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Developing a New School Concept: Seeking Your Feedback (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 months ago by DaddysLittleSlut@lemmy.world to c/parenting@lemmy.world

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I'm in the process of developing a concept for a "private" school here in the United States. The goal is to make education highly accessible, with tuition being exceptionally affordable—just a few hundred dollars per year. Additionally, there will be significant financial assistance available, with the possibility of free tuition for those who qualify.

Earnings for Students:

Grades K-7/8: Students will earn $10 per hour for attending school.
Grades 8-12 and Beyond: Older students will earn $17 per hour.

Our schedule is designed to balance rigorous education with personal time, offering 3 school days per week, each lasting 9 hours.

Financial Structure:

Younger Students' Earnings:
- While younger students (K-7/8) will earn money, they won’t be able to access these funds until they demonstrate a certain level of maturity or reach age 16. This is around the time they might start needing to make significant purchases, like a car. Annual Earnings:
- $13,000 per year, with opportunities to increase this amount if students choose to attend additional days or participate in special programs. Total Accumulated by Milestones:
- $103,000 to $116,000 by the time they complete 7th/8th grade.
- $191,128 to $204,128 by the time they finish 12th grade.
- $176,256 to $220,320 if they continue their education to a doctoral level.

Spending and Financial Independence:

Students will have autonomy over how they spend their money, reinforcing financial independence and responsibility.
For large purchases (especially for those under 18), we encourage a discussion with a school advisor to ensure they are making informed decisions.
When buying anything for parents or family, we require a consultation with a school advisor to protect the student's financial interests.

There are no restrictions on how students can use their funds:

They can spend on personal items (e.g., cars, technology, hobbies), educational expenses (e.g., college tuition, courses, travel for study), or even entrepreneurial ventures.

Academic Structure:

Starting from grade 3, students will be introduced to combat training, including survival skills and etiquette, which are essential for self-defense and personal development.
After grade 8 or 9, students can diverge into specialized pathways, similar to college tracks, and graduate with a degree.

Classroom Environment:

Class Sizes: 17 students per room, with 30 rooms and 10 districts in total.
Teaching Model: Each room will have 17 specialized teachers and one head teacher to ensure personalized and focused instruction.
Health and Data Collection: We will collect comprehensive health and educational data on each student. Parents will have full access to this data, with transparency on who is viewing the information. However, sensitive information, such as sexual activity (unless a risk is identified), sexual orientation, gender, and religion/culture, will remain private.

Student Wellness and Education:

Sex Education: Basic sex education will begin in 5th grade, with more detailed instruction in 8th-9th grade. Additional learning opportunities will be available for students interested in areas like medical fields.
Health Exams: Due to the physical nature of some of our programs, such as combat and martial arts, we will require two separate body exams each year. Parents will have the option to opt in, but ultimately, we encourage students to make their own decisions regarding their participation. If there's a disagreement between the student and the parent, a council will review both perspectives and determine the best course of action.

Technology Integration:

VR Helmets and Avatars: For interactive remote learning or sick days (which are optional, not required), students can use VR helmets and avatars to stay engaged.
Augmented Reality (AR): AR will be integrated into daily learning, with noise-cancellation headphones and customizable lighting available to enhance the educational environment.

Feedback from Parents:

I value the input of parents and guardians, as your perspectives are crucial in refining this concept. I'm open to suggestions, concerns, or ideas on how to make this school a place where every child can thrive academically, socially, and personally.

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[–] svc@lemmy.frozeninferno.xyz 6 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Wow, there's a lot going on here. Thanks for sharing!

All of the numbers appear to be arbitrary, but perhaps they're backed up by some calculations. I'm particularly interested in how the classroom environment numbers were obtained - 10 districts, 30 rooms, 17 specialized teachers + 1 head teacher per room, and 17 students per room.

I don't think a single school needs to do everything. For instance, if there are martial arts programs in the community, having the private school offer this seems to duplicate effort. Is the plan to hire those in the community and consolidate everything into one location? Is the motivation convenience for parents? Drop your kid(s) off in the morning and pick them up in the evening - everything educational and extracurricular has been handled by the school?

This sounds like a very expensive school - do all of the funds come from the tuition parents pay? If each student has their own personal teacher (17 teachers and 17 students per room), and they're paid ~36 hours/week (3 days per week, 9 hours per day), and the school has to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars per student that finishes high school, I don't know where in the US you would find enough parents willing to pay so much for the convenience of a one-stop all-in-one school, even in the wealthiest areas of the US, to make this sustainable.

If corporations are expected to subsidize some of these costs, it seems that some of the industries interested in early education would prefer to control it themselves, and probably focus on specific subjects (usually STEM), rather than offer all possible subject areas.

I think public school is a good model for educating the vast majority of children - it doesn't put a financial burden on families; states and municipalities have a fairly well established funding model (depending on the state); there are educational standards that educators must meet (depending on the state). Why not advocate for increased taxes to better fund public schools? Property tax is a common source of school funding, but that means public schools technically aren't exactly free (families that own a home pay this tax directly; renters probably pay out indirectly through increased rent). If we pass corporate and wealth taxes, that could be better to learn the burden on families, though possibly less reliable year-to-year compared to property tax.

[–] DaddysLittleSlut@lemmy.world -1 points 2 months ago

While in all reality without the nearly unlimited resources and funding this would be extremely expensive for sure but if I have the capabilities I’d prefer to make change similar.

[–] DaddysLittleSlut@lemmy.world -2 points 2 months ago

The funding would be on the school owners themselves. Which wouldn’t be any issue. Also for sure I don’t think every school should have everything ether but parents sometimes can’t afford or are ignorantly not sending their kids to things like martial arts. While including it in a curriculum can ensure proper education of safety.

The resources and funding is the least of an issue almost an unlimited access. So my idea was to come up with something futurist secure and accessible to everyone.

[–] DaddysLittleSlut@lemmy.world -2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

More to add for things like the community, clubs all of that our school would get involved in. We will fund and support them in those too. Our goal is to create a place of equality and inclusion. Also money for schooling should never been an issue most likely the 100-300 is just a publicity thing so not as many questions start arising about how are they affording this with no money. Even though it won’t full make it look normal it’ll help. Though that’s why we also focus on Financial support often and sometimes free education. Also lunches are free and included balanced while actually tasteful food. Including different varieties for vegan, cultural or dietary restrictions.

Also this doesn’t replace Public or Private school but reinvents them into something. Engaging, fun, beneficial and rewarding. Kids in our current system aren’t allowed to explore be themselves and learn catered to them. Hindering or damaging their education. My approach follows similarly to the Norwegian schools (I believe Norwegian) it’s show in an incredible boost in happiness and productivity.

[–] svc@lemmy.frozeninferno.xyz 3 points 2 months ago

So this is definitely sounding like it will be publicly funded (I don't think a school owner would be incentivized to spend millions of dollars per year out of pocket). So it's a public school, which I'm on board with. I think it would be easier to improve on an existing model than try to start from scratch.

I would prefer if it didn't feel like a single resource. It would be nice if neighborhoods were planned around a central school, where all homes are within a 15 minute walk of the school. There should be parks in each neighborhood as well. Bonus points if no one ever has to cross a street to get to school (above-ground walkways or getting creative with the geometry of street layouts, I don't know). Then there can be community centers where all of the sports and extracurricular activities (music, literature, painting) are performed. Instead of 9 hours at the same building, the head teacher of each classroom can walk their students to the community center, where they go to their preferred activity. Maybe the kids are fed a meal at the community center, asking with the meals they're fed at school.

The school, community center, teachers, coaches, activity coordinators, chefs, cafeteria workers, are all funded by taxes, which would simplify making things solvent.