Breaking the Mold: Redefining Education with Personalized Learning at Lipscomb Academy

From Dr. Brad Schultz, Head of School of Lipscomb Academy

 

I once saw a picture from 1300 Bologna that depicted a classroom setting. It was easily recognizable as a classroom which I believe is a problem - mainly because it is not that different from most learning environments today: teacher, student, podium, rows, lack of interest, etc… Combine this absence of change with the common school design purposefully borrowed from penitentiary intuitions and no wonder there are struggles within our education system.

At Lipscomb Academy, we are breaking this mold and creating learning opportunities for our students that are truly designed to meet their needs. This is our personalized and customized approach to learning that is made possible due to a willingness to exhaust the possibility of yes with our students and families.

Our students have at their fingertips the freedom to customize their day in a way that breaks the standard 8:00-3:00 school day model. They can mix and match traditional classroom settings, dual enrollment on a university campus, online learning, career-focused paths of distinction, and opportunities to pursue affinities. A student could arrive at 8:00 and attend two traditional classes, walk over to the university and take one or more dual enrollment classes, leave campus at noon and focus on a sport, maintain a job or internship, focus on a fine arts interest, and then complete one or more online classes asynchronously. 

The demand for this type of flexibility within education is high and continues to grow. The number of students who take part in our Endeavor program has more than quadrupled over the past four years, and we expect this significant growth to continue. The number of individual online courses being taken (and offered) has also continued to increase, as well as the number of students taking part in our unique dual enrollment opportunities. Our students are not only able to help bake the cake, they are getting to eat it, too. 

In a world where I can customize my Nikes (Nike by You), an educational model that is designed to meet your needs, interest, and schedule should be achievable. Let us show you how!