New school's out-of-the-box approach could transform education in the United States
An out-of-the-box school for an out-of-the-box education
A new type of high school opened in Forney, Texas, outside of Dallas, where students not only learn in the classroom but also on the job. The school, Opportunity Central (OC), which serves Forney and North Forney high school students, is housed in a building specially designed to support its out-of-the-box education. The upper two floors are classrooms while the first floor is a mall open to the public. Students go to the mall after classes and work in the stores and businesses, gaining business experience in a variety of different career paths. Shopkeepers receive a discount on their rent in exchange for mentoring students. Some businesses are even run by the students themselves.
The campus supports students and the community
The 350,000-square-foot campus, as Peoplescom's Lisa Savage described the facility, includes,
. . . spaces for community meetings, concerts, sporting events, trade shows, banquets, college classes and more. There’s a pre-K program at the early childhood center, a 600-seat theater, a prep kitchen, indoor playground and an arena for sporting events, tournaments and concerts.
The students, she explains, are enrolled in the school's career and technology track.
Students attending OC are sophomores, juniors and seniors from from Forney and North Forney high schools enrolled in career and technology education, or CTE, programs. The diverse fields of study include marketing and sales, construction management, cosmetology, health care diagnostics, law, public safety, corrections and security, automotive technology and more. Students attend classes during the day and then work in one of the partner businesses. For example, students interested in becoming teachers can work in the early childhood center, and those enrolled in the cosmetology program get hands-on experience at the professional salon operated within the OC.
She quoted Superintendent Dr. Justin Terry who emphasized that students were learning more than just technical skills.
They’re not just learning the skills. They’re learning to interact with the public, how to schedule appointments, advertising and marketing and all the components that go with running a business.
Students enthusiastic
Texas Governor Greg Abbot retweeted Dallas entrepreneur Chris Koerner's tweet (below) of a video about the school shortly after it opened and while still under some construction. Abbot noted that the school was generating income while educating students to run their own businesses.
The future of education.
A school in Texas that generates revenue, while also educating young entrepreneur students how to run their own business.
Students interviewed stated that they didn’t feel like they were in school as they were gaining experience not traditionally associated with high school.
It’s not like school because when people think of school they think, “Oh it’s like a bunch of kids going in there to learn. You really have like more experiences here so it doesn’t really feel like learning when I’m here. . . .
I don’t describe it as my high school. I would describe it as maybe a job. Like, I think you have responsibilities and you get to learn as you go just as someone would on their own job.
“Empowering the next generation of leaders, innovators, and change-makers”
The school was recently featured on the Today show (clip below) and its administrators wrote that being featured on the show is a testament to their mission of providing students with a future that will prepare their students to be the next generation's leaders.
. . . is a testament to our mission of inspiring future generations through practical experiences that go beyond the traditional school setting. . . . By working alongside professionals, students develop critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills that prepare them for both higher education and the workforce.
. . . This opportunity is not only reshaping the way we educate but also empowering the next generation of leaders, innovators, and change-makers.
. . . Through partnerships with local businesses, our students are building a strong foundation for their futures while giving back to the community. From the classroom to the workplace, we are dedicated to fostering a learning environment that blends academic rigor with hands-on experience.
Standardized tests do not predict success
The Dallas Express Podcast’s Sarah Zubiate Bennett toured the school and then sat down with Dr. Terry to understand more about the school’s philosophy (video below), how it got started, and its goals for the future.
Bennett:
This system, this incredible school—so much of this does not translate to standardized tests. How is it that this vision came to be? And how did you have the guts to pioneer something like this?
Terry:
. . .
Standardized tests measure one thing, on one day. Is that truly a measure of their success? I don’t think so. Our kids are so much more than that. They’re so much more talented than just what can be measured in a multiple-choice test.
So, we started asking ourselves: What are the skills? And we started asking businesses: What do they need when our kids walk out the door, when they become future employees? The responses we got back focused on future-ready skills.
. . .
So, we started really exploring—what does that look like? And how do we teach that? Well, you teach it by putting kids in the experience itself. As you walk through this building, you’ll see a lot of career pathways.
But there’s a parallel path that makes this different and unique compared to most college and career centers. What we’re trying to do is parallel this entrepreneurial and employability skill set right alongside the technical skills. Whether you’re working in auto, engineering, running an escape room, coding at Code Ninjas, or practicing cosmetology—every career path needs skills like communication, collaboration, ordering, and personal and business finance.
We wanted to put our kids in real-world settings and have them learn from the best—the businesses themselves. That’s how we began bringing in experts who are actively doing the work to help teach our kids.
Levels playing field for students; can change education in the U.S.
Jason Calacanis, host of This Week in Startups, in an interview with Dr. Terry this past May, expressed his awe in observing the program. Calacanis said that Terry’s program levels the playing field for students who do not come from affluent homes and whose parents cannot get them internships with great companies.
What you've done is made that available to everyone. What you’ve done could change education in the United States and make us more competitive. . . . I caught you in year one. I think that what you’ve built is going to become the standard.
Students' future is now
Jason Calacanis’s endorsement highlights just how much Opportunity Central could change the game—not just for Forney students, but for education across the country. By combining hands-on experience with classroom learning, the school is giving students a real shot at success, no matter their background.
Just as important, perhaps, is that OC students are no longer living solely for the future. As Grace Llewellyn wrote in The Teenage Liberation Handbook (p.74), her book for teenagers on unschooling (a form of homeschooling):
School conditions you to live for the future, rather than to live in the present. . . . Marti Holmes, the mother of a sixteen-year-old, reflected: "Homeschooling has not closed any doors that I can see, and has provided rich, full years of living (rather than 'preparing for life')."
Llewellyn continues:
Contrary to the teachings of school, you are not in dress rehearsal. More than anything else, this book is about living—now, as well as twenty years from now. . . . 'We are always getting ready to live, but never living,' wrote [Ralph Waldo] Emerson. Don't let the schoolpeople write that on your tombstone.
Students at Opportunity Central don’t have to leave school to live their lives in the present. As they describe it, their school experiences allow them to learn, work, and live in the present.
The feature image is a screenshot from Mike Huckabee's tweet about the school.
