Crowdsourcing Innovative High School Models
A really short request
This post is part of a series by @edpsychprof where I share edited highlights from my K12 guide to education along with additional thoughts and commentary.
Hello dear readers. Happy 2025! I’m taking a break this week from my usual posts to send out a request for inspiration and information.
As I went through my annual review process for 2024, I set some intentions for 2025. One thing very dear to my heart is to create an innovative and equitable high school for Galileo School. We do not have the funding to do this yet, but I still want to work on drafting a model for how a high school, aligned with Galileo’s Guiding Principles, would look like and work operationally.
So, here is where I turn to you. Do you have any high school models to recommend? Who should I be reading or listening to?
Right now, I am pretty excited about Learn to Start and Big Picture Learning, but I want to have an even bigger perspective of what is possible. What high school networks are out there, challenging the status quo? Who is creating real change?
Thank you for in advance for any recommendations. Wishing you all a peaceful and joy-filled New Year.
I'd suggest looking at Bridges Academy in the documentary 2e: Twice Exceptional. I'd be happy to chat about this as a former Galileo Employee who also has a former student at Riverbend campus and a current student at the Skyway campus. You can find me at mebranna@gmail.com. Best of luck with your research! - Megan Brannan-Pierce (M.Ed: Gifted & Talented)
I couldn’t tell you a model HS that is working . I can say why we left a HS that wasn’t working to homeschool. What I wish we could find in a HS school. I would love to see a HS hybrid model 2 maybe 3 days with flex area for college or trade school options. The pressure of testing is over the top and needs to be removed to a certain degree. My daughter was pushed away from higher learning based off test scores yet we found a different path she has As in two college classes. We have enjoyed apprenticeship in seeing possible career paths with flexible homeschool schedules. Some certifications were offered at local HS but the experience of connecting in local community to work the learned skill was not. I don’t agree with later HS start time coming . This makes other opportunities available less time to do. The bullying issue how it’s handled isn’t elective at public schools a major issue. So I could see a private hybrid high school working.