Walkabout School Model

Structuring Anti-Racism

Creating Self-Sustaining Structures of Equity.

Walkabout practices equity and inclusion throughout the entirety of the Walkabout School Model. This manifests in classrooms through student-driven curriculum development, culturally responsive instruction and inclusion classes. We foster a culture of fellowship where students and staff support one another through challenges and achievements. Since students need to see themselves in those who teach them, our goal is to recruit staff that reflect the diversity of the students.

Anti-racism is made manifest throughout our Key Design Elements (see below) but also through the following:

  • Culturally Responsive Instruction

  • Curriculum and Material Audits

  • Equitable Staffing

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KEY DESIGN ELEMENTS

Consilient Curriculum 

Authentic, Experiential Learning in 5 Challenge Areas.

A consilient curriculum eliminates the gap between what students learn in school and what they experience in life. Walkabout’s school model is based around Five Experiential Challenge Areas:

  • Wilderness: Students embark on backpacking trips where community, self-confidence and leadership are cultivated.

  • Service Learning: Service learning gives students the opportunity to connect with and contribute to their communities in meaningful ways.

  • Applied Academics: Applied academics reconciles the gap between what students learn in school and what they experience in day to day life. By applying the concepts that they learn in school to real world situations, students are motivated to pursue knowledge.

  • Internship: Students are paired with professionals in their fields of interest, affording them mentorship, apprenticeship, real-world job training, transferable skills, and a network of community leaders who share a stake in their success.

  • Presentation: Students give authentic demonstrations of their learning in exhibitions of their work.

 
 
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Culture of Empathy & Agency

Social Emotional Learning as the Wellspring of Support

Students cannot meaningfully engage in academics until they feel engaged with their emotions, their peers, and their communities. Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is a critical component of adolescent education. Walkabout is grounded in a research-backed SEL framework that centers around community. The primary community is the student community. This tight-knit group galvanizes students by serving as a wellspring of support for each individual. Throughout their four years, WBHS students experience a gradual release of responsibility with the support of an engaged community. Students take ownership of their own success and that of the community thereby developing an internal locus of control that allows them to act with agency in school and in life.

This is manifest at Walkabout through the following:

  • Goal Setting + Community-Developed Agreements

  • Advisory Structure + Teachers as Mentors

  • Restorative Justice

  • Student Voice + Self-Governance

Community Partnerships

Continuous Co-creation and Coalition Building.

Walkabout schools are designed, governed, and owned by the local community—our greatest asset. Through our internship, service learning and wilderness sites, powerful bonds are developed between Walkabout and local businesses and organizations as they embark on community-driven projects and initiatives. Through focused and prioritized parent engagement, parents and students become indispensable parts of the school’s design and governance processes, which encourages a sense of shared ownership over the Walkabout experience.

This Key Design Element is manifest in the following ways:

  • Family Engagement: From the selections process to graduation, Walkabout families are encouraged to engage with and become integral parts of the Walkabout community.

  • Community Engagement: Walkabout students engage with their community during all Challenge Areas. Walkabout students work closely and create long-lasting bonds with their community partners.

  • Distributed Governance Model: The Walkabout School Model encourages a distributed model for school governance.

 
 
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Student-Staff Congruence

Replacing Professional Development with Community-wide practices. A re-imagination of professional learning.

Walkabout teachers will be fully immersed in learning experiences that move through various challenge areas, not unlike their students. During professional development, teachers will experience five content areas: WELCOME, EXPLORE, NURTURE, CREATE, and PLAY. These areas will encompass everything from attending teacher-taught workshops and outside speaker presentations, to building time to visit other teachers’ classrooms, to making space for thoughtful reflection and restoration, to providing funding for outside educational conferences and workshops.

Like our returning students, we expect that our experienced teachers will want to take the reigns in helping to lead and organize some of these PD sessions, whether it's from leading a specialized workshop on differentiation or guiding a moonlight trip to a local wolf sanctuary. The aim is to offer multiple opportunities for PD so they are reflective of faculty interests and allow for autonomy in choice.