What if purpose making was at the core of the high school learning experience? Idea51 tested it — and discovered long-term positive outcomes.

The Idea51 team met with Tom Vander Ark of Getting Smart to talk about scaling one of the coolest schools in the world, One Stone. This school puts agency, student voice and making the world a better place at the core of their values and growth transcripts.

A reflection on a recent visit to One Stone’s research + design hub, Idea51 — known as one of the most important educational R&D centers in the world.

If you ask any high school student to name their favorite part of the day you may hear: the sound of the final bell. Not so at One Stone, Idea51’s largest client: a school in Boise that is flipping the script on high school as we know it.

Idea51’s learner profile, the Growth Framework, was a success from the beginning — it measures students’ growth as they work toward becoming fully developed human beings. It follows their academic progress, to be sure, but also their growth in mindset, creativity, empathy and skills ranging from goal-setting to critical thinking. According to college admission stats, it’s only the beginning for the Growth Framework.