Somebody needs to do it!

Parents can do it, and apparently schools can do it too: help students discover the joy of learning and take ownership of their own educations. This sort of experiment terrifies harried school administrators, but the proof is in the pudding.

The students in the Independent Project are remarkable but not because they are exceptionally motivated or unusually talented. They are remarkable because they demonstrate the kinds of learning and personal growth that are possible when teenagers feel ownership of their high school experience, when they learn things that matter to them and when they learn together. In such a setting, school capitalizes on rather than thwarts the intensity and engagement that teenagers usually reserve for sports, protest or friendship.

Inspiring, challenging stuff.

(via FreeRangeKids)