Independent School Collaboration

Above all, they say, partners must come together and agree not just on common goals, but shared ways to measure success towards those goals. They must communicate on a regular basis. And there must be a “backbone” organization that is focused full-time on managing the partnership.

war rooms” in each school. Teachers have meetings every two weeks, where they closely monitor students’ progress

the network can engage in continuous learning based on evidence.

they are expected to graduate with the habits of mind—curiosity, skepticism, compassion, wonder—that will prepare them to be better physicians

About half of all medical knowledge becomes obsolete every five years. Every 15 years, the world’s body of scientific literature doubles.

better integration of formal knowledge and clinical experience and a learning process that is individualized, not one-size-fits-all

For the next 55 minutes, students work independently at their computers, learning core subjects or electives through online curricula aligned to Arizona’s state standards. They put on headphones or twist iPod ear buds into their ears, because the online programs are interactive and multimodal—comprised of audio, video vignettes, Flash animation, quizzes, and games. Paraprofessionals called “assistant coaches” walk through the center to make sure kids are doing their work, fix computer glitches, help with academic questions, and—most important, administrators say—check in emotionally with the students, talking with them about anything at home or at school that might be affecting their learning.

All too often, the truly troubled kids that I meet have no adults that they can turn to for support.

As a society, we desperately need non-custodial adults who teens can turn to for advice. Adults who can help guide youth without playing their parents

teachers should NEVER ask a student to be their Friend on Facebook/MySpace but should accept Friend requests and proceed to interact in the same way as would be appropriate if the student approached the teacher after school.