Innovation Model: Albemarle Tech
What if there were a high school that:
- sidesteps typical school calendars and schedules
- lives not in a "school," but rather within a community / business ecosystem
- relocates learning from curricular silos to authentic, rigorous, student-led projects
- empowers students with the autonomy to declare their learning goals and the responsibility to be accountable to their learning contracts
- embeds itself so deeply in the community that businesses, non-profits, and public purpose organizations become co-learners and co-teachers
In August 2018, a school like this will launch: last week, Ira Socol (@irasocol) announced that Albemarle County Public Schools will be opening Albemarle Tech: The Center for Creativity & Invention. It will start with high school seniors, and add other grade levels in 2019-20.
Maybe your school should be doing all of the things that Albemarle Tech will do. Maybe some. Maybe none.
Here are the real questions:
- What is your mission--your timeless reason for existence?
- Based on that mission, what is your vision--your timely picture of great learning for today?
- What kind of culture can bring that vision to life?
While private schools delay asking these quesitons, more Albemarle Techs are going to crop up.
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