Student-driven work prepares students to drive their own lives forward.
At the center of our approach to student-driven work is our innovative Badging program.
Rather than offering teacher-driven electives, we set time aside almost every day for students to delve into projects in the arts, personal fitness, or other topics of their choosing—from Artificial Intelligence to Photography, Botany to Filmmaking. Students can work individually or in groups on Badges in these areas, as teachers guide them and teach skills for pushing self-driven work forward.
A weekly Practical Psychology course gives students scientifically-backed insights and tools that they can apply to their Badging work (and beyond!).
The goal of the Practical Psychology course sequence is to share the most important insights we know about the human mind—whether that’s how to learn more effectively, how to stop procrastinating, or how to build a new and lasting habit. In Badging, students have the opportunity to practice applying these insights to their own work.
We begin each day with a morning meeting and end each day with a closing to creates space for students to discuss, plan, and reflect on their approaches to work.
During the morning meeting, we engage in community-building activities, teach productivity and management skills, and give students the opportunity to set and adjust their priorities. During the daily close, students have the opportunity to consolidate what they learned, identify gaps, set next steps, and celebrate wins. A Week in Review at the end of each Friday gives students space to engage in review and planning at a more zoomed out level. By building the skills and habits to tackle the process of work, we are investing in students’ long-term success. Students learn how to push work forward in any endeavor they choose
While not the primary reason we’re investing in student-driven work, student-driven work is also aligned with what today’s colleges and universities are looking for in an application: students with defined interests who have evidence of pursuing them. Through our Badging program, Practical Psychology course sequence, and Daily Open & Close structures, students have the opportunity to uncover and hone their interests, while learning skills to pursue their interests throughout their lives.
Student-driven work creates lifelong learners & doers.
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Badging
Throughout middle school, students have time for Badging most days. Badging, inspired by the Eagle Scout Program, is our innovative program to help students uncover their interests and build the skills to pursue them. Badges cover a wide variety of topics and require students both to know things and do things. Teachers serve as guides, helping students get unstuck, level up their work, and complete their goals.
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Practical Psychology
Throughout middle school, students take a once a week Practical Psychology course that imparts the most valuable scientific insights and tools we've learned about the human mind. Students consistently apply what they are learning, which helps them internalize these insights for the long-term--whether it's how to learn more effectively, how to make better decisions, or how to establish a strong baseline of wellbeing.
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Daily open & close
The open & close of each day is set aside to make space for students to learn to talk about, plan, and reflect on their work. The goal of this time is to build strong and productive work habits for students that help them define, prioritize, and complete their work. We believe this is an investment that will not only serve them at school and at home but throughout their lives.