Our projects are chosen specifically to help empower the future of learning for Teach For America. We believe that no work should be wasted, so when a project is completed, instead of it ending, we compost it. Just like at your local community garden, we take make sure to take all parts that can be reused in a new project and apply those learning there.
Education is changing. We need to provide opportunities for 21st century skills. School is an especially challenging place for middle and high schoolers, particularly those in the traditional system. Many students have limited time to explore what they're passionate about or what they may want to do after graduating high school. They’re increasingly skeptical of traditional higher education options, and alternative paths are unclear. We are seeing increased absenteeism and increasing disengagement.
FutureShock is a two-week summer program that combines game-based learning, emerging AI technology, and high-quality facilitation to support students in connecting their existing interests to build and present a hands-on project individually or as a small group.
In designing FutureShock, the Reinvention Lab at TFA is targeting three critical problems schools are facing. In the FutureShock launch phase, we are partnering with schools to iterate, test, and evaluate the program’s effectiveness to support schools and the students they serve based on:
1. Credit Recovery. FutureShock makes credit recovery exciting. It can support your existing credit recovery program and often serves as a stand-in option for those students recovering credit due to attendance.
2. College and Career Readiness. FutureShock multiplies the efforts of school counselors and career advisors. Students will participate in experiences that help them reflect on their skills and passions.
3. Student Absenteeism and Youth Engagement. FutureShock can increase student engagement and create positive school sentiment. It has preliminary results supporting school-year attendance after completion.
Interested? Email us at futureshock@teachforamerica.org.
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