Tracking How 232 Innovative Schools Are Challenging 5 Big Assumptions About American Education

Tracking How 232 Innovative Schools Are Challenging 5 Big Assumptions About American Education

Fifth is the assumption that students’ passions should only be pursued in elective classes or afterschool programs. The Canopy project highlights schools that are challenging this notion by integrating students’ passions and interests into the core curriculum. For example, High Tech High in San Diego, California, offers project-based learning experiences that allow students to explore their interests while developing essential skills and knowledge. The Met School in Providence, Rhode Island, provides internships and real-world experiences that align with students’ career aspirations. These schools recognize that when students are engaged in topics they are passionate about, their learning becomes more meaningful and impactful.

The Canopy Project: What’s Coming Next

Investigating educational institutions like these is of utmost importance because solely focusing on recovering from COVID will not address the underlying disparities and outdated assumptions that are deeply ingrained in the K-12 system. As CRPE and Transcend continue to guide the Canopy project forward, our goal is for these innovative learning environments to showcase what is achievable in an education sector that is grappling with exhaustion, burnout, and a long journey ahead to fulfill the promise of public education for every student in America.

We intend to update and expand the Canopy dataset to include information about innovative learning environments that challenge our current notions of traditional schools, including unconventional alternatives that gained popularity during the pandemic. Research conducted by CRPE on learning pods and Transcend’s exploration of innovative learning environments outside of school systems indicate that these spaces, often led or co-led by families and community leaders, are worth monitoring as they expand the boundaries of what is possible in public education. Additionally, we will provide support to Canopy users, such as school and system leaders, education advocates, and policymakers, in order for them to derive value from the data by closely examining schools to learn from and making sense of emerging trends in school practices nationwide.

Here’s how teachers and education organizations across the country can contribute:

– Utilize Canopy’s interactive data portal to search for innovative schools based on region, grade level, specific focus areas, and more.

– Recommend organizations for the Canopy project, particularly those with insights into innovative learning environments that deserve greater recognition than they currently receive.

– Contact the project leaders to discuss the possibility of customized workshops or roundtable discussions that utilize Canopy data to address the specific questions that are most relevant to your community or organization.

Together with the numerous schools that contribute to the Canopy project, we are committed to continuing to monitor and uplift the efforts of schools not only in their recovery from the pandemic but also in their transformation towards equitable, joyful, and student-centered learning environments that cater to individual strengths, preferences, and needs.

This article was originally published on CRPE.org. Chelsea Waite is a senior researcher at the Center on Reinventing Public Education.

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