SUMMIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS ADVANCES TO FINAL ROUND OF NATIONAL XQ CONTEST
The Northern California-based public charter organization is named a finalist for their proposed redesign of the American high school
Redwood City – Summit Public Schools (Summit) announced this week that its proposal has advanced to the final round of the XQ: The Super School Project (XQ), a national open call to rethink and redesign the American high school. From an original pool of over 1,000 concepts, Summit is one of only 50 teams to advance to the final phase with its personalized learning high school design. The competition will award each of the five finalist organizations $10 million and provide ongoing support to help turn their proposed design into a high-performing high school. The winners are expected to be announced on August 4th.
“The future of American education is personalized learning,” said Andrew Goldin, Summit’s Chief of Schools. “Projects like these enable us to think outside of the box and reimagine what school could look like, building upon what we’ve already learned works.”
The XQ project focuses on creating a high school that better prepares students for the new, heightened demands of the modern world. The Summit team, in collaboration with faculty, parents, students, as well as California College of the Arts, Gensler, Silicon Schools Fund and Oakland community members, designed its proposed high school, Summit Elevate, to go beyond preparing students for success in college. The vision is for a high school that puts students in the center of their learning and prepares them for true success in the new knowledge economy. At Summit Elevate, students would develop and practice weaving together their passions and expertise.
The Summit team decided to focus on well-being when they unanimously agreed that academic success in high school and successful completion of a four-year college or university degree isn’t the true end-goal of the school experience. Rather, achieving well-being in all key aspects of our lives is.
The high school is also designed to encourage students to build strong relationships and social connections so they engage in and positively impact their local and global community. The idea is to make students active, contributing members of society before they start college by supporting students in building a community of advisors and spending even more time out in the community for projects and internships that provide hands-on experiences in real-world projects.
“We continue to learn more about how we can best set students up for success, not only in college and career, but in life,” said Summit’s Chief Academic Officer Adam Carter. “Through personalized learning, students are equipped with the skills and mindsets that prepare them for the real world.”
