Page 2 - Acton Info Kit

Dear Friend,

Despite our backgrounds in education, we never

set out to start our own school. It was only when
we had children of our own that things changed.
We understood the world our children would face
would be vastly different-unimaginably so – from
the world we encountered as young adults. We
knew they’d need to be armed to know how to
learn, respond, innovate, and create in their own
way rather than become skilled at taking tests and
following instructions like we had. We believed our

children would need the light of curiosity burning
brightly in their eyes– not just when they were
young learners, but throughout their childhood,
teen years, and far beyond.

A small, quiet voice started creeping into our
hearts as we looked for school options. What

had worked for us as children looked desperately
outdated, impractical, and simply wrong, even with
good, smart people working hard to make the tra-
ditional schools adaptive to today’s opportunities.

With no map or long-term strategic plan, we set out in the way artists and scientists do – disciplining ourselves to let go of
preconceived ideas, experimenting without demanding outcomes, and using clear principles with standards of excellence to
constrain us at every turn.

Our goal?

To create and bring to life a vision of “school” that worked for our own children and anyone who would join us.

Like all parents, we were driven by love. Love of the human spirit, of freedom, of learning, of risky adventure, and of
responsibility. Love for our own children and the light in their eyes. Acton Academy was born in 2009 in a small house with wood
floors near a beautiful park with 7 students – our sons Charlie and Sam, Cash, Chris, Ellie, Bodhi, and Saskia.

As our small school began to grow and flourish it attracted the attention of Juan an Ana Lou friends of ours who lived in

Guatemala. During a visit to Austin they asked, “would you please let us start our own Acton Academy in Guatemala City?” This
was the beginning of the Acton movement that has quickly spread worldwide and now includes over 100 schools all founded by
parents.