I love everything about this approach. I truly wish I had this as a child. I have two little ones - four and 10 months. I am terrified to send them into a traditional school structure. I am also trying to balance cost and flexibility. I saw the costs of your schools in Texas and it seemed way out of the price range for most. The latest google search says - between $25,000 and $40,000 per year. Are you planning to roll out a 2 hr curriculum for people to adopt for homeschool or other types of schooling that are public/affordable models?
Totally. We have a homeschool program in testing with 20 families. We expect to be able to roll that out more broadly this year. Sign up at this link to be kept up to date: https://go.alpha.school/home-school
Additionally, we are working to make our program available via charter schools. We have been approved in AZ, but rejected in 5 other states. (We may be too non-traditional.) We will continue to work to be approved everywhere.
Hi! We actually had to transfer our 2nd grader mid-trimester to home/online school due to lack of support for her anxiety disorder. (I subbed to Austin scholar the same week!)
Could you comment on CAVA@LA public online charter school’s Stride K12.com model - in your opinion are we in good hands there?
Any suggestions you have to maybe supplement their curriculum - which seems definitely on the right track towards individual learning?
Mostly, I feel like we are missing out by not integrating LLM/multimodal ai tutoring 🤖🤍
I run a K-12 private school with around 125 students, and I've been intrigued by this model of education for our students. Do you have any resources that you would recommend that I should look into as I continue to research?
Our website and my podcast is a great place to start! Also, feel free to email dave.pettine@2hourlearning.com. He is working with private schools thinking of implementing 2hrLearning.
Finally someone talking about new ideas for how to teach our kids! Please keep posting, we need more education newsletters like this that talk about the future instead of staying stuck in the past
100%, this is a GREAT IDEA. However, as evident in this article, Alpha is misrepresenting their "results". The idea that students "rank in the 1% nationally" is much more likely due to the selection process (application process, application testing), and socio-economic status of the parents who can afford to send their children to private school (Right off the bat the application is $100 per student). To really get this educational model off the ground and understand its benefits, it has to be implemented in a public setting - for which I am a total supporter. Any educational strategy/model is going to be effective if the children attending the schools are already well disciplined, well off, and coming from highly educated families. What is Alpha doing to push public school districts to adopt this model? If the answer is 'essentially nothing' then this is nothing more than just a really good luxury product Alpha is selling wealthy families, which would be very disappointing.
The amazing thing about this model is that it’s not tied to socioeconomic status at all. Kids from all different backgrounds succeed in this model. And, our goal is to get this product into as many people’s hands as possible. We are currently implementing this model in a private school setting, but we are trying to get it implemented in a charter school model. We have been approved in AZ, but rejected in 5 other states. (We may be too non-traditional.) We will continue to work to be approved everywhere.
You ignored my point. Alpha's "results" are heavily skewed. You are using the "results" to "prove" that your new educational model works, when in reality the "results" you're claiming are from other factors. This model needs to be used with a more diverse set of children for the results of the educational program to have any merit. Unless Alpha has reliable data showing a diverse set of economic and educational backgrounds of the parents/families of the kids that attend, it's quite obvious your "results" are skewed.
I think she is trying to say that she predicts everyone will do well based on the model and the data she has and that she is trying to get it into charter because charter schools are free/publicly funded and it would open up the program to everyone.
@Nico - Fair point and critique. Personally, I believe Alpha should promote their outcomes as early evidence that a different paradigm in education is DESPERATELY NEEDED. Kids (and teachers) deserve an updated model for education.
The future is going to look extremely different and a new way to prepare kids for adulthood is needed. Strongly support what you're doing and hope we can bring something like this for my kids in Canada.
Great article MacKenzie! Seconding others here who want to bring the concept internationally! Would be great if we could build this system on top of other international curriculums as well :)
How do you address the time kids are on screens though - can you talk more about that vs the in person engagement aspect of your student's learning day. Thanks so much for your reply
This is a real trade-off for parents. In our system, kids spend 2hrs/day on screens, then get 4hrs/day of non-screen, active, team/project based workshops. Our families believe that 2hrs on screens to crush academics is a worthwhile tradeoff vs. sitting bored in class for 6 hours. Additionally, for most kids, screens are already an everyday part of life. Traditional classrooms already use tablets and apps on a daily basis. We believe our students actually spend LESS time on screens over the course of the day.
At the beginning of covid. My precocious young niece was in third grade. Her parents put her in an online school with teacher guided, but self paced, learning. She is currently in 9th grade and will start college in two years, at the age of 15. While the prospect of her being with peers that are more physically and mentally mature is a bit daunting, she is thriving intellectually. Can you imagine how much better our children would be if they were not forced to learn in a box, limited by the performance of others? We need to reimagine education to bring out the best in each student, whether they are bound for college or a skilled trade. The cookie cutter approach isn't serving the students or the future of the world.
Great article! Your point about gaps in knowledge compounding over time is something I've observed (anecdotally) for K-5+ math. Perhaps this will be in a future article, but I'd love to hear about how you plan to scale the 2-hour learning model to more schools. Given that the education system is slow to change and also fragmented, is there a version of 2-hour learning that can work to supplement traditional learning in the classroom? It sounds like you're looking into creating a homeschooling model--perhaps this can be extended to supplementing as well.
We are looking to get 2Hour Learning into all school models: public, charter, private, homeschool, after-school. We think every student (and parent) would prefer to learn in 2 hours/day instead of sitting in class for 6. It will require a lot of work to make it happen, but we are dedicated and long-term focused.
I am going to seriously look into this. I am currently homeschooling my four daughters utilizing ACES which is a mastery based program, which for .y oldest we just got custody of this year. She is 16, was supposed to be a sophomore, but her learning gaps place her .ath and English in level 4th and mid-5th. It's sad how the current public schools just "pass/move along" because you showed up.
I'm desperate for major changes to education as a teacher. I agree with this totally. Time to stop wasting these kids time. I was homeschooled for years and the day was always done before lunch. You don't need more if you hit it hard.
I love this approach and it seems very similar to the way a Charlotte Mason education is structured (with more of a modern twist). Do you know if there are homeschool coops using this model? It seems like it could lend really nicely.
Hey MacKenzie! Absolutely love this, we need to talk! I’ve actually emailed already, sent to Rachel Goodlad. Love the 2hr learning method, we need to adopt this in the UK.
I’m building a network of alternative education centres in the UK (tubers.uk). We are changing education to a Skill Stacking system. We have 4 centres open so far and build all our own digital media programs, all child centred learning. Let’s talk!
I love everything about this approach. I truly wish I had this as a child. I have two little ones - four and 10 months. I am terrified to send them into a traditional school structure. I am also trying to balance cost and flexibility. I saw the costs of your schools in Texas and it seemed way out of the price range for most. The latest google search says - between $25,000 and $40,000 per year. Are you planning to roll out a 2 hr curriculum for people to adopt for homeschool or other types of schooling that are public/affordable models?
Totally. We have a homeschool program in testing with 20 families. We expect to be able to roll that out more broadly this year. Sign up at this link to be kept up to date: https://go.alpha.school/home-school
Additionally, we are working to make our program available via charter schools. We have been approved in AZ, but rejected in 5 other states. (We may be too non-traditional.) We will continue to work to be approved everywhere.
Hi! We actually had to transfer our 2nd grader mid-trimester to home/online school due to lack of support for her anxiety disorder. (I subbed to Austin scholar the same week!)
Could you comment on CAVA@LA public online charter school’s Stride K12.com model - in your opinion are we in good hands there?
Any suggestions you have to maybe supplement their curriculum - which seems definitely on the right track towards individual learning?
Mostly, I feel like we are missing out by not integrating LLM/multimodal ai tutoring 🤖🤍
I run a K-12 private school with around 125 students, and I've been intrigued by this model of education for our students. Do you have any resources that you would recommend that I should look into as I continue to research?
Our website and my podcast is a great place to start! Also, feel free to email dave.pettine@2hourlearning.com. He is working with private schools thinking of implementing 2hrLearning.
Website: https://2hourlearning.com/actions
Podcast: https://futureofeducationpod.com/
Thanks, MacKenzie!
Finally someone talking about new ideas for how to teach our kids! Please keep posting, we need more education newsletters like this that talk about the future instead of staying stuck in the past
Absolutely!
this is a new take on pedagogy that already exists, i recommend branching out to read about other educational philosophies— there are many 😊
homeschoolers be like “yep” 😅😅
100%, this is a GREAT IDEA. However, as evident in this article, Alpha is misrepresenting their "results". The idea that students "rank in the 1% nationally" is much more likely due to the selection process (application process, application testing), and socio-economic status of the parents who can afford to send their children to private school (Right off the bat the application is $100 per student). To really get this educational model off the ground and understand its benefits, it has to be implemented in a public setting - for which I am a total supporter. Any educational strategy/model is going to be effective if the children attending the schools are already well disciplined, well off, and coming from highly educated families. What is Alpha doing to push public school districts to adopt this model? If the answer is 'essentially nothing' then this is nothing more than just a really good luxury product Alpha is selling wealthy families, which would be very disappointing.
The amazing thing about this model is that it’s not tied to socioeconomic status at all. Kids from all different backgrounds succeed in this model. And, our goal is to get this product into as many people’s hands as possible. We are currently implementing this model in a private school setting, but we are trying to get it implemented in a charter school model. We have been approved in AZ, but rejected in 5 other states. (We may be too non-traditional.) We will continue to work to be approved everywhere.
You ignored my point. Alpha's "results" are heavily skewed. You are using the "results" to "prove" that your new educational model works, when in reality the "results" you're claiming are from other factors. This model needs to be used with a more diverse set of children for the results of the educational program to have any merit. Unless Alpha has reliable data showing a diverse set of economic and educational backgrounds of the parents/families of the kids that attend, it's quite obvious your "results" are skewed.
I think she is trying to say that she predicts everyone will do well based on the model and the data she has and that she is trying to get it into charter because charter schools are free/publicly funded and it would open up the program to everyone.
@Nico - Fair point and critique. Personally, I believe Alpha should promote their outcomes as early evidence that a different paradigm in education is DESPERATELY NEEDED. Kids (and teachers) deserve an updated model for education.
The future is going to look extremely different and a new way to prepare kids for adulthood is needed. Strongly support what you're doing and hope we can bring something like this for my kids in Canada.
Great article MacKenzie! Seconding others here who want to bring the concept internationally! Would be great if we could build this system on top of other international curriculums as well :)
Loved your idea. Let's think together about spreading it out internationally. Please get in touch: ronitrozen@gmail.com
How do you address the time kids are on screens though - can you talk more about that vs the in person engagement aspect of your student's learning day. Thanks so much for your reply
This is a real trade-off for parents. In our system, kids spend 2hrs/day on screens, then get 4hrs/day of non-screen, active, team/project based workshops. Our families believe that 2hrs on screens to crush academics is a worthwhile tradeoff vs. sitting bored in class for 6 hours. Additionally, for most kids, screens are already an everyday part of life. Traditional classrooms already use tablets and apps on a daily basis. We believe our students actually spend LESS time on screens over the course of the day.
a third of the stuff we do in class and 90% of the homework is digital, so only 2 hours sounds nice rn lol
At the beginning of covid. My precocious young niece was in third grade. Her parents put her in an online school with teacher guided, but self paced, learning. She is currently in 9th grade and will start college in two years, at the age of 15. While the prospect of her being with peers that are more physically and mentally mature is a bit daunting, she is thriving intellectually. Can you imagine how much better our children would be if they were not forced to learn in a box, limited by the performance of others? We need to reimagine education to bring out the best in each student, whether they are bound for college or a skilled trade. The cookie cutter approach isn't serving the students or the future of the world.
Great article! Your point about gaps in knowledge compounding over time is something I've observed (anecdotally) for K-5+ math. Perhaps this will be in a future article, but I'd love to hear about how you plan to scale the 2-hour learning model to more schools. Given that the education system is slow to change and also fragmented, is there a version of 2-hour learning that can work to supplement traditional learning in the classroom? It sounds like you're looking into creating a homeschooling model--perhaps this can be extended to supplementing as well.
We are looking to get 2Hour Learning into all school models: public, charter, private, homeschool, after-school. We think every student (and parent) would prefer to learn in 2 hours/day instead of sitting in class for 6. It will require a lot of work to make it happen, but we are dedicated and long-term focused.
Great to hear about your longer-term plans. I've already signed up for your homeschool pilot (although we're not currently homeschooling).
I am going to seriously look into this. I am currently homeschooling my four daughters utilizing ACES which is a mastery based program, which for .y oldest we just got custody of this year. She is 16, was supposed to be a sophomore, but her learning gaps place her .ath and English in level 4th and mid-5th. It's sad how the current public schools just "pass/move along" because you showed up.
I'm desperate for major changes to education as a teacher. I agree with this totally. Time to stop wasting these kids time. I was homeschooled for years and the day was always done before lunch. You don't need more if you hit it hard.
I love this approach and it seems very similar to the way a Charlotte Mason education is structured (with more of a modern twist). Do you know if there are homeschool coops using this model? It seems like it could lend really nicely.
We hope to have a solution for homeschool and microschools in 2025. Sign up here to be kept up to date: https://go.alpha.school/home-school
AMAZING. Thank you!
Well written, I'm learning more about two hour learning all the time. What an amazing future ahead for our children!
Hey MacKenzie! Absolutely love this, we need to talk! I’ve actually emailed already, sent to Rachel Goodlad. Love the 2hr learning method, we need to adopt this in the UK.
I’m building a network of alternative education centres in the UK (tubers.uk). We are changing education to a Skill Stacking system. We have 4 centres open so far and build all our own digital media programs, all child centred learning. Let’s talk!
This is the Montessori Model. The Morning Work Cycle and the Afternoon Work Cycle. 💕 - Teacher in a Montessori School
I love to bring this concept to Europe ! Who is in working together with me ?
I am in