When people visit a school like Alpha School, they usually leave talking about the technology. They ask about adaptive learning apps, marvel at how students are working so self-directedly, and wonder whether artificial intelligence can (or even should) replace conventional instruction universally. T...
The future of education may depend less on better instructors and more on better relationships.
For generations, we've measured the quality of a school by the quality of its teachers. We sought out districts with exceptional educators, moved across town to be inside the right attendance boundaries,...
By Heather Clayton Staker, Harvard-educated researcher and co-founder of Guide School
Over the past decade, schools have spent billions of dollars on laptops, software, and other edtech. And if you're a parent like me, you've probably been disappointed — though not entirely surprised — by how littl...
By Heather Clayton Staker, Harvard-educated researcher and co-founder of Guide School
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For years, I kept hearing the same question from almost every teacher and school leader I talked to: How do I motivate my students so they actually care about learning?
It's closely related to another question...
We recently relocated to Indonesia to build a microschool based on the Guide model (AI-powered apps in the morning; limitless discovery in the afternoons). In the middle of that move, our son Henry (a junior) unenrolled from his Texas school district—but he plans to return for senior year with stron...
I made this mistake for years.
When training teachers to design microschools in their districts, I’d walk through the entire day: Launch. Core Skills. Projects. 1-1 check-ins. Close.
Logical, yes? But they were uneasy. They didn’t trust the academics yet. So they’d quietly turn the morning "Launc...
Picture your favorite teacher from your childhood. He or she may have been great at explaining things, energetic, affirming, funny, or had other wonderful attributes. I remember Mrs. Rider. She was smart and pretty, and showed she really believed in me.
With this picture in mind that highlights the...
My two hopes for the world in 2025:Â
đź’»Every school in low-income countries will give students an hour to learn at the right level using computers.
đź’’Every school in high-income countries will pilot a cohort that uses AI-based apps for instruction.
I defended the first hope in the blog for the Chri...
Thank you to the Christensen Institute for inviting me to share a 2025 prediction for education. I foresee a critical shift in digital instruction in 2025. While most schools will stick to teacher-directed or hybrid models, software-directed instruction will produce superior outcomes. This gap will ...
Hi friends,
Last week I hosted the live webinar Why Parents Will Flock to Flex Blended Learning...and What Schools Can Do About It.
If you want a recap, here's the four-minute speed version.
Yours truly,
Heather
P.S. Sign up for the full 50-minute webinar at guide.sc...
Why Parents Will Flock to the Flex Model . . . and What Schools Can Do About It
- Become informed about Flex blended learning and why it will come to dominate K-12 schools worldwide.
- Become aware of the secret pitfalls and the surprising promise so you have a 360 view to form your opinion and path ...
Several people have asked me what this Guide School business is. This post is to answer those questions about why I’ve made a pivot in my personal life.
Q: Why did you take down www.readytoblend.com?
A: The term “blended learning” became toxic for some during COVID. In some places, it became synon...
