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The Met Center
Providence, RI
School Type: Public
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School Setting: Urban
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Level: High
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School Design: Alternative
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Content Presented By:
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The Education Alliance at Brown University
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Summary
The practice:
Adapting School Organization to Promote Student Success
Administrators distribute power among the staff and students. They also encourage the adaptation of school policies and structures to meet the learning needs of students.
- Small, public high school (9-12) with six campuses of 100 students each.
- Students assigned to advisory groups of 13-15 that stay together through four years and maintain the same advisor—a state-certified teacher.
- Students explore their interests and life options through projects, courses, and activities.
- Students develop a personal learning plan, which can be adapted each quarter, with the help of family members and their advisor.
- Students choose an internship at a Rhode Island organization as a part of their learning plan.
- Students present their work and knowledge gained to teachers, members of the community, and family members at exhibitions held four times a year.
- Students create a portfolio of work to demonstrate the skills they have acquired through both project work and their internships.
Students get more out of their education when they have a say in what they are learning, how they are learning it, and what projects will best display their mastery of the content. Students also become engaged in learning when they can connect it to real-world concerns. These two beliefs led Elliot Washor and Dennis Littky, co-directors of the non-profit organization The Big Picture Company, to devise a curriculum for a high school that would put the student first.
The resulting Met Center in Providence, Rhode Island allows students to create their own path with the help of advisors, family members, and internship mentors. No two days are the same at The Met because students are given the freedom to explore their options, read and research during independent study time, and tackle project work and an internship at their own pace. Advisory periods help students set goals for the day about what needs to be done and how they can best manage their time to accomplish everything. Students also work into their daily schedules SAT and financial aid form training, community service projects, and personal learning plan meetings with their advisors.
Because students are given the opportunities to control their own learning, motivation is high and older students take time to build positive relationships with younger students at the school.
This site also exemplifies the following practice(s):
Fostering Independent Learning
Students learn to design pathways toward their own futures through personalized learning plans, an advisory system, and student-led conferences. These and other strategies help them to identify and achieve personal and educational goals.
Standards-Based Teaching to Each Student
Teachers use instructional methods that allow students with different skills, aspirations, and interests to succeed in meeting standards. They develop courses that form a unified curriculum, integrating academic knowledge with real-life problems and tasks.
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