We felt the kids were left on their own to self-learn to such an extreme that they werent being encouraged to produce their very best work. I have an open letter I wrote asking Acton about their knowledge of or connection to the agenda. The Heros Journey, relational covenants and real world consequences transform difficult decisions into virtuous habits. Kori and Michael Stack, founders of Acton Academy Kennebunkport, with their four children at Arches National Park in Moab, Utah; Summer 2019. and activities generally accorded or made available to students via online school presence. The hero accepts their journey, and crosses the threshold from the ordinary world into the special world. My goal in this blog post is not to convince you to send your kids to an Acton, nor to avoid Acton. As a thank you, we will send you this free ebook on how Acton Academy is turning learning upside down! Like Acton, she plans to make the student the center of the classroom; teachers will play a support role as students pursue "quests," engage in socratic discussions, and complete lessons in core. I have anxiety about my kids absences at school. In addition to the academic progress charts that line each classroom, the health and effectiveness of the school community are monitored by survey. 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. Reading goals are accomplished using Lexia, a literacy learning software, while writing skills are developed using Night Zookeeper, a playful, game-based platform that makes writing fun and engaging. These contracts include language about not rescuing the kids, and instead allowing the kids to either succeed or fail based on their own motivation. Literally, the adults step back and the students take on the roles of running the school. His love for learning has returned as well as his confidence in school. As Acton repeated to me several times this year; there are many schools that would be a better fit if you do not want your kids to be under constant surveillance, incentivized for compliance to complete basic tasks or behaviors, or harvested for data. My open letter to Acton describes exactly how schools, institutions, and those set on 21st Century education reforms benefit from harvested data. 2023 Trekker Entrepreneur School, LLC. Goal setting, points and badges motivate progress. It gives space for self expression while simultaneously providing guidance and structure. The start-up was not just a school, but also an education technology company looking to create a personalized learning product to sell. A guides role is to model behavior that leads to self-directed learning. We have seen creative sides of our learner since moving to the The Forest that we did not see while in public school. There are no wrong questions, and each and every child is supported and encouraged to reach their own, unique set of goals. Empower your child to design their destiny & fulfill their dreams. Our kids were cheerful about going to school. Freedom is earned or lost by meeting certain expectations, and in the middle and high school studios, higher freedom levels are not given to those with low peer 360 reviews. Monthly installments of $750 on a twelve-month payment schedule are accepted. Its given our learner the ability to not only learn at her own pace but, holds them accountable for their learning. The Jersey Village location serves ages 5-18 and operates Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Is the Acton Academy mascot. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Should you wish to pay a full year or full semester, a discount will be applied. 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. Acton promotes authentic relationships through written promises and covenants that form a tightly bound community around four character traits: Acton learners hold themselves accountable with public exhibitions at the end of each quest and a portfolio of quality work. Their "advisor", Jeff Sandefer, who founded the original Acton Academy, is a major Rick Perry donor.R. 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. The kids learned without even realizing it. Business Outlook. The founders of Acton Academy Tyler, Dillon and Erica Timmons, are Christians who believe religious and spiritual . national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, Discover his or her most precious gifts and learn to use them to solve difficult problems in the world. A non-refundable curriculum fee of $350 is due upon registration per child. We are so impressed with his ownership of his academics and personal responsibility. At the Forest School my 13-year-old is not just learning, he's learning HOW to learn. Will this approach adequately prepare our children for a successful, fulfilling life in the 21st century? I soon realized Actons framework is in strict contradiction to self-directed learning. With student led learning and self-pacing, my kids have been able to grow deeply in knowing themselves more, knowing how to work with a team of people different than themselves, receive constructive feedback and choose to become their best self. And at the end of a learning cycle, my elementary aged kids could present what they learned in meaningful ways. Acton is the leading example of four important trends in learning: This is a BETA experience. We combine technology and hands-on learning in a self-paced environment that fosters responsibility, goal setting, and team work. We are so pleased and confident it is a great fit! Gather and share weekly customer satisfaction surveys to ensure we deliver on our promises to families. When a student breaks a rule, a classmate can request a buck from misbehaving student. While these are the learning tools Gregorys children currently use to meet their weekly goals, children at Acton are free to set personalized learning goals using the tools or resources that work best for them. Instead, they grabbed a camera and started goofing around until they got it. Welcome to Acton Academy of Washington, DC. PS: This 17-minute video outlines the Cold War origins of the planned Future of (No) Work. Were in the parking lot of a nondescript office building on the outskirts of Boulder, CO. Its the mailing address for EduCause. Find out what works well at Acton Academy from the people who know best. Acton is a network of schools (around 80 listed on their site) based out of Austin, TX. They may showcase a learner as a role model or turn over more responsibility to learners. The goal is to unlock an intrinsic love of reading. The tracker is a major anchor for many personalized learning programs. In the morning, learners of different ages are dropped off and have some free time to prepare for the day. After leaving the University of Texas Austin, Sandefer launched his own private business school, interestingly enough with Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson as a partner. A 21 st century learner-driven school in Kuala Lumpur. Each Acton Academy affiliate is free to create its own structure, school culture and procedures, while staying true to the overall Acton educational philosophy. I am so glad my wife and I found a school that we can see our children attending until they go to college. Demand for learner-driven education is growing. 3 Ways Learning is Different Here Child Centered, Acton Academy has no teachers, only guides. 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 learners practice critical thinking and powerful writing and speaking through deep Socratic discussions about heroes, history, and self-governance. Each Acton affiliate is founded by entrepreneurial. Uncover why Acton Academy is the best company for you. Our learner transition from public school. Acton Academy admits learners and affiliates of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students via online school presence. Hes also met some really great challenges and been successful in increasing math and readingthe core skills they have at Acton. Heroes encourages every child to think and behave like a hero, not a victim, while embarking on a self-growth journey. We decided to homeschool with the support of a self-directed learning community. We connect them to each other and to examples of excellent teachers in their own lives and within the world at large. For Gregorys two children, ages seven and nine, who are the initial students in The Wilder School, math goals involve completing several units each week using Khan Academy, the free, online learning platform that is used in many schools and homeschools across the country. They are responsible for setting goals for the day, week and even the year to stay on track. A growth mindset is open to constructive criticism, knowing that it gives an opportunity for improvement. Organizing learning as skill sprints, projects, and dialogs rather than discipline-based courses; Growth community: a commitment to individual and collective growth; and. Instead of letting some things go, they would bring another student to account in front of the council. The Getting Smart Podcast Interview is here: Overall, this particular network is not a good fit for Kentucky's public schools. When I found it, I was intrigued. Below is a video of a site visit Jason and I filmed near The Slope School in Provo, Utah. Adems, es una de las escuelas avaladas por el Christensen Institute , dedicado a la investigacin de innovacin disruptiva por el Harvard Business School enfocado en modelos de educacin K-12 que permitan a . Acton Academy Morristown is a Revolutionary Learner Driven Community serving learners ages 5-16. Plans often change - if an Acton near you doesn't reply they are still in the process of preparing to launch. Provides auto-suggestions when entering text. I hope they don't have any employees taking the subsidized Metro to work, or drive to school on publicly funded roads. And at his own pace. We didnt have much time, so we paid our deposit and jumped in. Every student at Acton Academy believes they are on a Hero's Journey for a special calling. Great job Eagles! Teaching by lecturing or issuing instructions is not allowed at Acton. We really had no sense whatsoever of if our kids were progressing nicely, or falling behind. That last phrase, falling behind is one that is kind of ignored at Acton. At Acton, the goal is to free our young heroes to discover excellent teachers all around them. 2 - Launch in your home or a rented space. Beaudreau expects this number to nearly double over the next year, and with full-time annual tuition around $10,000, Acton Placer is more accessible than other area private schools. They encourage every family and child to be proactive, begin with the end in mind, to hold themselves and others accountable and to high standards. It seemed like they were growing beyond grade level effortlessly, because they were in a context designed for learning. When students are asked for their learning goals they are told the answer must be the number of lessons or minutes they will complete. This is our first year at The Forest School. However, I discovered in talking to them, that they didnt actually know what they had done wrong to deserve the low freedom level. These are ways data can be harvested and utilized. Here is their 15 min. Before that, he was a multi-millionaire off-shore oilman and venture capitalist. I love that each child can work at their own pace and that the traditional school performance pressure is gone as our kids control how fast or slow they go but the school structure creates enough positive reinforcement to make them want to do well and soar! Its an innovative approach to education that celebrates personal responsibility, creative freedom, and the pursuit of ones life purpose.With 300+ worldwide campuses, our Learner-Driven community believes every child is a Hero who deserves to find a calling that will change the world. Hopefully both the video and her letter offer food for thought for parents who are struggling to navigate the world of school choice and do whats best for ALL children of the world. Acton students are empowered to thrive in a world that needs independent, motivated thinkers and learners. national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, The network was named after Lord Acton, who wrote in 1887: Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.. We hope your experience at Acton is great! Gregory added: If anything positive came out of it, the pandemic has raised our collective awareness of education alternatives and the expectation families have for their children.. Even if the incentive is not as powerful as the intrinsic motivation-what is being taught by the incentive is the value of following the path that an authority said is right and good and not learning to experience intrinsic motivation and its inherent outcomes. Acton Academies are opening up across the world. 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 . Acton is a network of schools (around 80 listed on their site) based out of Austin, TX. 3. Between the non-traditional learning styles, the administration, and the staff, the school is a breeding place for independent, aware, and prepared citizens of the world. 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. It should be removed from the Acton title. nothing. For the past year and a half we have been homeschooling our children, which has been, and continues to be, a wonderful journey. A one time $15,000 license and orientation fee, plus network dues of 3% of annual campus revenues. Low pay, high expectations with little communication, the franchise doesn't really support Guides, and strict rules about "how to Guide". 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: Where Learning is an Adventure. My wife and I looked at each other and gave a knowing grin. The tracker and the education technology learning platforms are forms of surveillance. We launched in 2018 and currently serve grades 1 to 9, with plans . 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. 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. Subject: Acton Academy. It asks you how many minutes you worked on math or reading. If your passion is to fuel the love of learning in others while advancing your own personal and professional growth, this is your opportunity to help reimagine education for the 21st century. world through an individual Hero's Journey. Solidarity economy is grounded in practice and the following principles: solidarity, mutualism, and cooperation equity in all dimensions: race/ethnicity/nationality, class, gender, LGBTQ the primacy of social welfare over profits and the unfettered rule of the market sustainability social and economic democracy We believe the learning experience is much richer when the Guide offers insightful questions and facilitates hands-on learning. Uphold Acton Academy's mission, family promises, and beliefs. Our experience with self-directed learning offered students agency to make choices and give feedback without punishment or reward. We are all very proud of our wonderful school, ensuring that we provide a curriculum that upholds our strong vision and values that every child achieves and succeeds. And, while all of these things are amazing, the absolute best part is our daughter LOVES going to school. Microschools: tiny schools with powerful relationships. Acton Academy Claimed 2201 Alexander Avenue, Austin, TX 78722 Contact info Website Private schools are not rated 7 reviews Private school ? Acton students learn to think independently, take responsibility and embrace challenge. We just opened enrollment for 2022-2023 for ages 4-16 and have extremely limited space available in our Elementary and Spark Studios. They are small, private institutions where students are empowered to personalize their own educations and are held accountable for their own progress. We became the unintended participants in the daily grind of standardized learning plans, un-engaging lessons and burnt out educators conversations that, until the pandemic, were abstract for many adults, she said. The World Is VUCA How Are You Going To Deal With It? promise is shockingly bold and full of agency. This tracker allows you to look at the progress, bucks balance, 360 review scores, and badge earnings of everyone in the studio. They are asked to make and defend. Acton students are empowered to thrive in a world that needs independent, motivated thinkers and learners. It is the ideological child of Jeff Sandefer, a former business teacher at the University of Texas and founder of the Acton School of Business. She joins Acton Academy with her two daughters, Camille and Ambrose. Students at Acton Academy prepare for the challenges, opportunities, and adventures of the real [+] world through an individual Hero's Journey. 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