Explore AltSchool

AltSchool is a startup school which consists of lab schools in New York City and San Francisco as well as partner schools which share their platform and aim of "transforming educational experiences for children". Last week, we visited one of the lab schools on 5th Avenue, which inspired me a lot.

• Transparency

One important concept of AltSchool is transparency, which can be shown from their classrooms and meeting rooms separated by the transparent glass. In that way, as far as I'm concerned, the teacher doesn't have to be with students all the time, when students study independently, while the teacher can still pay attention to students' doing.

Transparency can also be shown in their platform, which enables the learning condition of students to be transparent among teachers, parents, and students themselves. Thus instead of passively accepting what is offered by school, students and parents have the initiative to communicate with the school about everything related to learning.

The third sign of transparency I observed, and maybe a controversial one is the CCTV equipped in each classroom. In the school staff's words, this helps teachers to review their classes, which not only helps them adjust their instructions but also offers more information about each student's needs. That makes sense to me. As for the concern of students' privacy etc., the staff said that the recorded video is only available when teachers with the certain request to apply on their platform.

• Student-centered

On the introduction, the speaker said AltSchool set a goal that can never be fully reached, which is to enable all children to reach their potential. This tough goal, however, serves as a motivation for them to keep paying attention to the growth and happiness of each student. One example is that all aspects of students learning progress can be processed and analyzed on the platform.

In this way, both the students and teachers have a better understanding of where they are, and how far their goals are. Personalized instruction can thus be offered to students with different potentials. 

Another example is the private comfort zone for students to relax. 

Various well-designed private space such as this reading nook with soft padding can be seen everywhere in this AltSchool. This place, in general, does not have the intensive atmosphere, instead, each student can find their own most comfortable place and gesture to study.

To summarize, what I learned in AltSchool is the genuine care for students as individuals and the smart application of data and technologies driven by such care. I think the accomplishment of these two points can lead us to other successes in education.