“Schools like ACE are demonstrating that we think holistically about the needs of our students, and think carefully about preparing them for the world of adulthood, we can devise educational environments that truly address their learning needs. ACE is showing other schools that even those students who are hard to serve due to the challenges and disadvantages they face can thrive under the right conditions. Educators and policymakers who are ready to move beyond slogans to make a real difference for kids should visit ACE and learn from the example they are setting. ” — Pedro Noguera, Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education at New York University.
“It is quite clear that ACE is having a profound impact on your students and your community. Your students were so proud to go to ACE and they made it very clear to us that their lives would be on a different trajectory if they had not chosen ACE. Lesly and I are truly grateful for your hospitality and your willingness to share all that you could with us.” — Gabriel Ramirez, school developer, Los Angeles,CA.
1. ”learning by doing,”
2. high levels of social and emotional support to match the high expectations for learning, and
3. community engagement to leverage more resources to support youth development.
The school represents a dramatic re-engineering of career and technical education that is intended to prepare young people to become leaders in the Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE) professions. Our hypothesis is that the future workforce demands young people who have the ability to adapt to the future of the industry and our community can no longer afford to neglect the needs of the growing number of students who do not achieved in traditional high school (nearly 50 percent of Latino boys drop out of high school.) Our partnership with AGC has given us the opportunity to change the entire experience of school by giving us invaluable insight into the most complex and sophisticated problem solving in the work place. We have taken these “real life” experiences and built a school that is not only engaging, but is also highly relevant to a student’s future.
ACE Staff replied to the question:
“If you came to ACE as a visitor what would you learn?”
Here are their responses:
“That we as a school take care of our students: emotionally, physically, as well as teach them not only curriculum but working as a team & giving them a sense of belonging.”
“That schools don’t have to be about keeping students “in”. That they can interact with the community in a positive way, through internships and and by giving back.”
“An outsider would learn that an entire school CAN be the social/emotional foundation in a student’s life.”
“An adult would learn how to frame learning around complex and tangible problems that relate both to curriculum and industry needs.”
“Better way of problem solving (organization). Learning by doing. Greater connection to students (emotional support, custom education).”
“The adult would see the future of schools (Public and Charter) by the PBL and hands on approach to learning. “Learning by doing” & “Bonding by doing” will be national catch phrases for the future & well-being of school’s in America.”
“Project Based Learning is highly effective to students that have not been successful in other schools and being able to have hands on learning has helped students learn easier.”
“You would learn how an adult can change to meet the needs of a child instead of demanding that the child do all the changing in a relationship. You would see how an entire school will change in new and unpredictable ways to meet each student where they are socially, emotionally, and academically. A school based on relationships.”
“That Project Based Learning gets results and that it is reaching these kid’s potential in a way traditional education never did.”
“How Project Based Learning immersed in ACE is successfully being taught to students with educational challenges and who are traditionally underserved by the Public Education System.”
“Our Students are extremely polite. They are learning to be professional in the way they interact with all adults. They are gaining confidence in their interactions.”