The Art of Education Transformation, Part II

Previously in this space, I discussed how transforming education in America entailed a commitment to the promising, practical, and productive. I pointed to New Orleans’ Living School as an example of an initiative that doesn’t rely on orthodoxies and the “we’ve always done it this way” approach but strikes out in new directions, incorporating elements of what we know works – hands-on learning, individualized instruction – with “radical” concepts like learning by doing.

Now I’d like to shine the spotlight on two more Louisiana initiatives that are shining examples of transformational success: Louisiana Key Academy and unCommon Construction. 

Louisiana Key Academy

One in five people have dyslexia. Yet, many – especially disadvantaged children – are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, leaving them isolated in traditional classrooms, struggling to learn. So before students are admitted to Louisiana Key Academy (LKA), they are evaluated for dyslexia. As a result, more than 80% of the academy’s enrollees – that’s 300 students – are on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) for dyslexia.  

Dyslexia is a language-based disability, and dyslexic students are most successful when they receive targeted, small-group, specialized instruction employing research-based decoding strategies to teach them how to break down words based on known phonics patterns. That’s what LKA provides.  

At LKA, students overcome the challenges of dyslexia because of the school’s expert-taught, tailored instruction, which isn’t provided by traditional schools. And it’s not instruction delivered via lectures and drills. Every student receives specialized instruction and personalized support.  

In one class, a small group works on direct phonics instruction, notating vowels and consonants to break down multisyllabic words. In another, as part of an engineering unit, middle school students build miniature cars with manmade batteries. Down the hall, a small group of students participates in “Math Kitchen,” learning math fundamentals through the practical experience of making pizza.  

Key Academy provides both an educational environment and a learning experience that are – or should be – the hallmarks of modern instruction. 

LKA was a 2021 finalist for the inaugural Yass STOP Award, and its engagement and collaboration with other awardees have accelerated the school’s growth. It opened a Northshore campus in Covington, Louisiana (where enrollment jumped from 119 to more than 300 students), and it plans to open another location in Shreveport next year.

unCommon Construction

unCommon Construction’s (UCC) innovative present owes much to an education concept that is centuries old: apprenticeships.

unCommon Construction uses the building process as a platform to teach young people skills and give them the resources and experience needed to enter the workforce after high school or college. Young learners earn above-minimum-wage hourly pay and school internship credits for building a house in a semester. 

With the revenue generated by each project, apprentices also earn a matching “Equity Award Scholarship.” Students then use these funds for further education or industry certifications, or to purchase the tools needed for long-term employment. Through more than 100 hours of work each semester, apprentices – who come from schools across New Orleans – develop career awareness and exposure, technical and soft skills, and leadership abilities through a work-based learning experience in a real-world classroom.

It’s an approach to education that’s working for students and UCC.

One of its former apprentices, Hunter, built six houses and used his scholarship to become an electrician. UCC helped pay his union dues and Hunter completed his trade apprenticeship as an electrician. He has since become a journeyman electrician and bought his first house at the ripe old age of 19. (He now sits on the Board of unCommon Construction.) 

UCC’s success has led to its adding a 5,000-square-foot building to its campus in order to expand its workforce development programs and enroll more students. Also, thanks to a $500,000 STOP Award from the Yass Education Prize, UCC has started planning for sites in Minneapolis, Louisville, and other cities.

UCC’s hybrid intern/apprentice model of learning is incredibly engaging for students and puts them in a strong position for realizing a rewarding and successful future. It’s smart, innovative, and offers a meaningful education option for young people, an option that, for far too many, can’t be found in traditional schools.

Promising, practical, productive: education in America is undergoing a transformation. Modern, different, effective teaching and learning models are slowly making a difference in communities and creating a new educational future. And that deserves not only our attention but our support.