Students across the nation have been disempowered by education. They are told what to learn, when to learn it, how to learn it in order to prepare them for jobs where they show up and execute tasks they are given. We believe students need to be empowered to learn to think, create, and be successful in a range of workplaces and life circumstances where they have to make choices, lead, and also collaborate and engage as part of teams. By shifting the role of teachers and students in school, student engagement, attendance, and behavior all shift as students begin to understand why their presence and engagement matter.
Students and teachers, functioning as companies and work teams, collaborate with community mentors as well as virtual experts to solve place-based problems deliver solutions to authentic audiences, and demonstrate and analyze their mastery of learning. Students learn to love the problem, research and gain understanding of the background, needs, consequences, policy, and other information, and brainstorm plans and solutions. In workplace teams and companies, students organize their work, delegate, and use project management structures to pursue developing and iterating their deliverables. As students work, teachers facilitate the teams, coach students to identify learning needs, and provide expert support, engagement, scaffolding, and assessment checkpoints throughout the learning. Teachers may also function as the "corporate leader" of the groups, meeting with team leaders to understand progress, needs, and hold a vision for the long-term growth of each student in the content and workplace skills.
In 2019, the model started with three pilot schools in West Virginia. In 2021, five schools in West Virginia had joined the network. In 2024, through an ARC ARISE grant, the network of schools expanded to Kentucky and Pennsylvania and grew to ten schools. In 2026, there are sixteen schools across three states with more joining each month.
The innovation was originally planned for rural middle schools, with an emphasis on career exploration so that students enter high school with a vision for their interests and skills. Over time, we have worked with schools to expand into classrooms up to 10th grade and as young as 5th grade. This continues to expand as schools deepen their implementation, with flexibility and powerful outcomes that can be implemented from kindergarten through college.
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