use). 

Some students who attend virtual charter schools (like ASU Prep Digital or Primavera) spend several days a week at KaiPod to supplement their learning.

School District Microschool Options

Phoenix Union High School District has 24 schools and over 28,000 students, serving most of the high school students in the City of Phoenix. While many of the high schools are large and comprehensive, they have designed a microschool option to better serve all students. PXU City is the district’s classroom without walls, whereas Phoenix is the learning experience. Students enroll in flexible schedules to accommodate on-site and virtual classes, work-based learning, place-based learning, and internships. 

Prenda has a long-running microschool at Eisenhower Elementary, a Title I school in Mesa Public Schools.

College Campus Extensions 

ASU Prep Digital students in Phoenix have the option to spend two days a week on an ASU campus in Tempe, Mesa, or Glendale where online coursework is enhanced with in-person collaboration, discussion, and project-based learning in small groups. Each campus hosts 1-2 cohorts of 30 students at each location for four years. ASU faculty provide the opportunity for in-depth exploration of specific content courses, projects, majors, and career paths. (See feature for more on ASU Prep micros.)

Science Prep Academy 

After nine years of teacher leadership in Gwinnett County Public Schools, Kenneth Mims founded the Neurodiversity Education Research Center to improve access to quality education and workforce development for neurodivergent youth. The first program was Science Prep Academy, which was founded in 2017 and believes students with Autism can successfully transition into college and a career. In two classrooms on the upper floor of the Kroc Center in Phoenix, SPA serves 18 neurodivergent students in grades 6-12 with 2 full-time teachers, a half-time teacher, and a success coach.   

Science Prep Academy primarily uses the Apex curriculum in personalized blended learning, with some opportunities for projects and choices in assessment structures. The $28K SPA tuition is covered by Arizona ESA funds, providing extra funding for learners with IEPs and the small class sizes also contribute to this personalized approach.

SPA launched its Project SEARCH internship program in partnership with Banner Desert Medical Center and the University of Arizona Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities. Project SEARCH is a work skills developmental program designed to facilitate a successful post-high school transition to the workforce for young autistic adults. This unique business-led, one-year employment preparation program occurs entirely within a hospital setting.

Although unaffiliated, SPA shares the second floor of the Kroc Center with one of the nine Student Choice High locations in metro Phoenix. The alternative charter school and dropout recovery center serves about 100 students who progress through individualized learning plans in four-hour blocks. 

ReThink Microschools has a similar school for 45 neurodivergent students (grades 6-12) in Mesa.  

Home-based Microschools 

Integrative Learning Academy is a private nonprofit Christian school serving 20 neurodiverse learners (half with identified special needs) in Rachel’s home northwest of Phoenix. Tuition is covered or subsidized by state ESA funds. 

North of Phoenix near the outlet mall, High Point Academy serves 11 students aged 6-14 and features “a hands-on project-based learning approach that fosters real-world problem solving and critical thinking.” Amy devotes the whole first floor of her Anthem home to the school. The dining room is a learning lab, the living room is a classroom, and the backyard is a playground. She leverages local outdoor spaces and works with families on flexible attendance plans. 

Both Rachel and Amy got their start with Prenda, a microschool provider that supports more than 80 home-based schools in greater Phoenix. The Prenda learning model helps guides empower four modes: connect, conquer (skills), collaborate, and create. (See a 2023 podcast with Prenda founder Kelly Smith.)

Most ESA funding in Arizona is just subsidizing prior education choices (in private schools or homeschooling) but there may be 30,000 students experiencing new options and a quarter of them are likely metro Phoenix learners in microschools. 

Microschools are changing the Phoenix education landscape. Most are personalized and expand family options but the distribution of quality is broad (with no built-in accountability). Keep an eye on small schools in the Valley. 

The post Microschools Changing the Phoenix Education Landscape appeared first on Getting Smart.

Today, ETS announced that MTC will become a subsidiary. It’s a big deal—not financially, but because it brings together key infrastructure components for the future of learning.

Mastery Transcript Consortium (where I am a Director) is a national nonprofit membership organization that provides a mastery transcript that replaces traditional high school transcripts. Instead of a list of courses and grades, learners share competencies with colleges and employers. This spring, over 500 colleges accepted learners applying with the Mastery Transcript or Mastery Record. 

Nonprofit ETS is a global education and talent solutions organization. Their innovative assessment solutions help 50 million people each year to clarify their strengths and find opportunities for growth in education, work and beyond. They operate around the world with operations in 200 countries and territories. 

A year ago, the Carnegie Foundation and ETS announced a new partnership designed to transform assessment by creating a robust, scalable suite of assessment and analytic tools that captures the full range of skills required for American students to succeed in K–12, postsecondary education and beyond. ETS described A New Vision for Skills-Based Assessment. 

What’s the Problem? 

One of the core problems is that education is based on time rather than learning. Tim Knowles explains: 

“In 1906, when the Carnegie Foundation created the Carnegie Unit, it suggested that a college degree should be 120 credits. Today, it’s 120 credits. It’s become the bedrock currency of the educational economy. It’s infiltrated everything. It’s how we organize high schools and universities and how we think about assessment, it’s instrumental to accreditation, to who gets financial aid and who doesn’t. It defines the daily work of teachers and professors. It is the system.”

More on the problem with courses and grades:

• Diplomas and grades have lost currency as signaling devices 
• A list of required time-based courses is a weak and inconsistent way to organize skill priorities 
• Courses silo learning by discipline and stifle innovative and equitable learning experiences 
• Grades are a mushy inflated signal and lousy extrinsic motivator

At ASU-GSV, Tim Knowles and XQ’s Russlyn Ali outlined the pillars of the new architecture: 

• New goals for what students should know and be able to do.   (our XQ Learner Outcomes below)
• New learning experiences that transform what teaching and learning look and feel like
• New signals and indicators of success about how students are doing and how adults and the system must adapt to serve them
• All with catalyzing forces underneath with unprecedented coordination among them, like supportive policies, smart infrastructure, and intuitive technology like AI

The ETS and MTC partnership is a big advance in goals and signals. New learning goals—what ETS calls Skills for the Future—will be assessed in accurate, authentic and dynamic ways yielding new signals—skill credentials shared through portable learner records.

We finally have a chance to move courses and grades into the background and foreground powerful personalized learning experiences and capture and communicate the resulting capabilities in much more descriptive ways—and do it at scale.

For more, check out the conversation below where we talked with Tim Knowles and Amit Sevak about ETS, collaboration and the Carnegie Unit.  

The post Skills Transcripts at Scale: Why The ETS & MTC Partnership is a Big Deal appeared first on Getting Smart.

1. Hire a business partnership coordinator for two years to facilitate work-based learning experiences including client projects and internships. Most of the 85 high schools in the Real World Learning initiative in Kansas City benefit from a business partnership coordinator. Check out their stories.

2. Create a two-year project to strengthen the 6-12 advisory system. Enhance career exploration experiences, improve high school and beyond plans, build infrastructure for work-based learning. See the Core Elements of Advisory, NAF advisory, and thoughts on personalized guidance.   

3. Invest in an updated double classroom and train a teacher for INCubatorEdu, a full-year course offering an authentic entrepreneurship experience as students develop their own product or service startup. Add a MobileMakerEdu lab and class for app building.  

4. Join NAF and develop three career academies in engineering, health, IT, finance and/or hospitality. See feature and client project platform KnoPro. 

5. Launch a micro P-TECH with a focus on cybersecurity, AgTech, clean Tech or health/biotech. Improve partnerships with a local community college and lead business partners so that students graduate with an AA degree, industry credentials and valuable work experiences. See Collegiate Edu-Nation for rural Texas examples. 

6. With two neighboring districts, launch a CAPS Network affiliate to extend upper division professions-based learning options including client projects and internships. Or add locally relevant partnerships and career experiences through a CTE network like CTECS. Or consider the approach of Dallas Career Institutes, 18 discreet pathways to high wage employment all across the city.

7. Create a five-year fund to support Student Project Teams conducting paid, work-based learning opportunities for high school students exploring possible career options through various hands-on projects and mentoring from industry professionals. See examples from the Innovation Center of St Vrain Valley Schools. 

8. Support AI co-authored community-connected projects in core and CTE courses and blocks. See Project Leo launched at Da Vinci Schools.  

9. Launch a micro School of One to support individualized pathways of co-authored projects. See SchoolJoy, VLACS and Passage projects at JeffCo Open School. 

10. Create a 13th-year option to help students transition to what’s next and gain valuable experiences like the Massachusetts Early College Promise.

The post How to Start Investing in New Pathways appeared first on Getting Smart.

More Students in Intentional Pathways 

During our extensive observations, we encountered numerous intentional career pathways, aligning with our research focus. In many educational systems, there’s a noticeable shift away from the traditional “college for all” approach and a greater focus on pathways that connect students with various career opportunities. 

This trend is supported by compelling evidence from California, where enrollment in career pathways has significantly increased from 18% to 23% over the past six years. Moreover, with the inclusion of dual enrollment pathways, this figure doubles. California’s substantial investment of over $6 billion in pathways underscores its commitment to aligning K-12 education with community colleges and universities, as outlined in the Master Plan for Career Education. This comprehensive plan aims to streamline the multitude of career training pathways and funding sources, ensuring a cohesive educational journey for students.

More Evidence of Career Exploration 

In many cities, we observed middle-grade career exploration initiatives that help guide high school students in selecting their pathways. We found commendable the emphasis on career exploration and the implementation of individual learning plans within the K-12 framework of St Paul Public Schools. Similarly, we commend the Middle School Career Exploration program in Dallas ISD, which incorporates the Education Opens Doors curriculum.

Further supporting this observation is the fact that a majority of states (73%) recognize middle school career exploration as a crucial aspect of students’ education. Moreover, an overwhelming majority (92%) allocate funding to support such activities, and a similar percentage (92%) have policies in place to ensure its implementation (Extending the Runway, ASA/ESG).

Engagement is the Exception 

While the increase in students enrolling in quality pathways is promising, a pervasive issue we noted is the low levels of student engagement. Across most master schedules in career, arts, and elective courses, we found that active engagement, community-connected projects, and work-based learning experiences are often relegated to the periphery.

Supporting this observation, Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine, during their 2018 tour In Search of Deeper Learning, similarly found that deep engagement was more of an exception than the norm. Additionally, according to Gallup’s 2023 report, on average, students rate their school’s ability to make them feel excited about learning as a mere C+. Moreover, a concerning 71% of public school leaders expressed at least “somewhat” concern about the mental health of their students (NCES, 2/24).

This issue extends beyond the realm of education; Gallup’s 2024 findings indicate that only a third of workers report being engaged, marking an 11-year low in workforce engagement.

Still Stuck in Courses

For the past two years, Tim Knowles of the Carnegie Foundation has been emphasizing the entrapment of American high schools within the confines of the Carnegie Unit. These units dictate graduation requirements, licensure, funding, and even the physical layout of nearly every school, being structured around time-bound content courses.

There are promising developments on the horizon, however. Through collaboration with the XQ Institute, Carnegie aims to cultivate and introduce a new ecosystem that transcends the limitations of the Carnegie Unit. The “post-Carnegie-Unit” will offer support for innovative alternatives to the traditional time-based models of learning and achievement.

An example of this shift can be seen in the integrated projects implemented within the triple house block at the School for Environmental Studies. Here, subjects such as English, Social Studies, and Environmental Studies are combined, aligning with a more holistic approach to education and learning expectations.

Math Education is Obsolete 

In most schools, the lowest levels of engagement were in math (which is also the subject of highest concern for pandemic learning loss). Math expectations (and the algebra, geometry, and algebra II course sequence) are stuck in the Sputnik era. In The Math(s) Fix: An Education Blueprint for the AI Age, Conrad Wolfram estimates that 80% of the math curriculum is focused on simply completing repetitive exercises that students typically do by hand. There’s no need to add fractions, learn long division, or factor polynomials when computers can calculate. Instead, “humans should learn to use computing tools to address increasingly complex problems.” (See 2020 podcast with Wolfram and stay tuned for an update).

Our school visits showed very little math instruction relevant to career pathways. It’s admittedly hard for schools to innovative in math because traditional gateway courses and tests assess hand calculation. Changing will require a policy shift (and it might start with new career-oriented credentialed diploma pathways like that being considered in Indiana).  

Promising developments in math education include the adoption of highly engaging instructional approaches, such as those observed at several schools including Del Lago Academy, where Peter Liljedahl’s Thinking Classrooms methodology is employed. Here, students collaborate in teams to solve problems using vertical whiteboards. However, despite the high level of engagement, students still predominantly emphasize hand calculations over modeling complex, pathway-relevant systems. Additionally, there’s XQ Math, which offers a credentialed sequence of project-based modules in algebra and geometry, providing an alternative and innovative approach to math instruction.

More Dual Enrollment 

We observed a significant increase in dual enrollment programs, indicating a positive trend in expanding educational opportunities. Dual enrollment, which may be twice as prevalent as AP courses, offers a broader spectrum of quality. However, akin to the traditional approach observed in many AP classes, most dual enrollment courses still follow conventional instructional methods and assessment practices.

Furthermore, the proliferation of dual enrollment programs within high school campuses, notably supported by initiatives like the College in High School Alliance, facilitates the integration of pathway-aligned scheduling and teaching methods. Particularly noteworthy are examples such as P-TECH schools, which seamlessly blend early college opportunities with work-based learning experiences. For instance, St. Vrain Valley Schools have established self-contained P-TECH programs, specifically catering to first-generation students, at each comprehensive school.

For further guidance and insights into strengthening dual enrollment initiatives, resources such as “How States and Systems Can Support Practitioner Efforts to Strengthen Dual Enrollment” by CCRC offer valuable advice. Additionally, resources like “How High Schools Can Successfully Accelerate College Pathways,” featuring ASU ULC courses, provide practical strategies for effectively implementing dual enrollment programs.

Pictures of the Future from the Edges

While stuck in courses, the shift to powerful learning experiences focused on transferable skills was many career pathways: 

• INCubatorEdu entrepreneurship courses in Illinois and Texas schools
• PLTW courses in health and engineering particularly at Summit Technology Academy where they display student research the way other schools show off sports trophies)
• CAPS courses integrated into Shakopee High pathways
• CAPS Network launched the Student Media Agency to extend national access to client projects (see The Network podcast) 
• Performing Arts pathway courses at HRSA and Art in Motion where creativity and entrepreneurship are explicit 

Equity at Scale 

Finally, the Masters of Scale award goes to Dallas ISD for equitable and responsive pathways at every high school and in every corner of the city. Every comprehensive high school has a P-TECH (some focus on health, business, energy as well as IT) and 3-5 career academies (many NAF affiliated). Career Institutes in every quadrant of the city provide pathways to 18 high-wage, high-demand careers. Specialty schools add entrepreneurial options and it’s all transported choice. Dallas County Promise adds college-going support and Big Thought adds afterschool options. (See podcast on Dallas School Visits.)

On a smaller scale but equally thoughtful, each of the four North Kansas City high schools developed four career academies during the pandemic (Business, Leadership & Entrepreneurship; Design, Innovation & Technology; Health & Wellness; and Human Services). Like academies collaborate in productive ways. For example, teachers from the four health academies visited San Diego health-focused schools in January. 

NKC schools are four of the 85 high schools in metro Kansas City participating in Real World Learning, an equity initiative sponsored by the Kauffman Foundation. Each school is expanding access to client projects, internships, entrepreneurial experiences, college credit courses, and industry-recognized credentials. (See 2021 RWL Case Study.)

Conclusion 

American high schools are still stuck in traditional course-based structures and graduation requirements (including badly outdated math expectations). They are increasingly organizing courses into coherent, accelerated, supported pathways connected to opportunity. Client-connected projects are trending and showing up inside core, career and elective courses.  
We didn’t see much evidence of productive AI use by teachers or students this spring (despite the AIR Show). We anticipate seeing a lot more AI use on our school visits next year. 

The post The State of the American High School in 2024 appeared first on Getting Smart.

Barrington High

In the northern suburbs of Chicago, Barrington Community Unit School District 220 serves about 8400 learners and is known for its sense of community. Barrington High School features a Health Sciences Lab, an entrepreneurship and culinary arts program as well as a new emphasis on environmental sustainability. 

Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning at Melissa Byrne described the recently adopted strategic plan and updated mission “to empower personal excellence in every learner.” She led an extensive outreach process that culminated in a new learner profile.

The class that most brings the Barrington profile to life is INCubatoredu, a year-long entrepreneurship class from Uncharted Learning. Teams of students spend the first few months spotting a problem worth solving, then they develop and test a business model. The class culminates with an investor pitch at the end of the year. (Late last year we interviewed a few students from Frisco ISD who participate in an INCubatoredu program.)

Real World Learning highlights at Barrington High include:

• 24 pathway programs in 7 career fields.
• Mature entrepreneurship program in middle and high school with strong community support. 
• GEM (Grow, Excel, Magnify), a flexible learning program for seniors that encourages interdisciplinary community-connected projects that extend pathway learning. 

Central High

An hour west of O-Hare, Central High School brings college and career readiness to life for 1,300 learners in a rural community. Working with counselors and SchoolLinks, 8th grade students self-assess their interests. In 9th and 10th grade they explore college and career options and in 11th grade, they analyze their interests and experiences to start to make a plan. Finally, in 12th grade, they create their individualized postsecondary plan. Juniors and seniors can earn dual credit from the local community college as either a part-time or full-time student, with the potential to earn an AA/AS. Students participate in one of 11 career pathway programs that each feature robust community partnerships.

Real World Learning highlights at Central High include:

• Veterinary Science program (that serves students from multiple districts) and is the only NAVTA approved program in the area. All 24 students earned a veterinary tech assistant credential in April.    
• Mature entrepreneurship program in middle and high school with strong community support.
• Expanding media production program that live streams sporting events.

Elk Grove High

Under Dr. David Schuler’s leadership, District 214 became widely known for its commitment to career pathways. The high school district offers 16 career clusters, with many pathways offering supporting experiences through clubs and activities as well as internships, work-based learning experiences, and industry certifications. Schuler has gone on to lead AASA, but Associate Superintendent Dr. Lázaro López is extending D214 pathway leadership.  

Elk Grove High is one of six comprehensive high schools in D214. It serves about 2000 students. It was one of the first high schools to add an INCubatoredu entrepreneurship class. One student team we observed was working on a sports performance app targeted toward student athletes. They described the extensive effort behind opportunity recognition (i.e., finding a problem worth solving) and the agility needed to make late pivots to improve product-market fit. 

Real World Learning highlights at Elk Grove High include:

• 86% of graduates complete college-level coursework
• 99.9% of students identified a career pathway (we’d love to meet the 2 holdouts)
• Mature entrepreneurship program with strong community support
• Career Development Academy allows students to secure paid internships and attend school 2-3 days per week

Art in Motion

Founded in 2019 as a part of the Distinctive Schools network and backed by rap artist Common, Art in Motion seeks to empower the creative in each child to “provide the resources and opportunities needed for [their] dreams to take flight.” There are about 500 students in grades 7-12 who engage in real-world projects, self-directed learning and small group instruction. Each student meets with a mentor weekly and is encouraged to answer the question, “How will you take your creativity into the world?”

Real World Learning highlights at Art in Motion include:

• Pathways in music, dance, visual arts, literary arts and digital arts
• Creativity as a transferable skill is taught across the curriculum
• Serves as art hub for the southside community

Gary Comer College Prep 

On the south side, the Comer Education Campus includes the Gary Comer Youth Center, Gary Comer College Prep and Gary Comer Middle School. The schools serve about 800 students and are part of 18 campus Noble Network. 

The Youth Center adds extensive in and out-of-school programming for middle and high school students including urban agriculture, media and tech, fitness classes, art and media classes, summer camps, and leadership and social development. 

Real World Learning highlights at Comer include:

• Strong guidance and academic support surround a rigorous curriculum rich with college credit opportunities. 
• Rooftop gardens and 2 acres of adjoining community gardens in support of agriculture courses.

DuPage County Schools

Just west of Chicago, GPS Education helped to create the DuPage County Work-Based Learning Consortium. Students enrolled in the program can experience paid internships or apprenticeships with local business partners. We visited cooking equipment manufacturer Antunes and talked to high school students rotating through stations and advancing toward high wage employment. Other manufacturing pathway opportunities in DuPage are shown below. 

Thanks to all of the host schools and intermediaries who made these visits a valuable professional learning experience. 

The post Real World Learning in Chicagoland Pathways appeared first on Getting Smart.

What would it look like to make a commitment that come graduation every senior will have at least basic AI literacy? This includes an appreciation of AI as a creation engine and learning partner but also an understanding of the risks of deepfakes and biased curation. We’re entering a time where to quote Ethan Mollick “You can’t trust anything you read or see ever again.” Whether formal or informal, it’s time to start building AI literacy.

In a recent article for EdSurge, teacher Mike Kentz provides tips for how he engaged his students in learning about and how to use AI,  

“When I introduced the HoldenAI project to my students, I explained that we were entering uncharted territory together and that they should consider themselves explorers. Then I shared how I would monitor each aspect of the project, including the conversation itself.

I guided them through generating meaningful, open-ended interview questions that would (hopefully) create a relevant conversation with HoldenAI. I fused character analysis with the building blocks of journalistic thinking, asking students to locate the most interesting aspects of his story while also putting themselves in Holden’s shoes to figure out what types of questions might “get him talking.”

Next, we focused on active listening, which I incorporated to test a theory that AI tools might help people develop empathy. I advised them to acknowledge what Holden said in each comment rather than quickly jumping to another question, as any good conversationalist would do. Then I evaluated their chat transcript for evidence that they listened and met Holden where he was.

Lastly, we used text from the book and their chats to evaluate the effectiveness of the bot in mimicking Holden. Students wrote essays arguing whether the bot furthered their understanding of his character or if the bot strayed so far from the book that it was no longer useful.”

This kind of curriculum can be brought into any subject and not only teach the students about AI but also about themselves, the importance of asking the right question and much more. 

Emerging Programs and Resources

Several organizations have released useful AI Literacy courses applicable for high school students including: 

• aiEDU has a 10-week project based intro course and quick challenges 
• SkillsBuild from IBM offers a suite of free AI courses 
• Amazon Educate has an Intro to Gen AI. 

Sector leaders have published useful guides for school adoption:  

• XQ published a guide to Incorporating Generative AI in High School Classrooms
• AI for Education from Amanda Bickerstaff offers helpful guides and prompts to get educators in the sandbox
• ISTE released valuable AI resources and Standards for Students 
• Michigan Virtual released a roadmap for upskilling their teacher force.
• TeachAI summarized guidance in a toolkit 

The Middle States Association recently announced Responsible AI in Learning (RAILS), a framework for safely and effectively deploying AI in schools. RAILS is a series of self-study modules that result in a series of endorsements that will allow schools to signal their progress. 

We’re excited to be supporting the forthcoming ASU+GSV AIR Show, an exciting opportunity to gather with those on the cutting edge of AI and education, including many of those mentioned above.  

We Have a Civic Duty

We’re at an inflection point — a moment where information and trust are some of the most fragile (and essential) elements of society. Without developing the necessary critical thinking and literacy skills, AI will undoubtedly play a wedge role in the continued fracturing of truth.  

A great new book, Verified: Discerning Truth in the Disinformation Age, authored by Mike Caulfield and Sam Wineburg suggests implementing the SIFTing technique as a fundamental building block of AI literacy:

• Stop: What do you know about the argument and its source?
• Investigate: Is the source trustworthy?
• Find: What do other credible sources say?
• Trace: What’s the original context of the claim?

It’s time to build, select or pilot an AI literacy strategy and sprint to the end of the year. One option might be to invite a couple of upper-division students to make campus-wide AI Literacy a capstone project. Let’s make sure that every student and faculty member heads into summer AI literate.

The post AI Literacy: A New Graduation Requirement and Civic Imperative appeared first on Getting Smart.

The four high schools in the North Kansas City School District are implementing career academies to integrate real-world learning into pathways for all secondary learners. NKC educators are visiting schools with strong examples of real-world learning. In January they visited four inspiring San Diego schools.   

Kearny High

Kearny High opened in 1941 in the Linda Vista neighborhood of San Diego. It’s six miles north of downtown and Balboa Park on the Cabrillo Parkway (SR 163, the first freeway in San Diego County). Mesa College was built on a hill 20 years later right around the corner. 

By the 1990s, three-quarters of Kearny students were economically disadvantaged and achievement and graduation rates were low. In 2004, the school reopened as the Kearny High Educational Complex with four small career pathway schools:

• School of Biomedical Science and Technology (BST) 
• The School of Digital Media & Design (DMD)
• The Stanley E. Foster School of Engineering, Innovation and Design (EID)
• The School of College Connections (SCC)

In her 20th year at Kearny, Ana Diaz-Booz is the principal of the 1,400-student complex and supervises SCC. Rob Meza-Ehlert is in his 21st year leading DMD. James Michaelian leads EID. Dr. Shannon Garcia heads BST. The quality, longevity, and collaboration of their leadership has been key to the success of the pathway schools.  

Kearny schools share a 4×4 block schedule which enables students to complete four classes each semester and allows them to enroll in career courses and electives. Kearny students can graduate with up to 51 college units, a full year of college. Some juniors and seniors enroll in dual enrollment at nearby Mesa College.

Each school has its own entrance, distinctive culture, leadership structure and career pathway curriculum. What’s common is “The Kearny Way,” a shared instructional expectation and a commitment to know every student well. Stronger adult-student relationships have led to a decrease in discipline and an increase in engagement.

The remarkable quality, coherence, and path relevance of Kearny learning stems from strong teacher teams of grade-level cohorts. Shared planning time leads to tight integration of pathway projects that include real-world learning experiences. For example, seniors conduct a capstone project, a culminating presentation focuses on the defense of learning objectives with evidence and examples. Throughout their learning journey, learners reflect on their growth and preparation to step into postsecondary plans.   

Clairemont High

A few miles west of Kearny (toward Mission Bay) is Clairemont High, which opened in 1958. Serving 820 students, Clairemont is one of the smaller high schools in San Diego USD. 

In 2015, with help from ConnectEd, the Clairemont staff implemented career pathways that gave learners the choice of four academies: Business, Digital Media, Health, and IT/Game Design. Alongside industry partners, teachers help learners build and manage projects across the curriculum. Each academy has about 70 students per grade level.

During the first two years of each academy, students have a common experience across an A/B schedule. The Freshman Foundations course provides an introduction to professional skills and project-based learning, goal setting and portfolio development. After these first two years, juniors and seniors begin their more personalized schedules with internships, dual enrollment courses and capstone experiences. Juniors meet with industry mentors monthly during the first semester and take a five-week introduction to Essential Workplace Skills. During the second semester, they engage in a 10-12 week internship (at least 70 hours). About 60% of graduates enroll in community college, while 30% attend four-year colleges and universities.

High Tech High Mesa

In between Clairemont and Kearny and just north of Mesa College is High Tech High Mesa, the sixth and newest K-12 campus in the High Tech High network. Located at an old elementary school, the K-8 grades share a traditional California campus. The high school is an updated facility featuring the classic HTH format with pods of two double classrooms around a common space with shared teacher offices and height, light and exposed structures.

The school’s mission is “to prepare a diverse range of students for postsecondary education, citizenship, and leadership grounded in the deeper learning competencies.” The school features integrated projects, performance-based assessments, internships for all students, and close links to the high-tech workplace. 

On creating great real-world learning schools, HTH founder Larry Rosenstock said, “Make the city the text, let students do most of the talking, ask students to use their heads and hands, use tech as production more than consumption.”

Rosenstock defined school quality as: 

• Students doing work that has value to THEM. 
• Students having voice and choice in their learning and are creating new knowledge.
• The school’s purpose is not to serve the public but to CREATE a public. They make walls as permeable as possible with the world outside of school—not citadels apart from the community.

The High Tech High network remains vital and extends its impact through the HTH Graduate School of Education which provides transformative degree programs and professional learning (and great school tours).

Del Lago Academy

Del Lago Academy sits in north-central San Diego County. The academy was opened in 2013 by Escondido UHSD to extend access to careers in healthcare and biotech. The four pillars of the 800-student high school include: heal the world, fuel the world, feed the world, restore and protect the environment. Students engage in an interdisciplinary project focused on one of the pillars each semester. 

Cohorts of Del Lago learners take four classes together on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and have a big X Block on Tuesdays and Thursdays that facilitates internships (which are usually six weeks during the junior year). 

The single-path curriculum includes three years of integrated math. Freshmen take Human Body Systems, Biomedical Science, and Exercise Nutrition. Sophomores and juniors take Biochemistry 1&2. 

Teachers model a collaborative culture. They share personalized learning strategies, emphasize reading and writing and health/biotech applications across the curriculum, and use competency-based grading protocols (including opportunities to make up/improve work).

Conclusion

Real-world learning looks different everywhere. Allowing students to focus on complex problems, creating a sense of community within their own cities and creating personalized learning systems that are steeped in centering students, provides students a variety of opportunities to engage in work that matters. 

High schools that include smaller learning communities and pathways of community-connected, project-based learning and internships supported by a strong advisory system continue to be one of the formulas of a successful real-world learning framework. 

There’s a lot more real-world learning happening in San Diego that we didn’t get to see on this trip. For more check out: 

• San Diego Met at Mesa College, an early college high school with internships two days each week. 
• Cajon Valley USD and Bostonia Global. See our recap of their World of Work Summit 2023.
• Design39 K-8, see trip report from Sabba Quidwai and Devon Vodicka. 

The post Real World Learning in San Diego High Schools appeared first on Getting Smart.

Da Vinci Schools and Transcend recently hosted a gathering on career-connected learning. These six elements were highlighted throughout the gathering. 

Career Connected Learning Starts with Exploration and Reflection

Cajon Valley USD learners engage in 54 immersive World of Work units of study K-8. After engaging in projects and meeting professionals, learners reflect on their strengths, interests and values and how they line up with the possible future (see feature).  

ASA’s EvolveMe and FutureScape provide tools for interest inventories and career exploration for middle school students that are directly connected to passions and interests. With pathways ranging from Health Science to Hospitality and Tourism to Information Technology, students catch a glimpse of career options, pay range, and adjacent career opportunities. 

Career Connected Learning Benefits from Community Agreements 

Career learning flourishes when educational institutions forge strong partnerships with local businesses, nonprofits, and civic organizations. Community partners collaborate with school organizations to create shared agreements on ways to support present learning and future workforce needs. The common commitments allow all stakeholders to take a vested interest in education. Strong CCL programs capitalize on the joint commitment to bring real-world experiences to young people through internships, custom courses, and work-based learning solutions.

For the past ten years, the Kauffman Foundation spearheaded the development of Real World Learning in metro Kansas City which fosters regional collaboration to support experiential learning experiences and employer engagement. Three dozen school systems from both Kansas and Missouri benefit from community agreements that prioritize client projects, internships, entrepreneurial experiences, college credit and industry credentials. More than 20,000 high school students in the metro area earned one of these ‘market value assets’ last year. 

Recently, Aldine ISD  in Houston, Texas partnered with Memorial Hermann Health System to redesign a local high school with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies to expose and prepare students for opportunities in the medical field. The collaboration not only equips young people with future-forward skills but also places them directly in a pipeline to work in a high-demand industry, addressing the medical desert in which the school district is situated.

Career Connected Learning is Integrated into Pathways 

Career-connected learning is most effective when seamlessly woven into the fabric of education through innovative learning models and pathways where career awareness and experiential learning are prioritized alongside academics. Big Picture Learning and High Tech High incorporate internships and project-based approaches to emphasize personalized learning, where students tackle real-world problems in close collaboration with industry mentors.

Pathway schools are another option to embed career learning through a thematic approach. Campuses like Energy Institute High in Houston introduce students to four years of engineering and energy through projects and client-connected experiences. 

Del Lago Academy in Escondido, California prepares students for opportunities in healthcare and biotech and partners with local medical organizations to extend learning beyond the classroom. 

Learning networks such as NAF, Linked Learning, ConnectED, and Ford NGL integrate rigorous academics with technical skills and workplace experiences aligned with high-demand fields based on student interests and global needs. The offerings in these organizations expose students to a variety of options before committing to a pathway of their choosing. 

Da Vinci Schools in Los Angeles include three career pathway schools that offer specialized courses and unique opportunities for students to work alongside professionals and problem-solve through the context of relevant, industry-aligned projects and internships. 

• Da Vinci Communications students have four career pathways to choose from: Computer Science (robotics, web design, app development), Marketing, Multimedia Journalism, and Media Production. 
• Da Vinci Design offers three career pathways: Architecture, Graphic Design and Entrepreneurship
• Da Vinci Science students have three career pathways to choose from: Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering. .

Starting in New York City in 2011, P-TECH schools combined an IT-focused early college pathway with work experiences at IBM. There are now more than 300 P-TECH and in addition to computer science pathways include business, healthcare, and education. (See feature on St Vrain Valley P-TECH and P-TEACH).

The Power of Client Projects 

Career-connected learning offers opportunities for students to engage in client projects contributing to an immersive educational experience where they can showcase skills to meet the needs of their stakeholders. Offering students the chance to work on real-world projects that address the changing needs of partners encourages teamwork, strengthens problem-solving abilities, and allows agility and empathy muscles to be exercised. 

Strong examples of young people meeting the demands of a client’s expectations is paramount to courses in the CAPS Network where students tackle authentic projects in professional settings and receive feedback in real-time. Most of the 100+ affiliate sites offer professions-based learning experiences to high school juniors and seniors. A survey of some of the 40,000 CAPS grads showed that CAPS programs had a significant influence on professional growth.

The History Co:Lab partners schools with museums to ideate and create projects addressing the needs of museum patrons in core academic classes. 

Students looking to sharpen their technical and global skills, appreciate healthy competition, and are open to the challenge of solving real-world issues can do so independently or on a team with projects from KnoPro from NAF (see feature).

The US Chamber of Commerce Foundation is recruiting intermediaries nationally to host Employer Provided Innovation Challenges (EPIC). The client projects will be hosted on Riipen and badged by Credly. 

The Knowledge Society functions as a global incubator for young people (see podcast). The 10-month afterschool program exposes students to emerging technologies while training real-world skills. After a few months, these are some projects students have worked on:

AI is a New Partner in Career Connected Learning

The rise of AI brings new urgency to the need for more career-connected learning and AI-powered applications can extend access to and improve the quality of career-connected learning experiences.  

Project Leo, developed by DaVinci Schools, is a gen AI app that uses self-identified passions, interests, and career possibilities to personalize student projects. Teachers embed specific expectations for projects while AI ensures outcomes are met by honoring students’ unique and varied pursuits. The agility and responsiveness of Project Leo allow for student-centered learning and real-world application. 

Students can also explore various career paths using SchoolJoy which relies on AI to analyze student interests, skill sets, and local market data to suggest best-fit career paths. AI enables students to learn about career options beyond their neighborhood and can pivot based on student passions and curiosities. 

Playlab is an AI sandbox that allows educators to build projects and chatbots that can bring career-connected learning to life. 

Career Connected Learning Develops Agency, Identity and Purpose

Quality career learning equips learners with lifelong global and technical skills to navigate an evolving world. Immersing young people in environments that support risk, curiosity, and self-discovery encourages skill-building and interpersonal growth. Career learning supports students’ understanding of themselves, their strengths, and the ability to chart their course.

In his new book Education for the Age of AI, Charles Fadel refers to agency, identity, and purpose as the key drivers of education. He notes how career-connected learning catalyzes the drivers (see podcast).  

Experiential learning also provides young people with guidance on personal development, and decision-making and further empowers them to forge paths with confidence and purpose as mentioned in Jean Eddy’s new book Crisis-Proofing Today’s Learners. Whether young people engage in client-focused opportunities, internships, or endure academically challenging coursework, career-connected learning is an environment to cultivate a sense of self-awareness, determination, and direction, essential for their success in both education and life.

TruMotivate is a story-based assessment that reveals the motivation that helps learners take ownership of their value, engagements, and actions and take control of their career path and future.

By empowering students to proactively shape their destinies, career-connected learning opens doors for every student to explore, learn, and thrive in the evolving world of work and beyond. Let’s embrace and expand this framework to ensure this opportunity for all.

For more see 

• Transcend’s Work-Based Learning Collection 
• Real World Learning: Client Projects Are Trending

The post Career-Connected Learning: Preparing Students for a Dynamic Future appeared first on Getting Smart.

The Cascades staff shares a beautiful set of values: cultivate belonging, empower individuality, learn by doing, ignite curiosity, embrace challenge, and share joyfulness. 

Traveling School is a week-long Oregon adventure in the fall. This year’s trips included the following destinations: 

• 6th grade: Oregon Coast Exploration in Newport
• 7th grade: Shakespeare in Ashland
• 8th grade: Backpacking in Three Sisters Wilderness
• 9th grade: Water in the West in Southern Oregon
• 10th grade: Coastal Communities in Astoria
• 11th grade: Layers of Place in Mt. Hood
• 12th grade: Land Stewardship in Joseph and the Wallowas

In the spring, Traveling School includes national and international destinations and is designed to focus on the school’s core values and advance social emotional learning.

Upper School Expeditions are trimester experiences supported through purposeful community partnerships. Every other week, the entire upper school departs campus for a three-hour deep-dive afternoon program. In collaboration, students work to inspire goodness, developing meaning and shaping impact.

In addition to enjoying outdoor education on the beautiful Cascade campus, during winter, everyone enjoys weekly ski/snowboard days at Mt. Bachelor. 

The Middle and Upper schools feature personalized and competency-based learning. Cascade was an early member of the Mastery Transcript Consortium. 

Outdoor Discovery Center

Western Michigan supports four seasons of outdoor learning with lakes, great and small, waterways, sand dunes, forests and fields. Based in Holland, Outdoor Discovery Center helps families and school communities access outdoor learning. 

Launched 24 years ago, the ODC Network operates two greenway projects, a watershed clean-up initiative, three nature-based preschools, two nature centers, multiple wildlife preserves, eco-tours, and a land conservation and restoration business. The Network owns over 800 acres and manages an additional 2,000 acres of property. It provides programming to over 100,000 children and works with 30 area schools. 

ODC partnership projects include: 

• Forest School at Holland Christian Schools offers K-4 students time outdoors each day in the wooded Holland Christian campus or local natural areas.   
• STREAM School at Hamilton Middle School is an outside-of-the-classroom semester experience in 8th grade. The waterway experiences connect students to Agriscience and Natural Resources pathways while learning English and science standards.
• Nature-based learning at Holland Heights Elementary (K-5) includes weekly offsite learning experiences and extended time in the community and nature.
• Teen Voices of Fennville is a new design project to better determine what in- and out-of-school learning experiences the community is looking for.
• Another new project is an alternative credit recovery pathway which includes place-based learning, career pathways, and a work-based learning stipend.
• Hope College Global Water Research Institute partnered with the ODC to monitor both lake and stream sites within the Macatawa Watershed.  

EL Education 

Born out of a collaboration between the Harvard GSE and Outward Bound, Expeditionary Learning, now EL Education, is a network of schools committed to mastery of knowledge and skills, character building, and high-quality work. Learning at EL schools results in quality work about genuine problems for a real audience. 

Casco Bay High School in Portland, Maine keeps the school’s goals “clear, ambitious and essential.”  Learning Expeditions are long-term in-depth studies of a single topic that explore compelling social and environmental questions, incorporate vital standards, involve fieldwork, and culminate in an authentic project, product, or performance. 

Casco Bay Quest, a three-night, four-day expedition in outdoor adventure and personal writing,   launches the freshman and senior years. Casco juniors engage in a long-term interdisciplinary project that results in a demonstration of learning. Last spring, in partnership with Acadia National Park, the Class of 2024 researched the rise of green crabs in the Gulf of Maine and its relation to climate change, using scientific data and communication. (See four part series.)

Launch Expeditionary Learning Charter School in Brooklyn is a middle school dedicated to putting students at the center of their learning. At each grade level, students take part in a six-eight week cross-curricular Case Study. 

Launch will expand to serve K-12 learners and will relocate to South Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field in an underutilized national recreation area. Fully realized, this campus, which will house half a dozen exceptional partner organizations, will be able to serve up to 50,000 students per year participating in learning and career pathway programs focused on careers in the green economy.

Zoo Schools 

School of Environmental Studies, on the campus of the Minnesota Zoo, is a magnet school for juniors and seniors that immerses its students in the study of environmental topics and issues.

Science and Math Institute at the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma is a great STEM school with built-in internships and outdoor science. (See feature)

Place-Based Schools 

Teton Science Schools in Wyoming is the leader in place-based education 

including a K-12 school, outdoor education programs, a graduate school, and a national network. (It inspired The Power of Place.)

Environmental Charter School (K-12) at Frick Park in Pittsburgh uses its theme to build systems thinkers, explore complexity and develop problem-solving skills in a multidisciplinary, “out-the-door” learning approach that builds active, engaged, and empathetic citizens. Through an innovative, eco-literacy-based curriculum, ECS grows active, engaged, empathetic citizens who are critical thinkers and purposeful agents of change. 

Outdoor Classrooms

Mukilteo Elementary, north of Seattle, makes great use of the Leader in Me program to empower student leadership. They finish each year with a family portfolio picnic where they review quality student work. Students also help to develop a nature preserve with trails and a two-acre outdoor classroom. (See feature.)

Wildwood Elementary School where the campus inspires creative learning and community. An outdoor classroom centered in the school garden engages students to think deeply about the natural systems. Tec D.E.C. (Design, Explore, Create) serves as both a maker studio as well as a STEM-based lab space for hands-on exploration.

For more on outdoor education:

• The Power of Place: Authentic Learning Through Place-Based Education
• Town Hall Recap: Every Place is a Place
• Going Green: National Network Incorporates Sustainability into Teaching and Operating Schools
• Dr. Roberta McFarland on The Magic of Outdoor Education (podcast) 
• Place-Based Learning: Solid Ground in Troubled Waters
• Edible School Yard: A Place to Influence Interdisciplinary Skills
• Place & Peace Based Learning: James’ story

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