Page 38 - The EDGE BTS 2024

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

BY DON HARRIS
Dan Streeter Vicente Teran Carmen Wyckoff
Marana High School Focuses on 'Personalized Learning'

A high school in Marana is designed to help a specific society, education is continuously being reshaped by
group of students – not necessarily those who are various forces. Five key shifts are driving the need to
falling behind. reimagine education.”

The iChoose Academy, one of 18 schools in the The shifts are:
Marana Unified School District, focuses on students 1. Rapid technological advancements and the
who have high drive and high curiosity. The academic pace of change
results are encouraging, according to Daniel Streeter, 2. Globalization and interconnectedness
Superintendent of the Marana District. 3. Changing nature of work and the workforce,
which Streeter said might be Number One
In a breakout session at the AASBO Summer today
Conference and Expo, attendees were told how and 4. Citizenship
why Marana’s iChoose Academy was created, and 5. Importance of soft skills – being able to walk
that it is an example of the changing landscape of out of high schools with an ability to develop
education. those skills

Most high schools currently ignore curiosity. Right Looking ahead to the graduating class of 2037,
now, we see an educational system that favors Streeter posed several questions, such as what will the
compliance over curiosity with our students, Streeter future look like for learners, what skills will learners
said. He identified student categories as those who need to have when they leave our system, and what
have low drive and low curiosity, low drive and high experiences do we need to provide that will develop
curiosity, high drive and low curiosity, and high drive those skills move from a compliance-based system to
and high curiosity. innovation-based system?

“So how do we get all our kids in high drive, high “It’s time for a culture shift,” he said. “We have an
curiosity?” Streeter said. “We’re finding ways to opportunity to move from a compliance-based system
increase their drive. Currently our system is designed to an innovation-based system. Change is top of mind.
to slowly take curiosity out and make it more That’s what iChoose Academy is.”
compliant.”
In 2020, the school district purchased a 35,000 square
Marana is a growing community, with farm fields foot vacant former medical care building with some
being replaced by housing development, but the school state funding and converted it into a 100% personalized
district with 13,000 students is not yet overcrowded. learning facility for 400 high school students.

“What do kids want their education experience to “We have to be careful when we mention personalized
look like?” Streeter said. “In today's fast-changing learning,” Streeter said. “People think that means go
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38 THE EDGE BACK TO SCHOOL 2024