To start an Acton school, there is a $10,000 entry fee which gets you access to the tools, the name, and the network. Acton students learn to think independently, take responsibility and embrace challenge. Extra time off, low prep, awesome families, amazing kids, laid-back vibe, more freedom than traditional school (in many ways) Cons. We like that Acton doesnt only focus on testing, but also shows progress through demonstrable skills. Similarly, classes can sometimes vote another student out of the school if they are taking away from the experience (obviously, within limits). Im proud of the students my learners are becoming. We believe students learn by doing. In fact, we were shocked at how poor the experience was for the kids. Success is not about completing worksheets or memorizing facts to pass a test. However, I discovered in talking to them, that they didnt actually know what they had done wrong to deserve the low freedom level. There is a website, called Journey Tracker, where the kids have their progress reported to parents. Both kids focused on ways to easily get the bucks (which did not provide any new or challenging learning) and then would just do as little work they could get away with on everything else. Acton Academy Northwest Indianapolis. archive.is. Acton learners earn Servant Leader Badges that celebrate the development of heroic character and signify earned freedom and responsibility. Acton Academy | One-room schoolhouses for the 21st century. The first Acton Academy was launched in the U.S. in 2009, serves grades K-12, and has graduated several senior high school classes. Acton Academy is grounded in a trusting of children and the belief that they must and can handle big responsibilities. Acton Academy Taipei is honored to be a part of the Acton Academy network. They may showcase a learner as a role model or turn over more responsibility to learners. 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. At Acton Academy, we call our classrooms "studios" because students are learning through movement, exploration and hands-on activities. On the day I visited The Wilder School, a bright, colorful and welcoming classroom in a standalone, home-like building behind the church from which Gregory rents the space, I got a glimpse of how a day at an Acton Academy operates. Acton Academy uses the latest technology in a self-paced learning environment designed to foster responsibility, goal-setting, and teamwork. In addition to the core skills being covered, students also have to prove mastery in things like gratitude, creativity, and empathy to show they are truly ready to face the world. Younger students have big blocks (2.5-3 hours daily) for individual work on core skills. It describes life at Acton where learners prepare for the challenges, opportunities, and adventures of the real world. The 360 reviews ask students to anonymously rate everyone in their studio on a scale of 1 to 10 based on how tough-minded and warm-hearted they are. The small innovative school with a big promise is catching on. We support every student to complete . Mask-wearing has always been optional for all community members, with individual decision-making a key tenet of Acton Placers culture. This rewards those who learn well online. After having kids of my own, I knew I wanted them to have the opportunity to experience learning in meaningful, practical ways that cultivated curiosity and self-efficacy. We felt like Actons approach to academics was too extreme. Learn to be a curious, independent, lifelong learner. Our excellent sports facilities include a state-of-the-art fitness suite, dance studio, netball and basketball courts as well as extensive outside playing fields for football, rugby, tennis and hockey. My other sons teachers had previously said that other kids would get off track and go ask him for help because he was so engaged. We truly believe this, relative to all other educational options. Gregory has ambitious plans for the growth of The Wilder School in the coming months and years, including expanding her classroom space and introducing early childhood and middle school programs. I am so glad my wife and I found a school that we can see our children attending until they go to college. Acton Academy has no teachers, only guides. Hes learning a lot about responsibility, accountability, speaking up with kindness and respect, she told me. When we went for our initial visit to see the school, we werent allowed to go during times when the school was open, so we always felt like we didnt understand what was really happening on a typical day. They wanted to disrupt the old models and create small learning communities where children werent competing for the best grades, but were getting personalized attention, engaging in project-based learning, developing their character, studying in the field, and explaining their discoveries in exhibitions. We launched in 2018 and currently serve grades 1 to 9, with plans . The PDF includes MANY linked resources that support further exploration of the issues raised. We are happy we made the transition an look forward to the upcoming year. No boring sit in your desk teacher-led lecture-style learning at Acton, we believe students learn by doing. Again, I want to repeat that our kids were happy at Acton and liked it there (which Ill discuss in the next point), but they did also express frustration at the confusing systems. I have an open letter I wrote asking Acton about their knowledge of or connection to the agenda. One of the best arranged daily programs of work I have seen for a school of seven grades called for thirty-three class exercises per day. Serious commitments, genuine relationships, authentic accountability. We also had a negative experience at a different Acton Academy. I have one more addition before we get to the heart of the matter. A big afternoon block gives learners a chance to take on questschallenging hands-on projects that give Acton learners the opportunity to apply skills. Acton Academy Champions Campus Our campus is located in 4820 Strack Road, Houston, TX 77069. They ask the adult guide and the guide just sends them back to ask the other students. They were seeking out challenges to do together. Get the inside scoop on jobs, salaries, top office locations, and CEO insights. Less than a. The intentionally limited role of guides encourage self-directed learning and yields a low cost staffing model that keeps the school affordable for many families. For the most part, the school was better than we could have expected. We would never have left if we werent moving. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Typically I read a syllabus to look for the path of least resistance towards my A. I quickly realized I didnt know how to learn. Acton Academy Santa Cruz offers a truly different approach to school- one that puts young people in the driver's seat of their own learning. The big difference between Acton and other networks like Summit or Big Picture is that Acton is focused on micro-schools and seems primarily designed only for smaller private or charter schools. The only apparent consequences I have witnessed are demotivation and demoralisation towards any lifelong learning. As of 2022, there are 200+ approved affiliates on 6 continents worldwide. However, at Acton, our kids fell behind even the public school over the course of two years. You may opt-out by. We want this for our kids and their peers! We have written about the average tuition cost at Acton, so check that out for more info. Acton is a unique school where students self-learn the things they need to be successful as adults. They are responsible for setting goals for the day, week and even the year to stay on track. They install cameras in classrooms to ensure compliance with Acton principles. I love the mission of Acton Academy. A limited liability company headquartered in St. George, Utah, an A++ location in Boise, Idaho (Heroes Academy), We have written about the average tuition cost at Acton, Acton is not a Christian school or a denominational school, My three kids attended an Acton Academy at different ages, We came to know two different Acton Academies in two different states, A family member went through the training to become an Acton owner and told us what things are like from the owner side, We have extensively studied Acton Academys teaching model and, of course, read the book. Subject: Acton Academy. Bound by extremely high standards of excellence and lifelong learning, this is where great adventures begin. Acton Academy East Bay joins a growing network of Acton Academy Schools worldwide. Like so many other families across the country, when the pandemic brought public schooling onto my kitchen table, I was floored, she told me. Acton Academy Columbus is a secular, private, project-based learner-driven elementary school. . While they do not assign grades or rank students, guides ask tough questions, Is that the best you can do? and invite a student to try again if the answer is no.. The cognitive and social-emotional data gathered by education (surveillance) systems will be used by artificial intelligence to decide which workers have the chance to put their brain in a robot for a day. My open letter to Acton describes exactly how schools, institutions, and those set on 21st Century education reforms benefit from harvested data. Also, we have found that there are sometimes drastic differences in the quality of education at different locations of Acton. Issue Areas Include Education Location 3355 State Road 13, Saint Johns, FL 32259, United States Join Idealist I remember the first time we had a family event planned on a school day. We connect them to each other and to examples of excellent teachers in their own lives and within the world at large. In our opinion, the approach to academics was a little too extreme, and we feel that a few low-stakes standardized tests during the year, a clear set of milestones, and commonsense benchmarks could have been implemented in a way to improve the experience. My children were offered engaging learning opportunities and were supported through the learning process. Acton parents and students are asked to sign contracts before they begin, outlining the expectations of the school. that helps learners explore what it means to be a hero and focuses attention for the year. Some days they would rather lose a buck than do their schoolwork, and previously they did their work proudly. No report cards, only. After just a couple weeks of going to Acton, we noticed our kids played differently. Guides encourage Acton learners to ask three big questions: Acton learners earn points for displaying focused effort. None of your business! It was helpful, but we still felt like communication was poor. Organizing learning as skill sprints, projects, and dialogs rather than discipline-based courses; Growth community: a commitment to individual and collective growth; and. Acton students are empowered to thrive in a world that needs independent, motivated thinkers and learners. My kids look forward to going to school every day. This means just going to online forums to obtain the answers and complete the work. However, the network fees, the small school nature, and their mission (including the for-profit part) are poor fits for our public schools. Thank you. Most of all, our kids didnt really care about the exhibitions and it didnt matter to them if we showed up, because it wasnt really work they were super proud of. Below is a video of a site visit Jason and I filmed near The Slope School in Provo, Utah. The Forest School takes a more holistic approach to learning. Thank you. Our mission is to inspire each child and parent who enters our doors to develop a calling that will change the world. Owners enroll their own children and pay a $15,000 fee and 3% of ongoing revenue. Their "quests" are their projects and the students are encouraged to take on quests in which they try to change the world in their own ways. Instead of an institution, school is viewed as a community of learners who are each on their own "Hero's Journey." It made things unnecessarily contentious. The Wilder Schools Gregory thinks that the growing interest in private education stems from remote learning during school shutdowns that gave parents a close-up look at what their children were learning. About; Learning Design Learning Design Studios Day in the life 2022-2023 School Calendar. A guides role is to model behavior that leads to self-directed learning. A sibling discount will also be applied to families that have multiple children enrolled. Open Your Own Acton Academy within a year from today. They are written and published online, on Actons tracker. Acton Academy admits learners and affiliates of any race, color, Her optimism is well-placed, as Acton Academy programs across the country have seen extraordinary growth in recent years, a trend that has only accelerated during the pandemic response. Instead of letting some things go, they would bring another student to account in front of the council. Its HUGE (like Texas). Low pay, high expectations with little communication, the franchise doesn't really support Guides, and strict rules about "how to Guide". We are a tightly knit community of life long learners who are finding a calling to change the world. 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