Educational Leadership

the way and talked with people who had
made the march. Later, when asked what
lessons they learned, one of the students
replied, “I learned that people died so I
can vote, so I’ll never miss a vote.”
The Met’s significant involvement in
the real world is based on the convic-
tion that students will remember and be
better able to apply knowledge they
gain through authentic experiences. Met
cofounder Elliot Washor points out that
conventional schools operate on the
premise of text to life—delivering
abstract knowledge (mostly factual
an artist in residence. There is no prin-
cipal; the 21 staff members run the
school. There are no traditional class-
rooms; each student has a workplace in
an office-like setting. (New Country
describes itself as a one-room school.)
Every student has a computer, but
books are everywhere. Students work
alone, in groups, or one-on-one with
their advisors.

Our challenge is not to reform

the project involved creating two videos that he posted on You Tube on how to make your own holograms.

Another student, who was interested in ancient Egypt, wanted to know more about how and why Egyptians mummified their leaders. He read extensively about Egyptian culture and set out to mummify a chicken, which required learning chemical and other processes used centuries ago.

Three-quarters of New Country graduates go on to postsecondary education. One-quarter take college courses during their high school years through Minnesota’s postsecondary enrollment program.

schools, but to redesign them.

information) from books and instructors and then trying to apply it later in real life. In contrast, Met students learn in real-life situations and then turn to texts because they want to know more.

Well over 90 percent of Met graduates attend two-year and four-year colleges. Students’ interest in college results in part from the fact that many take college courses while still in high school. The Met has so many students taking courses at Rhode Island Community College that the school has placed a staff member on the college campus to counsel and work with students. Students also take courses at Brown University, Rhode Island College, Johnson and Wales University, and other nearby institutions.

Student-Designed Projects
at New Country School
Project-based learning is the heart of
New Country School, a public charter
school for grades 6–12 in Henderson,
Minnesota. Of its 106 students, 38
percent have special needs, and 23
percent qualify for free and reduced-
price lunch. The school maintains no
set curriculum except a math block, a
reading hour, and a painting class with
house, a wood shop, a mechanics/metal
shop, and a conference room.

Inquiry at Urban Academy

Urban Academy Laboratory High School was established in 1985 as one of New York City’s alternative high schools. Its 14 teachers work with 120 students, most of them minority and economically disadvantaged. In some ways, Urban Academy appears to be closer to the conventional school model than the other schools described here. It has a defined curriculum and schedule, offering courses in math, history, literature, and a variety of interdisciplinary courses. Many courses are designed by faculty to focus on key concepts or essential skills.

What makes Urban Academy different from typical high schools is its emphasis on inquiry. Inquiry-based learning means asking hard questions as a path to rigorous thinking. And that is what happens in every class.

The goal of such questioning and debate is to develop critical-analysis and problem-solving skills—to help students become lifelong learners. Students learn to gather information through research and reading, analyze it, assess it, take a stand on it, present it articulately, and defend it in open discussion.