How you use, for example, the precious professional development time –we had much more time than other schools, but we could have used it better, and we’ve learned from that. I think we now feel that we’re much clearer. For example, on why we exist, we hadn’t been as clear as we needed to be about translating our mission of entrepreneurial leadership into our day-to-day program. Those all sound basic but we weren’t clear enough on any of those things. Clear about why we exist, how we behave, what’s most important. Getting very, very clear at the beginning is very important. What sort of advice would you give to other school start ups that want to do something similar to what you’re doing? is a useful tool, but there’s been a lot more hype than deserved. This year, it’s much more guided by educators. Those programs were designed to be supplementary not to be the main thing. But, particularly in the first half of last year, there was too much self-directed time on the computer. It provides helpful data to students on where they are and to their educators. It doesn’t replace the teacher’s role but it enables that practice, that reinforcement that is so important. For example, we use some digital programs where students can go at their own pace to practice core skills. It’s simply a tool that makes it easier to personalize and easier to have self-directed learning. We don’t think it’s about the technology. How important is blended learning and technology to what you’re doing? It may take as much as 300 percent growth to prepare our young people to thrive in a four-year college and entrepreneurial or professional futures. That may sound good, but it’s not good enough. Our students did make 150 percent fall-to-spring gains in math and 170 percent in reading. We believe in high standards-and are focused on growth measures and authentic performance tasks, versus grade level multiple choice exams. We think those are unquestionably good things and very helpful with kids three, four years behind. There are three cornerstones of “no excuses” schools that we are attempting to integrate into our model – very high college and life expectations a coherent, purposeful, sweat-the-small-stuff school culture to ensure everyone is on the same page and the use of data to inform instruction and learning. It took us most of the year to figure out the right mix of approaches. We struggled last year to balance a traditional, remedial approach to help students catch up quickly in math and literacy while encouraging personalization, deeper learning and the pursuit of passions and interests. The big learning in the first month or two was recognizing how far behind the kids we had were – most were three to four years behind in literacy and math-the average student entered, the lowest 5 percent nationally. We didn’t have a firm handle on what the learning needs of our young people would be before we opened. The purpose that drives Venture’s program is cultivating entrepreneurial leadership – to help young people develop that aspiration to really make a difference in the world, both while they’re at school as well as afterwards. The components of that are personalization – adapting the pace and the type of learning to the needs and interests of individual young people and to help people discover those interests so they can tap into their passions. Another component is self-directed learning to let students take more ownership and control over their goals and learning. We set out to create a school designed to maximize, to cultivate intrinsic motivation, which we believe is the key driver for longterm learning. We’ve changed a lot heading into the second year. Venture Academy in Minneapolis relies, in part, on computer programs to help students who are far behind catch up.
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