Teachers at Paramount School of Excellence (now called Paramount Brookside) in Indianapolis, Indiana enrich their lessons using a variety of on-site school features, including a planetarium, farm, and beehives. These unique features help students learn from the world around them. However, the key focus for educators at this K-8 charter school is on providing high-quality… Continue Reading Learning from the World Around Them
Mount Lebanon Elementary School Pendleton, SC Learning Through Real World Application highlights how one school expanded on a STEM theme to create a teaching and learning culture matched to the way young students learn. When each of the four K-6th grade elementary schools in Anderson County School District 4 were tasked with creating a unique… Continue Reading Audio: Learning Through Real World Application
Steller Secondary School (Anchorage, AK). Steller Secondary School, a lottery-based magnet school (grades 7-12), emphasizes student responsibility to self and to the Steller community. Students, parents, and staff participate in the democratic process of setting school policy and procedures. Students play an integral role in planning school activities. Through the Passages Program and independent study… Continue Reading Passages: Student-Created Courses
Heards Ferry Elementary School (Sandy Springs, GA). Heards Ferry Elementary School integrates Fulton County Public Schools’ seven Principles of Personalized Learning. The first principle is “Choice and Voice” where students can express their learning styles and preferences as learners in a lesson. Second, students have more than one way or modality to learn the material… Continue Reading Integrating Principles of Personalized Learning
Western Center Academy (WCA) (Hemet, CA). Given its location, WCA’s central goal is to integrate a “museum discovery” based approach with formal educational methods. The school is located on the site of the Western Science Center that has a large collection of Native American artifacts and Ice Age fossils. The Museum Discovery approach includes experiential,… Continue Reading Museum Discovery Approach
Paddock Road Elementary School (Omaha, NE). Paddock Road Elementary emphasizes personalized learning for all students. To increase student engagement and learning, the school focuses on getting to know students’ strengths, interests, skills, and abilities. Using that information, the school creates a variety of classroom, schoolwide, and after-school opportunities for student voice and choice. In the… Continue Reading Personalized Learning Opportunities
Hastings High School (Hastings-on-Hudson, NY). Hastings High School is committed to keeping the curriculum engaging and relevant for all its students. It offers rigorous academic courses as well as non-traditional electives. Hastings encourages teachers to develop half-year non-traditional electives focused on student and faculty interests while aligned with the state standards. These electives address a… Continue Reading Engaging and Relevant Courses
About five years ago, the community of Deerfield, Illinois, came together to anticipate the educational needs of future generations. Alan Shepard Middle School has led the way. First converting the junior high school to the more student-centered middle school model, leaders at Shepard then expanded students’ encore options (as distinct from core—math, ELA, science, and… Continue Reading High Tech Makes Learning Personal
Boston Public Schools Boston, Massachusetts Fenway High School was founded in 1983 as an alternative program for students at risk of dropping out. Its founders created a small school where students would be challenged intellectually and feel safe socially. Fenway’s motto is “Work Hard. Be Yourself. Do the Right Thing.” To those ends, the school… Continue Reading Engaging Questions at Boston’s First Pilot School: Fenway High School
New York City District 15c Brooklyn, NY Customization is the byword at PS 172, Beacon School of Excellence. Led by Principal Jack Spatola and Assistant Principal Erika Gundersen, Beacon teachers revisit and revise curricula throughout the year to meet students’ needs. In the video, teachers Maria DiRosa and Angela Ventura also describe Integrated Co-Teaching, which… Continue Reading Beyond Textbooks: Customizing Curricula in Real Time: PS 172, Beacon School of Excellence