Compare pay for popular roles and read about the team's work-life balance. Your message has been sent.We'll BE IN TOUCH SHORTLY. The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is an ecumenical, nonprofit research organization that promotes the benefits of free enterprise to religious communities, business people, students and educators. Acton Academy Champions Campus Our campus is located in 4820 Strack Road, Houston, TX 77069. It was helpful, but we still felt like communication was poor. Their "quests" are their projects and the students are encouraged to take on quests in which they try to change the world in their own ways. My open letter to Acton describes exactly how schools, institutions, and those set on 21st Century education reforms benefit from harvested data. We were intrigued by the innovative school that she and her husband, Jeff, started 10 years ago in Austin, Texas. When I found it, I was intrigued. I write about innovative K-12 learning models. and activities generally accorded or made available to students via online school presence. Provides auto-suggestions when entering text. We like that Acton doesnt only focus on testing, but also shows progress through demonstrable skills. We believe students learn by doing. The Acton model relies heavily on self-directed learning with a lot of peer feedbackolder students help younger students set and monitor goals. I soon realized Actons framework is in strict contradiction to self-directed learning. Learners are able to take charge of their education. My wife and I looked at each other and gave a knowing grin. The next big red flag was the 360 reviews that kids were asked to fill out at the end of every session on the Acton tracker. The exact same system of learning is happening here in the M.E. Let's embrace more independence in our learners and more entrepreneurism in our leaders. Acton Academy Hampton Roads is part of the Acton Academy network -a network of true learner-driven micro schools started in Austin in 2009- and considered by many to be a leading model of K-12 innovation in the United States. That is a by-product of the governments education model. "The Acton community and life experience provide our son the best possible environment in which to develop. Our experience with self-directed learning offered students agency to make choices and give feedback without punishment or reward. A school that "gets it"! Issue Areas Include Education Location 3355 State Road 13, Saint Johns, FL 32259, United States Join Idealist When working on a craft project, my 11-year-old son took a pocket knife to school so he could carve a piece of wood. Right from the start, we noticed that Acton tends to keep parents at arms length. That last phrase, falling behind is one that is kind of ignored at Acton. We launched in 2018 and currently serve grades 1 to 9, with plans . Acton students are empowered to thrive in a world that needs independent, motivated thinkers and learners. Which, by definition, means this is not a self-directed environment. . I love the real world experience of the Forest School. Now, if a student runs out of bucks they must go to an isolated room and work on core skills all day, for as many days as it takes to earn another hero buck by completing a badge. To begin the enrollment process please begin by submitting an inquiry. Acton students are empowered to thrive in a world that needs independent, motivated thinkers and learners. There is a website, called Journey Tracker, where the kids have their progress reported to parents. In a short time he has taken complete ownership of his learning. Ill put it simply: We cried the last day our kids went to school at Acton. The Forest School has been a dream come true for our family! The cost effective model has the potential to deliver more powerful learning experiences than traditional private education. It is the ideological child of Jeff Sandefer, a former business teacher at the University of Texas and founder of the Acton School of Business. The promise is that through Socratic dialogs and experiential learning, each member of the Acton community will begin a Heros Journey; discover precious gifts and a commitment to mastery; become a curious, independent, lifelong learner; embrace the forging of a strong character; cherish the arts, the physical world, and the mysteries of life; and treasure economic, political, and religious freedom. A kid can be left for many months who is struggling with learning multiplication. Great job Eagles! Welcome to Acton Academy of Washington, DC. Most of all, our kids didnt really care about the exhibitions and it didnt matter to them if we showed up, because it wasnt really work they were super proud of. It should be removed from the Acton title. The owners of our school and founders of Acton told me normalizing feedback was valuable; and, if Acton was not a good fit, there are other schools for my kids. Thank you. As a private membership association that operates as a learning resource center, Acton Placer was unaffected by school closures and related pandemic policies. The exhibition on entrepreneurship was an amazing success! The first Acton Academy was launched in the U.S. in 2009, serves grades K-12, and has graduated several senior high school classes. We really like that Acton focuses on demonstrable progress. After just a couple weeks of going to Acton, we noticed our kids played differently. We hope your experience at Acton is great! The Lip Dub is a full-length music video, with a well-known song "dubbed over." Eagles are responsible for 100% of the process. I was told that I could trust them or go to a new school, and that only I could protect my children. Every Acton parent goes to sleep each night thankful for the opportunity to be in this moment." I highly recommend The Forest School! Their "advisor", Jeff Sandefer, who founded the original Acton Academy, is a major Rick Perry donor.R. And, these 360 reviews are not written on paper or given any relational connection. They are given a space to write a sentence of evidence for their rating, and then are given space to write stars for things they like about the person, and wishes for what they wish that person would change. Our kids did not struggle to find friends at Acton because there is so much social engagement between the kids all day. As of 2022, there are 200+ approved affiliates on 6 continents worldwide. These goals fall within the broad academic categories of reading, writing and mathematics, but the children, called heroes at Acton, decide how and what those goals entail, with help from their instructors, or guides.. Gather and share weekly customer satisfaction surveys to ensure we deliver on our promises to families. A 21st century school with locations in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. At Acton, the goal is to free our young heroes to discover excellent teachers all around them. This rewards those who learn well online. For the past year and a half we have been homeschooling our children, which has been, and continues to be, a wonderful journey. They are responsible for setting goals for the day, week and even the year to stay on track. A growth mindset is open to constructive criticism, knowing that it gives an opportunity for improvement. Then, they gather together to set and review daily and weekly learning goals. A fantastic GPA didnt provide me with the skills for self-motivation, or curiosity, as I had been guided by getting the grades. Acton's primary model, what they are most known for,is that learners are completely independent with only rare interventions from adults. I have an open letter I wrote asking Acton about their knowledge of or connection to the agenda. As a parent, I couldnt ask for anything more. Acton Academy Columbus is a secular, private, project-based learner-driven elementary school. Acton Academy Verona is a self-paced learning environment that is designed to foster responsibility, goal-setting, and teamwork. Acton students are told they have a minimum number of lessons to do online for math and ELA. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin One of their kids had a chore to do: taking out the trash. Our son is thriving in this learning environment, where kids are encouraged to think outside the box, are allowed to move around as needed, and can have a say in their learning. Facebook can help conservatives contribute to the culture, not suppress it. Acton is a unique school where students self-learn the things they need to be successful as adults. Horrors! Instead, this letter is to share what I have noticed at our Acton school, and describe the responses I have received from the founders of Acton and owners of our school, as I have asked about their intention, methodology, and safeguards. As parents to 6 young children between our two families, we have been thinking about education a lot recently. Acton is not a Christian school or a denominational school, but it does allow kids space to develop their spiritual foundation and moral footings as they are confronted with challenges. It made things unnecessarily contentious. Acton locations are launching at a staggering pace. When we went for our initial visit to see the school, we werent allowed to go during times when the school was open, so we always felt like we didnt understand what was really happening on a typical day. Inside each studio are 5 freedom levels. If they succeed, they will earn a badge and will get paid bucks. Finally! Your commitments to Acton. world through an individual Hero's Journey. They are asked to make and defend. The Guides and Staff are top notch and are very inspiring to our son. nothing. The big difference between Acton and other networks like Summit or Big Picture is that Acton is focused on micro-schools and seems primarily designed only for smaller private or charter schools. We didnt have much time, so we paid our deposit and jumped in. Acton Academy could serve as a cost effective model for other schools worldwide. If they do not, they will lose a buck each week for not completing the minimum. Acton Academy has no teachers, only guides. Acton Academy East Bay joins a growing network of Acton Academy Schools worldwide. If your local school is anything like the first Acton Academy we experienced, do it! We also had a negative experience at a different Acton Academy. We attended an A++ location in Boise, Idaho (Heroes Academy), but when we moved to a new state, the owner was not providing anywhere close to the same quality of experience. reading, writing and math. According to a recent analysis by the Cato Institutes Neal McCluskey, private schools have seen enrollment gains during the coronavirus response. Hes a good kid and certainly isnt threatening anyone. He is inspired every day by the guides and fellow heroes to find answers and then share out loud HOW he found those answers. Founded in Austin in 2010 by Laura and Jeff Sandefer, Acton Academy now has more than 250 affiliate schools in 31 states and 25 countries. Acton Academy is student led. This means young people take ownership of their education and peer relationships. Acton Academy Claimed 2201 Alexander Avenue, Austin, TX 78722 Contact info Website Private schools are not rated 7 reviews Private school ? In a world where most schools have mission statements about preparation for a fuzzy future, the Acton Academy promise is shockingly bold and full of agency. Acton Academy CAN be a great experience and its certainly a school you should take a hard look at, but I wanted to paint a clear picture of the positive and negative things you may find. We are a tightly knit community of life long learners who are finding a calling to change the world. Serious commitments, genuine relationships, authentic accountability. short documentary: To get this independence, they rely heavily on online learning platforms like Khan,Dreambox, and MOOC platforms like EdX. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . In upper elementary, a student on the highest freedom level can choose anywhere to sit during work time, and can even choose not to work. 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