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Rock Tree Sky

A Child-Centered Learning Community Connecting Youth to the Learning Ecosystem

The work at the heart of Rock Tree Sky is to create a home-base for interest-driven, relationship-rich learning. We support young people with the time and tools to explore their innate curiosities and grow confidence in their personal agency. At RTS, children are free to develop healthy, caring relationships with peers and adult mentors in a community that shares power and celebrates all learning.

Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Web presence

2016

Established

230

Children

1

Countries
Target group
Community
Updated
October 2024
Rock Tree Sky's combination of providing positive youth development ion a space purpose designed for child-centered learning is transformative for many students. We want to see a world where every young person has access to the agency and opportunities to pursue their unique learning journey.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

To meet the needs of homeschooling and independent study families for a child-centered home base and community learning hub.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

Our learning community has developed a groundbreaking partnership with an accredited independent study program of our local school district. This synergy between our program and the district provides financial accessibility for families to access our program while preserving autonomy. This innovative partnership unlocks a myriad of benefits for all stakeholders involved providing flexibility to explore new educational horizons. We share a campus with Ojai Unified School District's independent study teachers, where Rock Tree Sky learners partake in a daily intention setting advisory and then move out to participate in interest driven programming and relationship building activities of their own choosing. Academic content and skills development is enhanced by the partnership between RTS and OUSD's independent study program, Summit School.

How has it been spreading?

Through our work with Education Reimagined and a generous VELA Next-Step Grant, Rock Tree Sky has been providing consulting and site visits for similarly interested educators and innovators looking to create their own self-directed / child-centered learning centers or else learn how to partner their pre-existing programs with their local district. To this date we have helped over fifteen other programs in their growth and development.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

We are committed to supporting more learning communities sprout and grow. We have developed a starter kit and are giving it away to help other learning communities and school districts learn how to build similar innovative partnerships to play a part in redefining the education landscape: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wMXhrxIZk7G4l_HVfTmfKsfjyqVg5Rn8R9k6HqltlfQ/edit?usp=sharing

Implementation steps

Learner-Centered Education Partnerships
1. Find or create a child-centered learning space near you.
2. Reach out to local independent study charter schools or your local public district and explore what a partnership might look like.
3. We have a detailed Starter Kit for you here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wMXhrxIZk7G4l_HVfTmfKsfjyqVg5Rn8R9k6HqltlfQ/edit?pli=1#heading=h.yaq0y2fokbob

Spread of the innovation

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