[2018-2022]

We listened and learned from 200 youth, parents, guardians, and educators about what school is like – before, during and after COVID – and their ideas for what school could be. We talked with leaders of more than 15 newly developed schools nationwide. We also asked 45 middle and high school students to try out new learning practices to find out if they worked as their designers imagined. We've closed out this project for now as we open The Harbor School, but will return to it in the future.

[2021-2025]

The Harbor School is a middle school model that brings a 2-year pilot homeschool experience to scale and opens it to the public. The model was co-designed with kids and parents as a response to the barriers identified through community data and conversations and the learning loss of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its competency-based program gives space for the unique strengths, interests and needs of each student, allowing them to find a joyful and deeply personal learning experience that closes historical learning gaps and pushes them ahead.

As we await state and local authorization for our charter, we're seeking additional design input from families of potential students in the City of Richmond.

[2024]

Even as The Harbor School project gains traction, we continue to seek stories about school experiences so that we can continue to deepen our understanding of the educational needs in Richmond (for now). We are interested to hear recent experiences and ideas for projects within existing schools, wrap around services, out of school time and family support.