New Designs for School
Breakthrough Schools D.C. Round 3 Grantees
16 schools reimagining for more personalized and deeper learning ...
New Designs for School
Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy
New Designs for School
New Designs for School
We’ve all had the experience of truly purposeful, authentic learning and know how valuable it is. Educators are taking the best of what we know about learning, student support, effective instruction, and interpersonal skill-building to completely reimagine schools so that students experience that kind of purposeful learning all day, every day.
“The education for the best is the best education for all.” –Mortimer J. Adler
School: Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy High School (BVP High)
Grades Served: 9-12
Location: Cumberland, RI
Operator: Blackstone Valley Prep Mayoral Academy
Operator Type: Charter
Setting: Suburban and Urban
Students at Opening: 80
Students at Capacity: 600
Blended Model Type: Station Rotation, Flipped Classroom, Flex
Key Features: Community Partnerships, College Readiness & Success
The Operator
Blackstone Valley Prep (BVP) Mayoral Academy is a network of tuition-free public schools that will serve scholars in grades K-12 once BVP High School is at capacity. BVP High School, which takes pride in its intentionally diverse community of learners drawn from two suburban and two urban districts, is designed to have everything that its operators want for their own children—fantastic academics, strong arts, competitive athletics, and a smart use of technology in a college prep environment. The mission for BVP High School is to prepare every scholar for success in college and the world beyond.
The Academic Model
- BVP seeks to prove that deep personalization through the use of blended learning can meet any scholar’s needs, regardless of his or her race, class, or current ability, and that this success can therefore be implemented by any school, public or private, and in any location.
- By incorporating components from the flex, station rotation, and flipped classroom blended learning model types, teachers can work with scholars independently or in small groups and the bulk of in-person class time is reserved for group discussions in Socratic seminars or peer collaborations.
- Daily “Whatever I Need” (WIN) Blocks provide individualized learning time which are encouraged to continue outside of the school day.
- In the upper grades, scholars engage in expanded learning opportunities (ELO) outside of the school day for elective credit. ELOs are provided in partnership with organizations in the local community.
The Organizational Model
- Teachers lead and engage in a blended learning model of professional development, including online learning opportunities and job-embedded PD.