Dive Brief:
- As a former teacher, Jonathan Johnson saw first-hand what was needed — better preparation. As an entrepreneur, he came up with an idea for a charter school that would better position students in a competitive job market. His hurdle: Most charter schools were not seemingly open to innovation.
- Johnson got just a few replies after reaching out to top officials at New Orlean's charter schools about his project-based learning program, called Rooted.
- Algiers Technology Academy was one of three that replied and later formed a partnership with Johnson to test Rooted. In the program, part of a student's day is a digital curriculum or required classes at their own pace, and the second part is industry-focused, project-based learning.
Dive Insight:
Charter schools' ability and energy to experiment and be innovative, Fast Company argues, has been consumed by the pro-charter vs anti-charter debate. But, many charters have identified a need to change and are looking into innovative ways to bump up teacher tenure and create individualization.
"We’re doing what’s best for students, collectively," Nia Mitchell, Algiers principal said. "If they succeed, other school leaders may soon be looking to prototype in the same way."