Education Disruption

The high school experience is critical for young people during their transition to adulthood. Understanding what they need to be successful during this pivotal time should shape the way schools evolve to meet their students’ needs. In this episode, you'll hear from recent graduates of Map Academy , each with their own unique reason for being disconnected from high school—some thinking they mig...

Increasingly, we’re hearing from teachers that student morale and engagement are concerningly low while behavioral issues are on the rise. But are the typical approaches to classroom management actually making student engagement and behavior worse? What happens when a teacher is expected to confront a student about their behavior in front of their peers, give them a failing grade due to absences,...

In traditional high schools, students are expected to adhere to strict schedules, standards, and benchmarks, all of which can be unrealistic for learners whose educations have been disrupted by their life circumstances. And when students fail to conform to expectations, it can be easy to fall off track, with many being driven to drop out altogether. That’s why students at Map Academy always have a...

We all know that school is supposed to be a place to focus on learning. But for many students, learning can be disrupted by the realities of their lives, including and especially trauma. Map Academy was designed to serve students who are dealing with challenging lived experiences—like substance misuse, housing insecurity, and mental health struggles—that can lead to trauma. Beyond just recognizing...

We need your support! We’re in the running to record a live episode of the podcast at SXSW EDU. Community votes help determine the lineup, so every vote counts! Our session proposal is all about devices in the classroom — the inequity that comes with policing phone use and how we can approach tech in a way that empowers and respects all students. In this special episode, hear from Co-founder &...

In this edition of Education Disruption, you’ll hear stories of success and challenge as told by Map students — a final capstone project before their high school graduation. In this episode, we hear from Zay. Facing personal struggles with depression and substance use, he had trouble staying on track at his previous schools — he was getting suspended and expelled and says he was treated...

In this edition of Education Disruption, we’re hearing from Map Academy students right before they graduate from high school. As they reached this milestone, they were tasked with reflecting on their journeys as part of a storytelling capstone assignment.  In high school, Jennie kept finding herself in trouble. There was a lot going on at home and school, and she would be involved in drama, g...

In this edition of Education Disruption, we’re talking to students of Map Academy just before they become official high school graduates. As part of their graduation requirements, these students were tasked with reflecting on the journeys that led them to this point. Jayden faced several challenges at his previous high school — inadequate staff support, anxiety, depression, and bullying made him b...

In this new edition of Education Disruption, we’re featuring stories of success and challenge as told by Map students in their own words — a final capstone project before their graduation. Getting started at Map during the 2019 - 2020 school year, right as the pandemic took hold, was tough for Doug. He struggled to adjust to the new setting, fell behind, and feared he wouldn’t be able to grad...

In this edition of Education Disruption, we’re featuring stories of success and challenge as told by Map students in their own words — a final capstone project before their graduation. In this episode, we hear from Javon, a recent Map graduate. At his previous schools, Javon was distracted, wasn’t getting the right support from his teachers, and got caught up in friendships that weren’t serving hi...

In this new edition of Education Disruption, we’re featuring stories of success and challenge as told by Map students in their own words — a final capstone project before their graduation.  In this episode, we hear from Autumn. Faced with complex challenges — including an ADHD diagnosis, juggling work and school, and homelessness — academics were hard to focus on or prioritize. She never lost...

As part of this year’s SXSW EDU conference, Map Academy was selected to record a live episode of Education Disruption. In this episode, you’ll hear from Map alumni Reggie and Aja about their previous school experiences, how they found their way to Map and what makes it different, and their plans for life after high school. The session also features Co-Founder and Co-Director Rachel Babcock. Many t...

Map Academy’s model was designed with flexibility built-in, making it ideal for students who can’t attend school on a traditional schedule — including those who are working full-time to support themselves and their families, like Sophia. Sophia struggled with mental health and family issues, causing instability that disrupted her education. Her experience at her last school was challenging, and sh...

Youth development requires meeting students where they’re at. At Map Academy, that means understanding that some students might have experienced trauma that has caused them to struggle in previous schools. That’s why Map educators prioritize fostering mutual trust with their students. In this episode, we hear from Anre Dowell (Community Support Partner). During his time at Map, Anre used his youth...

In order for an educational practice to be truly student-centered, teachers must understand their students — their strengths, weaknesses, hopes, and lives beyond the classroom. With trusting relationships in place, learning experiences are more effective because they are tailored to student needs. In this episode of Education Disruption, we hear Ryan’s story. Map's flexible, student-centered appro...

At Map Academy, we know that life — including struggles with mental health — can get in the way of learning. And oftentimes, in traditional schools, students who fall behind aren’t given the support they need to catch up academically. This, unfortunately, happened to Jenna. She struggled to get back on track after missing a lot of school. Then, she found her way to Map.  In this episode, we h...

Map Academy students are survivors — many have been forced to navigate challenges beyond their years. To help students through these obstacles, Map offers wraparound supports, like social workers who help students tackle a wide range of barriers — from hunger, to housing insecurity, to substance misuse, and more. And, crucially, staff works hard to ensure students know that Map will be there for t...

Integral to Map Academy’s unique, student-centered approach is time — for students to work at their own pace, for teachers to build trusting relationships with learners, and for staff to adjust to Map’s model. Map works hard to find staff with the patience and flexibility needed to foster Map’s supportive student and staff culture — in this episode, we hear from three of them: Steve (Teaching &amp...

We’re back with a brand new season of Education Disruption, with more stories from the Map Academy community. In this episode, we hear from Jade, who came to Map after her anxiety made it difficult to stay on track at her traditional high school. Jade worked closely with Mike, Wraparound Co-Lead and Social Worker at Map. We also hear from him about how Map’s trauma-informed and competency-based mo...

After more than a year of adapting their model to meet the needs of the COVID-19 pandemic, Map Academy teachers, staff, and students are preparing for their in-person reopening. And while Map’s focus at the moment is making sure they can reopen safely, founders Josh and Rachel are also thinking ahead to more long-term goals and aspirations—in particular, housing for students. A residential program...

One of the requirements to graduate from Map Academy is a post-secondary plan, ensuring that students leave Map with meaningful, actionable steps to take toward a career or college. Co-founders Rachel and Josh recognize that what happens after high school is just as important as getting a diploma. In this episode, they share their insights about the post-secondary planning process, some of the cha...

Map Academy co-founders Josh Charpentier and Rachel Babcock reflect on the impact of the pandemic—on their students, opportunities, and challenges presented, as well as some resulting innovations. Because Map was specifically designed to re-engage marginalized students who are off track or dropped out, we wanted to know what shifts Josh and Rachel are seeing in an alternative high school model und...

In this episode, co-founders Josh and Rachel talk about building the right team in the middle of a pandemic. Map Academy is an alternative school for disconnected and marginalized youth. Their model was built for disruption. Covid-19 is just that—another disruption. Map puts students at the center of every decision, including when it comes to hiring new staff—because who better to talk about what...

As schools across the country are wrestling with opening during the ongoing pandemic, we catch up with Map founders Josh and Rachel as they prepare to reopen and welcome back students and staff. They share the challenges and unexpected silver linings created by the statewide mandated closure. We hear how the Map staff is doing all they can to open—and remain open—so their students can get the supp...

Welcome back to a special edition of Education Disruption. Over the next few weeks we'll be talking to students of Map Academy that are preparing to graduate amidst a myriad of disruption. We'll hear the stories of how these students found Map, and why Map has worked so well for them. In today's episode, we talk to Virginia, who experienced tragedy in 10th grade but found her way back to high scho...