Verdi EcoSchool

Demographics

Percentage of students*

Why Verdi EcoSchool was nominated

Centering the powerful relationship between young people and the community they live in is a key feature of Verdi EcoSchool, which offers a learner-centered environment to the Melbourne, Florida community. What they are today is a natural extension of their origin story as an intimate learning space created by a small number of local families who wanted their children to experience learning that leveraged community resources and prioritized the voices and choices of young people. Verdi EcoSchool defines Melbourneís entire local arts district as their campus. With this open-walled take on a central learning hub, they are able to provide daily, immersive learning experiences that draw from and draw out learnersí unique passions, interests, and curiosities. With young learners at the center of Verdi EcoSchoolís design, powerful learning opportunities crop up in the most unexpected ways. For example, while exploring their community, a group of young learners came to their advisor with a keen observation. The trail featured many plaques celebrating historical figures and their contributions to the area. But, they were all older, white men. The young learners, who did not see themselves or their culture in Melbourneís history, wanted to know what contributions people of color and women made toward the growth and development of the city. In this moment, they were calling for a personalized, relevant, and contextualized experience and exercising their learner agency by owning their learning journey, rather than being passive participants. This marked the beginning of a long-term project that, thanks to Verdi EcoSchoolís competency-based framework, was seen as an entirely relevant learning opportunity. It fit perfectly inside their place- and nature-based learning philosophy. Along the way, these young learners were fully immersed within a socially embedded context where peers, advisors, and community members were all seen as learning partners. The knowledge, skills, and dispositions these young learners cultivated during their preliminary research on Melbourneís history was just the tip of the iceberg for where they wanted to take things next. Once they discovered the story of Zora Neale Hurstonóa prominent Black female literary figureóthey wanted to figure out how the community could honor her legacy., This school stands out as a learning environment that combines core instruction with place-based education structures, the value of the natural environment, and innovation toward equity and justice., The Eau Gallie Arts District is our campus and our interdisciplinary program seeks to create an awareness of the ecosystem in which we live, learn and interact. We believe that immersion in outdoor environments offers the ideal setting for a child to develop freely and learn enthusiastically.

Student experience design

Each student joins a mixed-age, mixed-ability Discovery Level grouping with an educator-guide who helps a student to navigate the Big Ideas contained in EcoSchool’s Learning Framework: Read Critically, Express Ideas, Investigate Through Inquiry, Reason Quantitatively, Use Sources, Design Solutions, Learn Independently, Navigate Conflict, Lead Teams, Build Networks, Sustain Wellness and Engage As A Citizen. Each Big Idea is a container for a set of skills that students will work to master across the life of their school experience. Students actively self-assess, self-reflect and lead their own term-end conferences to provide evidence of their own learning. Students become the masters of their own journey and are able to advocate for their needs and interests while co-designing courses of learning with fellow students and educators. There are no age barriers to the accessibility of learning experiences: if a student can demonstrate mastery and readiness for college-level coursework whilst in middle school they are able to dual enroll and begin completing credits towards their associates degree. If an elementary student can complete a pitch and business plan for an entrepreneurial endeavor, they may launch a pop-up and launch of their business with the support of their educator-guide and community advisors. Growth Levels are small group communities where students meet at the beginning and end of each day to set personal goals, learn coping skills and practice restorative work: how might we repair and refocus our efforts as individuals to strengthen ourselves and our purpose in the world? Growth levels are anchored in reflective journaling and restorative practices.

Core Practices

Core Practices	Length of Use
Competency/mastery-based Education	5+ years
Multi-age Classrooms	5+ years
Project-based Learning	5+ years
SEL Integration School-wide	5+ years

All Practices

Adaptive Learning Software

Advancement On Mastery

Student Advisories

AI For Teacher Productivity

Anti-racist Practices

Assessments For Agency And Self-directed Learning

Assessments For Deeper Learning

Assessments For Social-emotional Skills

Blended Learning

Co-leadership

Community And Workforce Partnerships

Family And Community Support Services

Extended Learning Time

Flexible Staffing & Alternative Teaching Roles

Grading Policies Focus On Mastery

All Courses Designed For Inclusion

Industry-recognized Credentials

Individual Learner Profiles

Individual Learning Paths

1:1 Mentoring

No Tracked Classes

Performance Based Assessment

High Quality Instructional Materials

Reallocation Of Resources For Students Most In Need

Restorative Practices

SEL Curriculum

Student-led Conferences

Students Access Their Own Data

Student-led Goal Setting

Self-paced Learning

Students Develop Projects

Trauma-informed Practices

Tutoring

Universal Design For Learning

key reasons for innovating