Let's Get to the Heart of the Matter

What is our purpose? What are we trying to accomplish?

Our Purpose:

This is our Capstone Project as educators and concerned citizens of the current educational system. Through this project, we endeavor to provide unaltered student reflections of learning experiences that are / were meaningful to students and the impact they believe those experiences have had on their life.

What we are wondering:

• What learning experiences do STUDENTS believe are/were meaningful? Is there a commonality of these learning experiences for students?

• What possible impact did the Capstone project experience that students had at Oakton High School have on a student's post-high school experiences?

What we hope to accomplish:

• • • Shift the focus of education from a focus that places the system first and demands standardized outcomes from students, to a focus on student interest, identity and agency as the starting point for learning.

    • Identify what students say are meaningful learning experiences and ensure all students have access to those.

    • Identify what students say are NOT meaningful learning experiences and eradicate those from our practices.

    • Explore the connection between meaningful learning experiences in high school and the potential impact on a student's post-high school experiences.

    • Explore the connection between Capstone project experiences in high school and the potential impact on a student's post-high school experiences.

    • Demand that systems and schools have a higher hope for students than passing standardized tests or expecting standardized responses and outcomes.

    • Motivate educational leaders to move in the direction of authentic, student-centered performance assessments that ensure equitable access to Portrait of a Graduate learning and application for all students.

    • Provoke leaders with student-centered data and evidence to support and sustain the teachers who implement and grow the performance task work for systemic improvement.