Summit Sierra in Seattle, Washington: The school that gets personal.
Bill Gates says Summit Sierra's approach to personalized learning — a form of education that uses technology to empower students to guide their own instruction — is one of the most effective ways to teach kids.
Opened in 2015, Summit Sierra is a charter school within the Summit Public Schools Network. The school caps enrollment at 200. Each day, kids read for 30 minutes, solve math problems for 30 minutes, take online courses, talk with mentors about their career and life goals, and meet with other students to talk and share their feelings during Community Time.
Even though kids guide their own learning, teachers still play a vital role. Summit teachers get matched with students who they mentor for all four years. Instructors can use in-house software to see which of their dozen or so students has completed certain assignments and exams.
By taking an active role in their education, Gates says, kids learn responsibility and self-reliance.
