Miscoe Hill Middle School Accepted into the Applied Learning Leadership Institute

MENDON — Superintendent Maureen Cohen is pleased to share that the Miscoe Hill Middle School has received grant funds as well as a spot in the 2024-25 Applied Learning Leadership Institute (ALLI) from the One8 Foundation.

ALLI is a program of the One8 Foundation, which offers leading school teams the opportunity to work together to integrate applied learning into the instructional vision of the school.

Amidst a competitive pool, Miscoe Hill was awarded this grant in large part due to the instructional vision put forth by the leadership team as well as the quality of its existing applied learning offerings.

“We have been fortunate to have our Nipmuc HS team a part of this year’s ALLI program and we are thrilled to be afforded the opportunity to expand our membership with our Miscoe Hill Middle School team,” said Superintendent Cohen. “We know that our continued partnership with ALLI will enhance our strategic priorities in designing project-based and authentic learning experiences for our students.”

Miscoe Hill Middle School will use grant funds to visit and learn from other schools similarly focused on applied learning as well to pilot new strategies to expand applied learning across an increasing set of grade levels and academic content areas. The school will have access to coaching support as well as support from peer schools also engaged in the ALLI 2024-25 cohort.

Launched in 2023, ALLI offers school leadership teams the opportunity to receive grant funding to run new pilot programs that advance applied learning. At the core of applied learning, is the idea that schools can accelerate student learning by orienting coursework around real-world meaningful problems, while emphasizing many of the soft skills that are critical in the modern labor market such as collaboration, communication, iteration and persistence.

Across the Commonwealth, there are a number of examples where using this type of instructional approach has improved student achievement while increasing student satisfaction with their school experience.

“Students are hungry for experiences that allow them to tackle real-world, meaningful problems. Expanding access to applied learning that really puts the thinking work back on students can deliver academic gains while building soft skills students need to succeed in our rapidly changing world,” said President of the One8 Foundation Joanna Jacobson.

About the One8 Foundation
The One8 education team identifies, supports and scales high impact programs and
approaches that help schools and teachers prepare students for success in a rapidly changing, data rich world. One8 imagines a future where high-quality applied learning opportunities that make learning relevant, stimulating and rewarding are a regular part of the student experience driving impact for all students. Learn more at www.one8.org.
 
About the Applied Learning Leadership Institute
The Institute allows cohorts of school leadership teams to collaborate and expand opportunities for students to experience high-quality Applied Learning that shifts the cognitive demand to students. School teams engage in a series of facilitated sessions and visits to other schools showing strong Applied Learning practices. Teams, led by the Principal, identify a local problem of practice, work through cycles of designing, piloting, and iterating on a set of strategies that respond to the problem, and analyze student impact data. In addition, teams participate in school visits designed to spur creativity and new thinking.