Category Archives: Uncategorized

By: Hannah Pier-Herendeen Forest Hills Northern High School (FHN), located in Grand Rapids, Michigan is home to several nontraditional education pathways offered to students in the Forest Hills Public Schools district. Two of the district’s programs, Project NEXT and the STEM Academy, coexist within FHN and strive to bring the “real world” into the classroomContinue reading “Project-Based Learning Programs Support Creativity and Entrepreneurship in Specialized Space”

Tacoma, Washington is home to a growing number of choice schools that offer personalized learning opportunities for its students, reflecting a trend towards more flexible and diverse educational programs. Tacoma Public Schools has taken a collaborative approach to developing its choice schools, working with teachers, parents, and community members to create schools that reflect theContinue reading “Tacoma Adding More Personalized Learning Opportunities”

After a successful career as a recording artist, David “TC” Ellis created Studio 4 in St. Paul to spot budding music stars. It became a hangout spot for creative young people, most of whom had “dropped out of school due to boredom and a sense that school wasn’t relevant to their lives and dreams.”  EllisContinue reading “Recording Arts as Reengagement Social Justice and Pathway”

Oftentimes, youth who are involved in or at risk of being involved in the juvenile justice system are being impacted by other life challenges or disabilities. These situations may have greatly affected their emotional, mental, physical, and behavioral health. The juvenile justice system is based on the idea that children and teens are not inherently violentContinue reading “E.A.R.N. The Right: Empowering At-Risk Youth with Opportunity”

I have been speaking and teaching about AI in my classroom for more than five years. I was curious to understand where we see it in the world and how to teach about it in our schools. I was also fascinated by the capabilities of AI for learning and in the world.  I reached outContinue reading “A Transformative School Year with AI”

For a complex future, we need nimble learning models that can respond to challenges in real time and rapidly personalize to serve a diverse student population.  Red Bridge School is a novel educational institution nestled in the vibrant city of San Francisco. Renowned for its innovative and student-centered approach to learning, Red Bridge School isContinue reading “Bridging the Gap Between School and the Real World Starts With Agency”

During a time when the prevalence of depression among young people is increasing, it is crucial to adopt an approach that acknowledges learners as holistic individuals, moving beyond mere data points or rigid test scores. Students should not be reduced to their standardized performance or grade point averages. While we recognize this truth, we continueContinue reading “Districts Must Consider The Portrait of a Whole Child”

By: Scott McLeod Although a number of innovative elementary and middle schools are leaning into deeper learning, they often are overshadowed by conversations about internships, alternative credentialing, capstone experiences, and other new pathways at the high school level. As a Senior Fellow for Getting Smart this year, I am visiting and sharing about K-8 schools that areContinue reading “Centering Relationships at Anastasis Academy”

There’s an old adage that says (paraphrasing) we know the past but cannot change it and we do not know the future, but we can shape it. It is possible that perhaps the “unknown unknowns” of the future have never been so evident, and yet, it has never been more important to wayfind as aContinue reading “The Time For Futures Is Now”