"Students at Next Charter School often openly admit that they like coming to school. We believe this is because of our intentional, enduring efforts to build community through practices like daily morning and closing meetings. This creates a feeling of safety and belonging for every student that results in improvements in overall engagement.
Focusing on engagement is important because we believe that learning is what happens when the learner makes meaning for him/herself. If this is true, we must acknowledge that learning is a truly personalized experience, one that requires active engagement on the part of the learner. So many traditional school practices inadvertently isolate students and diminish motivation, which lead to disengagement in school. We have identified practices aimed at strengthening student voice and engagement in school through whole school activities.
Participants will leave with strategies that we have been successfully using at Next Charter School to build student engagement. They will understand the purpose, steps to implement, and potential pitfalls of each of these strategies. Participants will develop a plan to adapt and implement at least one strategy."
