What is an experimental school? This school, usually affiliated to a college or university, aims at testing and developing new educational models, incubating new ideas and allowing young teachers to train in a real classroom environment. Laboratory schools, also known as model schools, 100 years ago came to the United States as a way for young teachers to gain field experience. Although most of them are related to universities or teacher training institutions, some of them are run by private education companies. Perhaps more importantly, experimental schools continue to attract parents looking for alternatives to traditional schools.

What are the advantages of American experimental schools? Brian Galenberg, CEO of Silicon School Fund, a non-profit organization that provides funds for experimental schools, said: "Our idea is to create new schools with innovative laboratories." . He said that these schools "try new teaching methods, offer new courses, and strive to improve students' autonomy and initiative in their own education. "

Focus on innovation

The concept of experimental school can be traced back to Europe and Japan in17th century. According to the International Association of Laboratory Schools, they were originally called "affiliated schools", indicating that they have close physical ties with colleges or universities. The first experimental school in the United States was founded at the University of Chicago on 1896 by john dewey, a famous philosopher and educational reformer. The experimental school of the University of Chicago continued to operate after 125, focusing on teaching children to "ask questions, develop inquiry methods, challenge traditional thinking and pursue original ideas".

Nowadays experimental schools often try new things. In the Khan Lab School founded by Salman "sal" Khan, the founder of online learning giant Khan Academy, in Silicon Valley, California in 20 14, children in grades K- 12 are divided into seven "independent levels" of mixed age. It also runs 12 months every year and provides extended days.

Other experimental schools pay more attention to certain groups of students, such as students with special needs.

For example, Laboratory School is a small independent school in Washington, D.C., founded in 1967, for students who have differences in reading and language learning, such as dyslexic students. It belongs to the American College of Education. Baltimore Experimental School is also developed for students with learning disabilities. Although it is not directly affiliated to a university, it has famous university neighbors, including Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland.

Advantages and disadvantages of experimental schools

Ronald Snodgrass, temporary director of Greenwood Experimental School at Missouri State University, said that the school environment of minority learning majors made experimental schools a good choice for some children. Greenwood prides itself on its high average ACT score and 100% attendance of college graduates. But schools attract families for many reasons. Education experts say that the advantages of most experimental schools lie in their academic focus, small teacher-student ratio and the enhancement of resources and equipment that continuous research usually brings. The emphasis on new methods has attracted some parents.

"I think over the years, we have optimized a single education model," Greenberg said. "In most cases, we have done a good job in creating large comprehensive high schools and small primary schools, which follow the curriculum that most children can achieve. But over the years, the educational circles have realized that there must be a better way to provide education in an innovative way. The common disadvantage is that experimental schools may not provide some structures that students need; Parents and students may have to adapt to non-traditional teaching methods; Compared with traditional schools, students usually spend more time with novice teachers.

Tansuo experimental school

The tuition fees of some experimental schools are comparable to those of private schools. For example, in Khan Laboratory School, tuition fees range from about 30,000 dollars per year in junior high school to about 33,600 dollars in senior high school. Although most experimental schools provide financial assistance, tuition fees may cause obstacles for some families.

However, some laboratory schools are publicly supported, such as the Design Technology High School in Redwood City, California. Design Tech supported by Stanford University is a public charter school, supplemented by charitable donations. Greenberg said: "The idea of experimental schools is to be willing to take risks and accept new ideas." . "Traditional systems are not so flexible. Experimental schools know their purpose, that is, to create schools where new ideas are born, developed and spread.