OUR PHILOSOPHY OF LEARNING

We believe that:

Clear thinking leads to good decisions,
Good decisions lead to the right habits,
The right habits lead to character and
Character becomes destiny.
  • Socratic Guiding
  • Student-Driven Learning
  • Hands-On Quests
Mission

Each person who enters our doors will find a calling that will change the world.

Promises

We promise, through Socratic guiding and experiential learning, you and your child will:

  • Begin a Hero’s Journey
  • Learn to be curious, become an independent learner, and love lifelong earning
  • Discover your most precious gifts, along with the dedication it takes to develop real talent
  • Understand the importance of a strong character
  • Cherish the arts, the wonders of the physical world, and the mystery of life
  • Treasure economic, political, and religious freedom
Core Beliefs
  • We believe each child has a gift that can change the world in a profound way.
  • We believe in a closely connected family of lifelong learners.
  • We believe in learning to learn, learning to do, and learning to be.
  • We believe in economic, political, and religious freedom.

A Learner Driven Community

  • Students create and sign a Contract of Promises describing how each individual will act and the consequences for violating community norms.
  • Mentor teams encourage younger and older students to listen, affirm, set goals and hold each other accountable.
  • “Learn to Be” badges that celebrate character and completing leadership challenges.

Measuring Mastery

EARN BADGES TO PROVE YOU’VE MASTERED NEW SKILLS

Young heroes celebrate the mastery of tools, skills and character by earning badges, assembling portfolios and taking part in public exhibitions.

  1. Parents use badges to track academic progress in Core Skills like reading, writing, math and spelling and character development in “Learn to Be” Badges.
  2. Electronic and hard copy Portfolios capture rough drafts, photos, video and other creative work.
  3. Public exhibitions at the end of most Quests allow young heroes to present work to experts, customers or the public for a real world test.

21st Century Learning

  • The latest in educational technology for self paced mastery of reading, writing and math skills.
  • Deep Socratic discussions about heroes, history and self governance to hone critical thinking skills and the ability to powerfully think, write and speak.
  • Hands-on project based Quests to master the tools and skills needed to solve problems in the real world.
  • Written promises and covenants that form a tightly bound community of individuals learning to form authentic friendships and honestly resolve interpersonal problems.

Get Inspired

  • JEFF SANDEFER
    Acton co-founder Jeff Sandefer on reimagining learning in the 21st Century.
  • SAL KHAN
    Founder of Khan Academy visiting Acton Academy.
  • SUGATA MITRA
    Founder of School In The Cloud visiting Acton Academy.