These contracts include language about not rescuing the kids, and instead allowing the kids to either succeed or fail based on their own motivation. However, the demonstration of those skills revealed to us that the class as a whole wasnt really progressing at a rate that we felt would be possible. However, I discovered in talking to them, that they didnt actually know what they had done wrong to deserve the low freedom level. We really like that Acton focuses on demonstrable progress. Acton Academy Concord is an innovative K-8 school in Concord, California with learner-driven technology, Socratic discussions, hands on projects and real world apprenticeships. The general response I have received each time I reach out is that I should consider picking a different school, and that if I want to stay I should trust them. Each Acton affiliate is founded by entrepreneurial parents like Gregory for whom the networks philosophy of highly personalized, self-paced, learner-driven education resonates. Some of Acton Placers continued growth is due to parents seeking schooling alternatives after nearly two years of frustration with closed schools and ongoing coronavirus policies. A suite of adaptive tools support individual progress on skill development. If, like me, you are interested in your children learning because its inherently interesting to learn, developing discernment or intuition, and knowing the skills to not be distracted from their values by rewards, then Acton may not be a good fit for you. In fact, we were shocked at how poor the experience was for the kids. The Jersey Village location serves ages 5-18 and operates Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. I can easily see how it would work well with many learners on a daily basis and would lead many of those students to find deep rooted passions which they could hopefully translate into careers. Plans often change - if an Acton near you doesn't reply they are still in the process of preparing to launch. Notice of Nondiscriminatory Policy as to Students and Affiliates. We aim to create a positive, growth mindset environment in order to develop curious, independent students who find great joy in creating, learning, and collaborating in a tight knit community while discovering their own personal gifts and talents. archive.is. Finally! 1 - Start up costs as low as $65,000 including initiation fees. We are extremely thankful for such a creative and welcoming environment! Believe it or not, with the Acton School program currently suspended, Peterson has now put his name to a second scam MBA program. We decided to homeschool with the support of a self-directed learning community. In a short time he has taken complete ownership of his learning. The Staff at The Forest School work with us to help make the transition seamless. They use a bucks system where students are paid essentially Monopoly money for doing good things. Every Acton parent goes to sleep each night thankful for the opportunity to be in this moment." Microschools: tiny schools with powerful relationships. He then moved into the education market (data-mining). While Dallas, Austin, and Houston are leaders in digital empire building, the playbook is the same wherever you go. Sal Khan is their teacher. Similarly, classes can sometimes vote another student out of the school if they are taking away from the experience (obviously, within limits). The goals for students are simple and bold: find a calling and change the world. Business Outlook. My open letter to Acton describes exactly how schools, institutions, and those set on 21st Century education reforms benefit from harvested data. Your message has been sent.We'll BE IN TOUCH SHORTLY. I remember the first time we had a family event planned on a school day. My children were doing okay in a public school but often coming home sad, discouraged, and frustrated. So they would sometimes be frustrated, but didnt feel that the teacher would help them to figure it out. Hes learning a lot about responsibility, accountability, speaking up with kindness and respect, she told me. Learners are able to work at a pace that fits where they are. They were disappointed to discover that classroom and behavioral management consumed much of the school day, and a rigid curriculum stifled their childrens curiosity and creativity. Acton Academy Hampton Roads is part of the Acton Academy network -a network of true learner-driven micro schools started in Austin in 2009- and considered by many to be a leading model of K-12 innovation in the United States. It holds the students record, or ledger, of their work, their 360 reviews, their SMART goals, their badges for completing a certain amount of work, and their buck balance (more on bucks below). The founders of Acton Academy Tyler, Dillon and Erica Timmons, are Christians who believe religious and spiritual . Acton Academy is a 21st century solution for the epidemic of mediocrity and apathy that plagues young people in traditional school. We really had no sense whatsoever of if our kids were progressing nicely, or falling behind. According to a recent analysis by the Cato Institutes Neal McCluskey, private schools have seen enrollment gains during the coronavirus response. Learners can also design their own courses based on topics they are interested in exploring. The environment is conducive to learners being able to develop an enthusiastic and intrinsically motivated desire to learn. We connect them to each other and to examples of excellent teachers in their own lives and within the world at large. If they do not, they will lose a buck each week for not completing the minimum. We will notify you when an Acton Academy launches near you. Before Acton, the only time I had heard the term freedom level was to describe a social credit system where those with higher credits get greater access-a program that has been piloted on a wide scale under the guise of building trust with authoritarian governments. Watch a video about how Acton is transforming education. They receive feedback from peers and guides on their contribution to the studio. I soon realized Actons framework is in strict contradiction to self-directed learning. Every Acton Placer campus facilitates a powerful feeling of community and benefits everyone within Acton and beyond. short documentary: To get this independence, they rely heavily on online learning platforms like Khan,Dreambox, and MOOC platforms like EdX. We moved from NYC and right before the school year started, we heard about Acton Academy. We had regular parents nights, but we expected to be able to influence what was happening at the school and have an input, but instead it was the school training US on what WE should do as parents. We believe that education should be about learning to learn, learning to do and learning to be. He is inspired every day by the guides and fellow heroes to find answers and then share out loud HOW he found those answers. Provides auto-suggestions when entering text. We believe that learning should be an adventure that empowers students to thrive in a world that needs independent, motivated thinkers and learners. Seriously, when my family and I walked out of a tour of the school in the city we moved to, we all literally cried. Acton parents and students are asked to sign contracts before they begin, outlining the expectations of the school. Goal setting, points and badges motivate progress. Acton Academy: Where Learning is an Adventure. And, these 360 reviews are not written on paper or given any relational connection. I made several attempts to discuss why their learning and behaviors are incentivized, as this is in opposition to research that has been published for 30 years stating incentivization has a net negative effect. After adding 50 new schools this fall, the tiny Acton Academy team is gearing up to onboard 150 new schools each year thereafter. Acton is a unique school where students self-learn the things they need to be successful as adults. He didnt think anything of it, but we were horrified when we found out he had taken a knife to school! We do this by creating a positive, growth mindset environment that fosters the development of curious, independent learners who find great joy in creating and collaborating while . These goals fall within the broad academic categories of reading, writing and mathematics, but the children, called heroes at Acton, decide how and what those goals entail, with help from their instructors, or guides.. Serious commitments, genuine relationships, authentic accountability. No report cards, only. This is a wonderful learning environment. Discover his or her most precious gifts and learn to use them to solve difficult problems in the world. From the Socratic discussions, to the constant feedback that the learners receive from their peers and Guides, to the deep learning that they're able to do on subjects that they actually care about, TFS has it figured out! The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is an ecumenical, nonprofit research organization that promotes the benefits of free enterprise to religious communities, business people, students and educators. We have competitive teams in 8 sports across all year groups and a wealth of after school sports clubs. Get the inside scoop on jobs, salaries, top office locations, and CEO insights. Across town and a world away from Acton's immaculate campus, David Crockett High School is a blocky, mid-'60s building that houses 1,500 primarily Hispanic and lower-income students. Welcome to Acton Academy of Washington, DC. Acton learners earn Servant Leader Badges that celebrate the development of heroic character and signify earned freedom and responsibility. Acton is not a Christian school or a denominational school, but it does allow kids space to develop their spiritual foundation and moral footings as they are confronted with challenges. In the end, we felt like we were mostly flying blind about our kids academic progress, and we were in for a surprise when we brought them back to public school and found out that they were behind. The Forest School has allowed our four learners to grow rapidly, intentionally, and beautifully. This is NOT the school discussed below, but I think my commentary provides useful context for this mothers open letter. To start an Acton school, there is a $10,000 entry fee which gets you access to the tools, the name, and the network. Learn if opening an Acton Academy is the right fit for you. Guides may provide coaching on the energy or intentionality of learning in the studio. Acton students learn to think independently, take responsibility and embrace challenge. Learn to be a curious, independent, lifelong learner. Acton isn't for everyone, though. My kids were legitimately sad that they couldnt go, because they were in teams of kids working on projects, and they didnt want to let their peers down. Armed with purpose and good character, we believe our students will launch into adulthood prepared to find their calling and change the world. Over the winter, I put together an extensive map of individuals and organizations in Texas that are operating in ed-tech, social impact, bio-tech, and human capital finance spaces. They matured, learned to overcome obstacles, and they made friends. through hands-on project-based quests that promote curiosity and problem solving. Start typing in the city or country in which you are interested. Our experience with self-directed learning offered students agency to make choices and give feedback without punishment or reward. He has worked at every level of the K-12 experience, from classroom teacher to a district level manager. 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