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How Schools Across the Country Are Thinking Outside the Classroom

From investing in inter-generational mentorships to leveraging joy to boost test scores, schools are finding new ways to better serve their students—and communities.

American Journalism Project

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Experienced educators know there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to learning. And yet, the tens of millions of public school students in the United States have fairly similar class structures. One teacher per classroom, desks facing front, and testing each spring to grade the students’—and school’s—progress.

These norms are hard to change. But that doesn’t stop educators, administrators, and non-profits from figuring out ways to shake things up in order to better serve students. In Houston, that means bringing Mariachi programs into schools, allowing students access to new music skills and cultural connections. In Vermont, it looks like fresh local eggs, fruits, and meat on the school lunch trays of Woodstock-area students. And in Montana, a new state-funded program helps public middle and high school students overcome financial barriers that stand in the way of their career goals.

Read on to learn more about these innovative paths—as well as some of the longer standing ones, including New York City's Hospital Schools program, that continue to impact the lives of students and their families.

Pocket has teamed up with the American Journalism Project to bring some of the best local journalism from across the country right to you—no matter where you live. Each month we’ll highlight deep dives into local stories with national impact—the kind of journalism that brings nuance and context to the major issues we face on a national scale. Read more about our partnership here and browse past collections to get your local fix.

Want a Degree Without Classes and Lectures? California Community Colleges Test a New Approach

Eight community colleges in California are testing out a new education model, one that defines success by the skills a student learns, not the time they spend in a classroom. But changing the traditional education system isn’t easy.

How Montana Is Paying the Way in Trades Education

From the cockpit to the welding shop, a state-funded public school program is helping put students in the workplaces they want.

When My Daughter Was Being Treated for Cancer, Her Teacher Worked From the Hospital

“Miss Anne Marie understood that learning is essential to a child’s humanity. They hunger for novelty and to understand the world around them. None of these students felt well and yet school was there for them when they were ready. The Hospital Schools Program gave my daughter some agency in her young life.”

Can Joy Help Boost Test Scores? Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Leaders Say Yes

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and other districts rely on data and analytics about test scores, but leaders are trying to maintain another essential element of learning: joy.

Last Spring, St. Paul Gave Abdisalam Adam Three Months to Start the Nation’s First East African Magnet School. Here’s What Happened.

St. Paul Public Schools will offer elementary students and their parents support in Arabic, Amharic, Oromo, Somali, Swahili, and Tigrinya.

In Houston Schools, Mariachi Programs Help Students Find Cultural Connections

Young musicians in these programs gain both musical experience and a connection to a cultural identity they may not have always gotten to embrace.

Some CT Schools Are Using Artificial Intelligence for Student Tutoring

It is meant to bring more equity to tutoring by connecting students and families who cannot access the additional help with tutors in a convenient and affordable way.

Local Food on the Menu for Woodstock-Area Schools

“Though household access to fresh, healthy, local food is often striated by income, public institutional food service, and Vermont’s K-12 schools in particular … (have) the unique ability to equalize this access within its cafeterias.”

AmeriCorps Increasing Investment in Rural Alaska, With Tribes

The program’s aim is to provide intergenerational support in schools, and AmeriCorps pays seniors a small stipend for their volunteer service.

How Do We Teach Black History in Polarized Times? Here’s What It Looks Like in Three Cities

In Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, teachers are finding ways to give students an in-depth education on African American history even as the subject comes under attack.

Elevating Local Stories With Pocket and the American Journalism Project

Connect with some of the best local journalism from outlets across the country.

American Journalism Project

The American Journalism Project (AJP) is the first venture philanthropy dedicated to local news. AJP makes grants to local nonprofit news organizations to build their revenue and business operations, partner with communities to launch new organizations, and mentor leaders as they grow and sustain their newsrooms. Learn more about the independent, community-driven nonprofit news organizations AJP supports.