" Rocketship schools have made it their mission to close the achievement gap that holds back students in under-served communities. They practice what they call the "Rocketship Hybrid School Model," which combines traditional classroom instruction with individualized instruction through online technology and tutors in a "Learning Lab." "
"The Internet certainly holds the prospect of tapping into the vast store of knowledge and teaching talent that resides beyond the schoolhouse door, addressing students' varying interests and needs more fully and efficiently. But while Rocketship attracts a steady flow of visitors hoping to glimpse education's high-tech future, I came away from my own pilgrimage to Discovery Prep believing that the school's success proves the opposite point: the younger and more disadvantaged students are, the more they need adults supporting them in many different ways day in and day out--the more they need school to be a place rather than merely a process."
Interesting conversation with the CEO of Rocketship, a blended-learning-focused charter school organization. "We should all focus on personalized learning and obsessing daily with how we ensure our students are spending large chunks of their day (80%+) in their optimal zone of learning-meaning exactly at their level. I would bet that students in countries that lead the world in achievement spend maybe 25-40% of their time in these optimal zones. Technology is an incredible tool in this work as there are online programs that immediately allow a student to access content in their optimal zone. Again-technology is not the complete answer, but it is definitely part of the solution."