Building School 2.0 (Book)

Yesterday I finished the book Building School 2.0: How to Create the Schools We Need, by Chris Lehmann and Zac Chase. Chris is the founder of the Science Leadership Academy, an innovative school located in Philadelphia. I first learned about SLA when it was featured at PBS Newshour.

I liked the book and do recommend to anyone interested in progressive education. I like that the book is filled with practical suggestions on how to create schools that work for both students and teachers. The book suggests ninety-five different things schools should/could immediately do to improve the education of young learners. Because of Chris’ vast experience as a school leader (he is the principal of SLA), I feel like he understands the challenges we face in education better than most writers. This book would be great for a book study. The book pushes your thinking in several areas and is a great source of ideas for conversation starters.

If you’ve read other books on progressive education, there isn’t much new information for you in this book. Having said that, the book gives credence to the efficacy of progressive education and provides examples of ideas that work.

SLA has done a great job in empowering learners to be happy, fulfilled citizens. There is a lot we can learn from schools who have dared to break away from the status quo. These schools have shown us a better way to educate.

Learning in focus — The schools we need already exist and we need to learn from them.