In 1995, Big Picture Learning burst upon America’s …€¦ · In 1995, Big Picture Learning...

In 1995, Big Picture Learning burst upon America’s languishing public education system. This brainchild of two daring educators, Dennis Littky and Elliot Washor, has grabbed the hearts, hands and minds of young people, inspiring them to become: Lifelong learners. Productive workers. Engaged human beings.

Take a look at what we do Working with educators, philanthro-

pists and public officials, we adapt our innovative school design

to fit specific school districts and communities. However, we do

not own schools or manage charter schools.

In America, all of our schools are either public or public char-

ter schools. We already have more than 55 schools across 14 states,

(including some of America’s largest cities, where entire school

districts are in danger of failing). Around the globe, we work with

schools in Australia, the Netherlands, Israel and Canada.

We are a non-profit and our mission is “the educa-

tion of a nation, one student at a time.” We focus on per-

sonalizing each invidual student’s learning experience

within a community of fellow-learners. We are living proof

that all young people, including (and especially) our under-served

urban students, can succeed in high school, college, and a wide

variety of post-secondary pathways. We make it happen by stick-

ing to three basic principles: 1) Learning must be based on each “That’s why we’ll follow the example of places like the Met Center [a Big Picture Learning school] in Rhode Island that give students that individual attention, while also preparing them through real-world, hands-on training the possibility of succeeding in a career.”

- President Barack Obama

student’s interests and needs. 2) Curriculum must be relevant to

the student and allow them to do real work in the real world. 3)

Students’ growth and abilities must be measured by the quality

of their work and how it changes them.

Every day, we strive to form deep ties that connect students,

teachers or advisors, parents, mentors, and their entire com-

munity. We also devote extra time and energy to helping in-

sure that our students are prepared to succeed in college

or other post-secondary learning paths and careers. This

is why Big Picture Learning works. All across America our

high-school on-time graduation rate is 87% (versus a 74.7%%*

in traditional high-schools nationally). In Big Picture Learn-

ing established schools over 95% of our graduates are accepted

into college. But those percentages only hint at the dramatic

difference Big Picture Learning makes. Big Picture Learning con-

sults with educators, families and communities in order to share

our successes. We seek to engage in a wide variety of contexts in

order to influence public policy and effect change at scale.

A Poignant Reminder

This student throwing

off a shower of welding

sparks is Dierdre Jones.

She’s our youngest Senior,

immersed in her real-world

assignment. Here’s the

story behind her welding.

After her father died in

prison, and her boyfriend

was shot to death,

Dierdre was desperate to

evoke the ripple-effect of

street crimes on the sur-

vivors. Instead of a formal

memorial, she utilizes the

power of mundane pos-

sessions left behind at the

scene. A pair of sneakers.

A child’s mitten. An un-

used bus pass. A bloodied

T-shirt. Everyday objects

suddenly charged with

emotion. But how

to display them? The

answer became her gradu-

ation project.

With support from

her Advisor, Chantel

Wyllie, Dierdre designed

a metal cart that could

wheel the mementos

from site to site. To build

it, she chose herself.

Guided by (cont.)

* SOURCE: EPE Research Center, 2013

The Challenge for Education Today America longs for dynamic

new schools that will shake up our failing school system. Today’s

classrooms and districts barely differ from classrooms and dis-

tricts from 1910. They’re stuck in the past with predictable results.

For every 100 students entering American public high schools in

9th grade, only 75 graduate. 60 of these begin college, but only 30

earn a certificate or degree within 6 years. These percentages are

substantially worse for students from lower socioeconomic lev-

els, and for students of color; the gap in educational attainment is

wide, and growing ever wider.

This crisis was dramatized in 1983 when A Nation At Risk

(published by American President Ronald Reagan’s National

Commission on Excellence in Education) sounded a dire warn-

ing call. Education experts launched a full-court press to develop

academic standards and tests to measure student progress. Billions

and billions were spent to meet lofty goals by the year 2000. (Not

a single one of these goals has yet been reached.)

her Mentor, welder

Meredith Younger,

she picked out her

metals, cut them

to her own pattern,

then, learning as she

went, mastered the

challenging art of

welding. When her

cart was completed,

she installed the

mementos, and

presented it to faculty

and fellow-students.

After her graduation,

Dierdre, a member of

the Institute for Non-

Violence displayed

it at conflict

mediations and

events throughout

Providence.

“Big Picture Learning is a perfect example of a heavyweight team that has

redefined — indeed, revolutionized — schooling. By bringing students and

their interests to the forefront, Big Picture Learning is a model of student-

centered learning, which is key to intrinsically motivating students to

provide them with the education they deserve.”

Clayton M. Christensen, Harvard Business School professor and author of Disrupting Class.

Pick a table. Any table. Can’t you almost hear the opinions, the banter, the

sheer engagement of these kids? This is a gathering of minds, both young

and old. Respect and equality exists between students and adults, among

students, and among adults. Students are encouraged to take a leadership

role in the school and student voice is valued in decision making processes.

Our schools strive to create a respectful, diverse, creative, exciting, and

reflective environment. This is what we call school culture.

America longs for new schools to excite and inspire its chil-

dren to thrive and bloom in this new century. Big Picture Learning

satisfies this longing.

The Innovation Imperative Compared to the conventional

thinking of regular schools, Big Picture Learning seems radical.

But these examples show how our schools motivate and trans-

form students, educators, families and communities. The unique

approach that we take to learning and teaching appeals to people

because it resonates deeply with the way that they have learned

what is most important to them. We allow the curriculum to rise

from the student and make it real, out in the real world. This is the

’disruptive innovation’ we delight in bringing to public education.

Our students form small groups (called an Advisory),

with a teacher (called an Advisor) who guides the same group all

through high school. Each student also has an adult Mentor

outside of school. The parent or adult advocate of each student

is also actively enlisted as still another resource to support

the student and engage in the school community.

All students help create their own curriculum, a personal

one that reflects and expands their own interests and aspira-

tions. Each week students spend many hours at an off-campus

internship generated from each student’s interest; real life train-

ing in real-world work. It could be in a law office, design studio,

research lab, bank, hospital...it could be anywhere. Big Picture

Learning students also tackle college courses. Every quarter they

exhibit their work to their advisor, peers, parents, mentors and

the community.

Birth of an Entrepreneur

Daryl Hall is the student

in this photo, but nobody

calls him ‘Daryl’. He is

‘DJ’, and here’s his story.

DJ’s is a familiar tale

bedeviling lots of kids in

middle school. Monumen-

tally bored and totally

unconnected to curricu-

lum or faculty, DJ’s

quandary was two-sided:

He toyed with dropping

out, yet yearned to go to

college. Then, one

fine day, kicked out of

class once again, a fellow

student tipped him off

to The Met, a Big Picture

Learning school where

‘you study what you want

to study’. From the day

DJ entered The Met,

things started looking up.

After he landed his first

internship: Creating

street murals and doing

silk screening, that’s

when he discovered his

flair for business. Galva-

nized, he jumped into The

Met’s entrepreneurial

program, E360, run by a

local business dynamo.

He soaked up everything

the program offered, and

did extra research on his

own. DJ’s work was so

impressive that he was

asked to become CEO

of a new product launch

— Big Picture Soda.

Bristling with ideas, he

and a classmate drew

up a business plan, then

hired students to (cont.)

Evidence of Success Big Picture Learning schools consis-

tently outperform regular schools, yet they cost no more, because

we achieve our superior performance with no added financial or

human resources. But don’t take our word for it. On page 23 of this

brochure you can see the results of Big Picture Learning schools

in contrast to regular schools in major cities across the country. In

Providence, Rhode Island, fully 10% of all public high school stu-

dents now go to Big Picture Learning schools. Our first set of small

schools, The Met, has been ranked Number One on the Rhode Is-

land State Assessment of Learning for school climate, parental in-

volvement, instruction and safe and supportive environments.

College Unbound Fall 2009 ushered in a new era for Big

Picture Learning when it expanded its focus to higher education,

launching a bachelor degree partnership program focused on meet-

ing the needs of 21st century adult learners, their communities,

and their workplaces. College Unbound is a “life-to-text” model,

a design that puts students in the driver’s seat of their educational

journey. Students begin their studies focused not on which course

they need to take, but instead on questions and ideas that are im-

portant to them. They then ground these purposes for learning

within the actual problems and questions facing their community

and career or interest. College Unbound students’ work is highly

collaborative. As a means of building a professional and academic

network and providing the necessary support they need, students

meet regularly with their peers, academic liaisons, profession-

al mentors from their workplace, and other experts in the field.

College Unbound students work their plan by engaging with a

variety of online resources and discussions, participating in work-

fill sales and market-

ing slots. After

working out the kinks

with their E360

mentor, they present-

ed their plan to local

investors and busi-

nessmen. Bingo! They

raised $10,000 to

launch Big Picture

Soda, and in six short

months, landed Whole

Foods and 20 other

Rhode Island stores to

distribute the new

drink. Their growing

profits support

The Met’s Dollars-for-

Scholars project,

including $2000 for

the scholarship

program. PS: DJ was

invited by a number of

HBCUs (Historic Black

Colleges and Universi-

ties) to visit their

campuses, DJ fell

in love with Howard

University, was

accepted, majoring

in (what else?)

Business Management.

place learning experiences, conducting individualized research,

and designing and completing high-interest projects through

which they demonstrate high levels of competence in:

Applied Knowledge, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving,

Communication, Accountability, Collaboration, Creativity,

Reflection, Resilience and Advocacy for Self and Others

A New Life, Backstage

With hip-hop rocking

from his earphones, Daniel

Ledesma sped on his

skateboard to his first day

at our Big Picture Learning

school in Providence.

He brought with him two

mind-sets: a) He has an

interest in design. b) He

has a passion for design-

ing roller coasters.

Our extended face-to-face

interview with Daniel

brought out these goals

and interests, and he

seemed a likely candidate

to pursue an opening at

a theater. But Daniel had a

theory that theater design

was not for real men.

His theory soon was chal-

langed by a local outfit,

Rites & Reason Theater. A

bit skeptical, but always

ready to try something new,

Daniel jumped into the

action feet first. Guided by

Alonso Jones, who is the

Technical Director at Rites

& Reason, and who

became his mentor, Daniel

delighted in learning the

use of one power tool after

another, and mastering

several precise measuring

devices. From day-to-day,

he absorbed lessons in

setting up stage lighting,

even taking responsibility

for running the complex

lighting board during a

performance. More

importantly, Daniel learned

the value of working with

others, and how teamwork

can meet and conquer

daily problems in design

and production. (cont.)

A striking memento of

his Rites & Reason

experience is the

3-Dimensional scale

model he created of the

set. These days, Daniel

Ledesma feels right at

home at his Big Picture

Learning school. He likes

the way it keeps his

brain (and hands) busy,

and keeps his work ethic

as strong as his stellar

attendance record.

Daniel is also achieving a

deeper learning compen-

tacy – developing an

academic mindset. He is

developing a positive

attitude and belief about

himself as a learner that

increases his academic

perseverance and

prompts him to engage

in productive academic

behaviors. Students like

Daniel are committed to

seeing work through to

completion, meeting

their goals, doing quality

work, and thus searching

for solutions to overcome

obstacles.

Back-to-School. Happily.

The hand with the worm,

on the left, belongs to

Brandon Jantuah, on the

right. His love of agricul-

ture, is a recent develop-

ment, because for years,

Brandon totally removed

himself from school. Until

Big Picture Learning got

him hooked, by letting

him dig into his own in-

terests. Now Brandon says

the relationship he formed

with his mentor has recon-

nected him to his goal of

graduating high school.

Here’s why it works:

1) The Advisor works with each individual

student in the class to help them discover what

interests and motivates them. 2) The Mentor, a

lawyer, engineer, small business owner, etc.,

guides each student’s internship. 3) The Parent

is actively enlisted as a resource to the Big

Picture Learning community. 4) The Student

(and his fellow students) interact to reinforce

each other’s passion for real work in the real

world. The result is a self-teaching community

of learners where no one feels left-out, and each

helps motivate the other.

The Big Picture Learning Design

Mentor

Students

Parents& Family

Advisor

Big Picture Learning

Local School District

State

Graduation rate 100% 49% 87%

English language arts proficiency 71% 51% 90%

Math proficiency 28% 18% 75%







Big Picture LearningHigh School Data Comparisons

Met East, CAMDEN, NJ

Met West, OAKLAND, CA

The MetPROVIDENCE, RI

Big Picture Learning

Local School District

State













SD MetSAN DIEGO, CA

Met Sac, SACRAMENTO, CA

HighlineSEATTLE, WA

BPL HighNASHVILLE, TN

Drawn from publicly available state government websites and data collection agencies

BPL hired MPR

Associates to conduct

a study of graduates

from three Big Picture

Learning High

Schools—MetWest

(Oakland), Met

Sacramento, and San

Diego Met—to

determine what life

paths graduates

pursued after high

school and how well

their high school

experiences prepared

them for college and

career. Survey data

were collected from

January through May,

2012, from students

who graduated

between 2006 and

2010. Data from the

National Student

Clearinghouse (NSC)

was used to augment

the survey data with

additional information

about college out-

comes.

Highlights from the

study include the

following findings

detailed on the right.

100%personalized learning plans

for every student

100%of students

are in advisories

100%of students engage in real-world learning

100%of students engage inproject-based learning

After Graduation

• 74%ofBigPictureLearninggraduatesenrolledincollegewithin the first year after graduating from high school

• 44%ofgraduatesenrolledinfour-yearcollegeswithinone year of graduating

• Onaverage,freshmen-to-sophomorepersistence was 87%

• 74%ofrespondentswhoareworkingandnotinschoolreported securing a job through a high school internship contact

• 47%ofrespondentsreportedthattheycurrentlyperformcommunity service

• Theopportunitytoworkwithadultsatinternshipsitesand the opportunity to build self-confidence through work-based learning and other activities were cited as the most important aspects of the Big Picture model in terms of contributing to success in life after high school.

100% of studentsare mentored by experts

in their field of interest

100% of studentsdiscover and pursue theirinterests and passions

Gratifying Growth

Asian2%African American

36%

Native American7%

White31%

Other/Mixed1%

Latino23%

Our US Network in Numbers

OUR SCHOOLS Total of Current Students Served: 9000

Total Current States Served : 16Total Current Cities Served: 36College Unbound Programs: 3

Since 1996 Total Students Served: 26,000District Schools: 75% Charter Schools: 25%

Our Students in the US BPL Network

67%

20%Special Education

Free/Reduced Lunch

THE NETHERLANDSAUSTRALIA CANADA ISRAEL

Since 1996Big Picture Learning has

served students intwenty-two states and established

schools internationally

Student as the Center of Learning

Small class size run by Advisor-Student-Parent-Mentor teams

Curriculum always relevant to the real world

Increases motivation

Teaches one student at a time

Small school learning environments

Parents an intimate part of the teaching

Students go into the real world to pursue projects

Works for many more

Our on-time graduation rate 87%

Top-Down Teaching

Large class size with teacher as center, students as audience

Curriculum taught from textbooks

Inhibits motivation

Teaches entire class as a single group

Many high schools have over 2,000 students

Parents only occasionally involved

All teaching happens in classroom

Works for many

On-time graduation rate* 75%*

Learning: The Conventional Way

Learning: The Big Picture Way

RegulaRSCHOOLS

* SOURCE: EPE Research Center, 2013

What constitutes student success?

“Most would define it as good grades, great test scores, a high school diploma, and a pathway to postsecondary learning. While we do not argue with those indicators, our experience tells us they are inadequate. We prefer additional indicators from a wider perspective: obtaining enjoyable and productive work with good prospects for growth, raising a family, contributing to the community, and figuring out how to navigate life’s ups and downs.”

– Elliot Washor & Charles Mojkowski, Leaving to Learn

These are students of

the Met School,

where Big Picture

Learning transformed

education, first in

Providence, then in

Rhode Island, now

throughout America

and overseas.

BIG PICTURE LEARNING SChoolS, InnovatIon, InfluEnCE

the education of a nation, one student at a time.

Printed on Sappi LOE paper, fiber from certified forests, and made with renewable energy sources

lEaRn MoRE at WWW.BIGPICTURE.ORG

facebook.com/bigpicturelearning twitter.com/bigpiclearning

youtube.com/bplearning

© 2014 BIG PICTURE LEARNING

In 1995, Big Picture Learning burst upon America’s …€¦ · In 1995, Big Picture Learning...

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Transcript of In 1995, Big Picture Learning burst upon America’s …€¦ · In 1995, Big Picture Learning...