“My favorite thing about this school is that they don’t allow you to fail. I have multiple chances to succeed and be reassessed but that doesn’t mean that I don’t try hard the first time.” PRS COMMUNITY 9 LEARNER

IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO LIVE in a burgeoning community ripe and ready to unite around a brand new school system they can collectively call their own. What would you do with this opportunity to not only create from scratch but also engage your community when their interest is at its peak?

Pioneers in Pike Road, Alabama had the opportunity to explore these questions and more when their population began to grow exponentially after their incorporation in 1997. With this rapid growth came calls for a local school district. So, education leaders began reaching out to innovative environments and hosting conversations with community members: They wanted to “do school” in a brand new way. To create a place where “students are lifelong learners who use their knowledge, skills, and influence to make the world a better place.” With this vision, the town broke ground on Pike Road Schools (PRS) on January 10, 2014.

PRS saw their vision coming to life through a uniquely designed, project-based learning system with a strong focus on application. They were also supported by partnerships with colleges of education to be a Professional Development School.

Seeking to provide competency-based learning in its truest form, PRS learners are met where they are. This system of learning allows all learners to be flexibly grouped and progress based on their competency development. This development is fostered by PBL and other strategies that make learning authentic. Lead learners (educators) provide support and encourage learners to pursue personalized, relevant, and contextualized learning by taking a deep dive into topics of their choosing as well as participating in class and small group projects that enable them to take ownership of their learning.

What might this look like? When a group of learners participated in a “day in the life” of presentation by a local meteorologist, one learner was hooked. Passionate about weather from an early age, he used POP to integrate his interest into the learning community, and he eventually became the official PRS Meteorologist—providing daily weather reports to the learning community and even updating the superintendent during severe weather.

As PRS continues to evolve, each learner will add a new chapter to the book of endless possibilities the PRS vision has created, developing learners who are ready to take on any challenge or obstacle that comes their way. By continuously exploring the opportunities afforded to them as a brand new environment, they are committed to leading their community into a new learning future.”