My Rockstar Classmates: Sarah is starting a school!
I am very proud to tell you all that my great friend and partner in crime during this year, Sarah Craig, won the Stanford Social Innovation Fellowship 2018. The fellowship gives Sarah US$110,000 for the Social innovation project she had been working on, Journey Schools. Instead of me telling you about Sarah's project I decided to do it interview style!
1) What inspired you to start a school?
"I think two things inspired me. First, my dad's 6th grade classroom. Long before it was popular, he and a co-teacher developed an interdisciplinary, project-based learning environment where we all experienced learning as really fun (which included being hard at times, frustrating, exciting, surprising). And, though our classroom was primarily kids who'd been labeled as "gifted," many of the experiences we had included peers who were tracked in "average" classrooms. It worked for all of us. Over the years I discovered that few people have had these kinds of learning experiences. And, throughout my educational and professional career, I've relied on the problem solving, collaboration and communication skills seeded in those years. Second, my experiences working with out of school time programs that target kids who grow up in impoverished circumstances. At Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond, we'd have kids who wrote and delivered remarkable speeches at one of our events but who didn't have the skills to succeed in college. We'd have a member whose teacher would say they couldn't listen or learn who lead our robotics teams or one of our choirs. I firmly believe that all kids can learn and deserve the opportunity to have learning be the kind of fun we had in my dad's 6th grade classroom.
2) What is unique and different about the school you want to start?
"Rather than as being different in a particular way, we are aiming to create the school from as much of a "blank page" as we can. Having said that, it'll still be recognizable as "school." A few elements that will easily be seen as different are:
1) competency-based. You've maybe heard people talk about factory style schools where kids get on the conveyor belt and ride it all the way through, learning everything at an 'average' pace. We know that no one is average, so this pace works for no one. Our school will take a more personalized approach to learning, allowing young people to master skills and knowledge in a sequence and on a timeframe that's better suited to them. At the same time, small group learning and projects will keep kids learning together and from each other.
2) career minded. Beginning in 7th grade, kids will investigate 12 career clusters, both from an academic lens and an interest lens. In 10th grade we imagine students will begin career experiences in the workforce.
3) student body. Virtually all schools in the US are segregated by socioeconomic status, race, class. Even when the school is not segregated by these measures, classrooms themselves often are. At our school we'll have students from all socioeconomic backgrounds and we'll use that as an educational opportunity. Every student's learning journey will be enhanced by the experiences and background knowledge brought by other students. By the time a student graduates from high school, they'll be equipped to form the relationships they want, to obtain the work they want and to work towards the community they want."
3) Why is this project meaningful for you?
"Kids spend so much time in school. And far too often, regardless of a child's perceived advantages or disadvantages, school is a place where they experience some form of unwelcome or even trauma. I've had kids tell me that they're "just not a math person." How can a child be any kind of "person" at 10 years old? Adults have so much more power to shape young lives. As US schools become more stressful for adults through accountability legislation and changing workplace and world expectations, our kids bear the wounds. At the same time, with the right environment, kids can do and teach us amazing things. I'm inspired by the ability kids' have to speak truth about the world as they see it."
4) How has this year at Stanford helped you with this venture? "This year at Stanford has given me time to reflect on my desire to do this project -- it's been on my mind to start a school for more than five years. My time here has also given me courage as I've watched classmates, like Cristy, also stepping out to do something that hasn't been done before."
5) What is your vision for the project in the next 10 years? In other words, what is your dream?
"My dream is that this school is such a good place for kids that everyone want one. It's not realistic to think that the Virginia school system could take on the model we envision, but if schools in Virginia could become places where kids from all backgrounds thrive and get launched into the world truly ready, in part because of the model we provide, I'll be thrilled."
Thank you Sarah! And I can't wait to visit and experience Journey Schools!