Our Story
2018 Summer Pilot 2
Backpacking: History, Ecology, & Survival
Students from 6 different public schools across New Orleans ventured into the Mississippi & Arkansas wilderness for one week to learn about human history, Southern ecology, and how we can survive in and thrive with nature.
Upon returning, students exhibited the work in front over 50 community members. Highlights included fishing, cooking, & fire-starting skills, a scientific ecology journal cataloging trees from the trail, and a spoken word piece both about their journey and their learning across disciplines.
RESULTS & RESOURCES
100%
of students reported this being one of their most valuable learning experiences
100%
of students reported being interested in enrolling at Living School for high school
100%
parent/family satisfaction with safety, learning, and communication
“It's important to have a school run by the parents, students, and teachers. While there are other great schools out there, we as families often have little power to influence them. A school that starts with our interests, skills, and needs will help us really understand what we need to succeed in the world. This will create more entrepreneurs and problem solvers. This school seems to have more tools to help give kids more confidence and skills to realize their dreams and plans for themselves and the world.”
Parent of a student on our Backpacking Pilot
2018 Summer Pilot 1
Entrepreneurship Camp
As part of NORDC's & VIET's Teen Camp, we worked with students to audit the local economy in New Orleans East. Students investigated what businesses exist in the East and why.
Then, student groups developed businesses that filled unmet community needs and beta-launched their businesses at our culminating expo.
RESULTS & RESOURCES
9
student businesses designed & launched
100%
of students reported the project being valuable & engaging
70%
of students reported interest in enrolling at Living School for high school
“Living School is better than school. It helps us learn about the community and there’s more that we can relate to. It’s hands-on, not just workbooks. We don’t like to read out of a textbook. We like to do projects and be hands-on. A textbook won’t catch our attention. Y’all got us thinking about the future and what’s wrong with the world. We talked about the changes we want in our community and how we’re going to get those changes. I wish we had more time. I think it should be longer. It’s something that most kids would enjoy doing. How to change the community will help me in my life. Once I get older this experience will really make me think about what I want to do to help my community like making a business that could help poor people.”
9th Grade Student at Entrepreneurship Camp
2018 Spring Pop-up Series
Dream School Design Days
Entrepreneurship Camp Pilot
Students from across the city came together for day-long workshops inviting them to design the school of their dreams.
Half of the group worked with professional architects to design the physical campus and the others worked with educators to design the culture & curriculum.
RESULTS & RESOURCES
12
unique school designs with floor plan, culture blueprint, & artifacts
100%
of students reported higher engagement than their current school
100%
of students reported interest in enrolling at Living School for high school
“ Living School is the next big thing. It’s a school where students can get outside of the box. It’s not like any other school. Think of it as a box that you open. We’re having the students come out into an open new world. Students want to explore while they’re young. Living School will give them the opportunity to open up that dream every kid has dreamed of. The Living School is a place where kids design the school. It’s a mix of teachers and students, but it’s mainly students. Y’all gave us examples and then you let our minds and imaginations do the work instead of saying I want this I want that like they do in a regular school. It will prepare us for when we get a job and have to present in a meeting.”
7th Grade Student at our School Design Pop-Up
2017 Summer Pilot
Student-Run Pop-Up with a Mission
A community of over 40 individual donors helped us bring to life our inaugural pilot in collaboration with the awesome team at The NET Charter High School and The Good Work Network.
Our 13 students designed, built, and operated a multicultural pop-up with a mission; fulfilled the mission; published public blogs documenting their experience and reflections; learned a new language; and earned two credits each toward their high school graduation!
RESULTS & RESOURCES
100%
of students reported learning skills that will improve his/her life
93%
student completion (compare to school average of 51%)
$886
salary paid to students in a scaled salary structure built by consensus
“Our work with Living School this summer created an invaluable learning experience for everyone involved. Living School's focus on student voice and leadership made for a natural partnership where students helped to drive their own learning. Hearing them reflect in the end, it was evident that the deepest learning came from having to build a concept as a team and see it through to completion. Students spoke about their disbelief in the beginning that they would accomplish their goal, and the pride of having worked together, solving problems along the way, to make the project successful.”
Neil Poynter, Principal, The NET Charter High School.
STUDENT BLOGS
