Open Doors Blog

Academic Program Jasper McElrath Academic Program Jasper McElrath

Learning Online Solves Unique Challenges

As every school administrator knows, August can bring surprises. There are surprises that are minor and relatively easy to handle: the student who discovers a new passion over the summer and wants to change some courses; or the student whose schedule needs fixing because they’ve been double-booked for the same class period.

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Jasper McElrath Jasper McElrath

The Pedagogy of the Academic Program at One Schoolhouse, January 2024

One Schoolhouse partners with independent schools to advance their diverse approaches to education through our Academic Program and the Association for Academic Leaders. When we are successful in our mission, our partner schools deliver excellent, sustainable, and inclusive programs that equip learners for the future.

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Jasper McElrath Jasper McElrath

Dewey’s Time Has Finally Come

Students can and should construct knowledge in school. No educator would dispute this, and many can even produce evidence that it is actually happening. But for nearly two centuries, the construction of knowledge has been driven by everyone in school except the students -- from school districts to teachers; textbook publishers to standardized test companies; curriculum consultants to college admissions officers.  Independent schools claim indemnity by virtue of our small class sizes, teachers who really know our students, and social-emotional co-curricular programming. But parents want 4.0 transcripts, internships on resumes, and ultimately college acceptances, so we’re still beholden to external metrics, regardless of how misaligned they are to our school’s mission.  

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