A School of Our Own

June 20, 2016
Developmental psychologist Engel (The End of the Rainbow) and her son Levin explore radical ideas about secondary education in this intriguing analysis, which focuses on an innovative program Levin initiated at his own high school in Massachusetts called the Independent Project. Launched in 2011, when Levin was a junior, the Independent Project developed from a single question: “Is there an inherent reason why teenagers in our culture must spend the bulk of their time in settings that are confining, rigid, ugly and disconnect from their communities?” The answer, according to Levin and Engel, is no, and the proof is given in the successful implementation of the Independent Project. A defining feature of the school is its simple structure: half the day is designated for “ an individual endeavor” and the other half for self-directed academics, divided again between the sciences and math and language arts. The book, aimed at school administrators as well as parents and students, recounts the students’ many small victories as well as the many obstacles they faced while outlining the steps in the implementation process.

July 1, 2016
The story behind one young man's alternative school within a school.By the time Levin reached his junior year, like many kids his age, he had resigned himself to having a couple of great classes, a few he hated, and the rest that were boring. He had interests outside of school that helped him get through his days, but what made him angry was how those with nothing beyond the regimented school day were missing out on life. They weren't being stimulated in school and had no projects or part-time jobs to engage them. So Levin took matters into his own hands and started his own school. With the support of his mother, Engel (Developmental Psychology/Williams Coll.; The Hungry Mind: The Origins of Curiosity in Childhood, 2015, etc.), and other adults in his high school--and after months of planning--Levin created the Independent Project, a student-run school. The school focused on the students' interests and passions rather than required curriculum. Though the plan incorporated some traditional subjects, Levin and his team switched things up by aligning science with the humanities and English with math. In alternating voices, Levin and Engel tell the story of how the IP evolved, giving readers an inside look at the entire journey, including the first irritated moments that sparked the original idea, getting approval from the school board, recruiting students, and initiating a trial semester. The authors address their triumphs, setbacks, fears, and concerns, analyzing the step-by-step process so that others may follow and create their own independently run schools. For those who have investigated home schooling, Levin's methods are reminiscent of unschooling, the process by which learning occurs on a more personal, interest-driven level, without the need to use conventional grading systems. The authors clearly show that learning can be an invigorating, exciting experience for almost everyone--if approached in the right manner. The concise and passionate story of how a teenager formed his own school that is "intellectually demanding of all its students, no matter what their academic history."

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June 15, 2016

This account of the first student-run high school in America is told in alternating passages by a high school junior and his mother. Levin, who went on to graduate from Oxford University, had already founded Project Sprout, a student-run farm that grew food used for school lunches. His mother, Engel, teaches psychology at Williams College, MA, and is the author of The End of the Rainbow, among other books. Levin, increasingly frustrated and bored in the classroom, came up with a plan to launch the Independent Project, a student-run school in western Massachusetts. Mother and son each provide accounts of the students involved and the successes and problems of the project, and readers are encouraged to think about creating their own programs. As in Angela Duckworth's Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Levin learned how fortitude, here composed of a passionate involvement in his own education, and the perseverance needed to sell administrators on his concept and try ideas and see what worked and what didn't, can bring about results, and in this case, revitalize high school curriculum. VERDICT Recommended for students, parents, teachers, and administrators, as well as anyone concerned about the current state of the U.S. educational system.--Elizabeth Safford, Boxford Town Lib., MA

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