Map Academy

Education Disruption

Education EN ↓ 44 episodes

Frustrated by the current state of education, Rachel Babcock and Josh Charpentier decided they would open a high school. Education Disruption is the story of how high school can be done differently, for the benefit of students and educators alike.

Author

Map Academy

Category

Education

Podcast website

educationdisruption.org

Latest episode

Aug 15, 2025

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Episodes

19. Supporting Older Working Students So They Can Succeed 30.07.2020

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 Meet Gustavo. He immigrated to the US with his mother and brother from Brazil at age 15. He is incredibly hardwork...

18. This Mom Knew Her Daughter Needed a Different Kind of High School 16.07.2020

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 Today we talk to Zo, who struggled to go to school every day in part because of bullying, and also because of her d...

17. From High School Drop-out to High School Graduate 02.07.2020

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 these students found Map, and why Map has worked so well for them Today we talk to Kayde, who despite all the barriers in front of him, is about to get his high school diploma from Map...

16. A Different Approach to Helping High School Students Find Their Path 23.06.2020

Welcome back to a special edition of Education Disruption. Oer 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 Today we talk to Sabrina, who was cast aside as a "bad kid" at her old school, and found success at Map Academy ----...

15. Meeting Students Needs So They Can Succeed 11.06.2020

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 Today, we talk to Hayden, who in previous school experiences struggled with a lack of mental health support and bul...

14. Moving Forward | Education Disruption Special Edition 05.05.2020

Welcome back to a special edition of Education Disruption. Over the next few weeks, we'll be talking to the co-founders and staff of Map Academy about how they are adapting to the current Covid-19 crisis and continuing to provide the wrap-around support their students count on. This episode was recorded just after Governor Baker announced that schools would remain closed for the rest of the school...

13. Academic Progress Continues | Education Disruption Special Edition 16.04.2020

Welcome back to a special edition of Education Disruption. Over the next few weeks, we'll be talking to the co-founders and staff of Map Academy about how they are adapting to the current Covid-19 crisis and continuing to provide the wrap-around support their students count on. In this episode, we talk to teachers working on-site and remotely to keep students on track academically. ------ Educatio...

12. Whatever They Need, Whatever It Takes | Education Disruption Special Edition 09.04.2020

Welcome back to a special edition of Education Disruption, over the next few weeks we'll be talking to the co-founders and staff of Map Academy about how they are adapting to the current Covid-19 crisis and continuing to provide the wrap-around support their students count on. This episode was recorded during the first week of school closures in Massachusetts and focuses on how the Map is respondi...

11. The Pivot | Education Disruption Special Edition 02.04.2020

On this new special edition of Education Disruption, we're changing the format and taking a look at how Map Academy has reacted and adapted to the ever-changing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the next few weeks, we'll be talking to the co-founders and staff about systems they are putting in place, and how they are continuing to support their student body even if school is closed. Tod...

10. Remaining on Mission Even When Things Get Tough 11.11.2019

In this final episode of our first season we discuss the challenge of remaining on mission especially when the work gets hard. It can be easy and tempting to revert back to the old model of high school education, but we knew when we started that it wouldn't be easy. We'll be taking a break from the podcast but will be returning for a second season soon potentially with a new format that will allow...

9. Running a High School as Co-Leaders 28.10.2019

Most schools have a principal, vice-principal, and superintendent, but we chose to run our school as co-leaders. Sharing these responsibilities and taking advantage of our individual strengths, we see this co-leadership model as a crucial factor in the growth of our high school. ------ Education Disruption is a podcast by Rachel Babcock and Josh Charpentier, founders of Map Academy—a free, public...

8. No Letter Grades at This High School | A New Academic Model 21.10.2019

Our academic model is specifically designed to meet kids where they are, and help them develop real competency in academics. This means at our high school there are no letter grades, and students aren't grouped by age. In this episode, we discuss our academic model.  ------ Education Disruption is a podcast by Rachel Babcock and Josh Charpentier, founders of Map Academy—a free, public charter...

7. Positive Youth Development at the Center of the High School Experience 14.10.2019

At Map Academy, our approach to high school is based in Positive Youth Development (PYD). This approach helps us better prepare our students for life, and also means that our school looks very different than other schools.  ------ Education Disruption is a podcast by Rachel Babcock and Josh Charpentier, founders of Map Academy—a free, public charter high school open to all Massachusetts stude...

6. Keeping Teachers Informed & Empowered Through Responsive Professional Development 07.10.2019

For our staff we don't plan out all of our trainings at the beginning of the year. Instead we have Responsive Professional Development that adapts to the needs of our community every week. ------ Education Disruption is a podcast by Rachel Babcock and Josh Charpentier, founders of Map Academy—a free, public charter high school open to all Massachusetts students. More about Map Academy: themapacade...

5. Disrupting High School Education Requires Patience 30.09.2019

The day-to-day challenges of running a high school that is student-centered have to be met with a certain level of patience. PROGRAM NOTE: At about 5:40 into this episode there was a knock at the door. It was a student who had just received her first credit of high school. At Map Academy, every credit earned is celebrated and announced to the entire school community. We thought this was a great mo...

4. Cultivating a Positive School Culture on the First Day of School 23.09.2019

Coming right off of our first day of school, we discuss the school culture we are trying to create at Map Academy in our second year. We also talk about the nuance of integrating a new group of students and staff with our founding students and staff. ------ Education Disruption is a podcast by Rachel Babcock and Josh Charpentier, founders of Map Academy—a free, public charter high school open to a...

3. Finding the Right Teachers to Do High School Differently 16.09.2019

It takes a certain kind of teacher to work at a school that departs from the traditional model. We put an emphasis on building the right team and investing in human capital. In this episode, we talk all things staffing.  ------ Education Disruption is a podcast by Rachel Babcock and Josh Charpentier, founders of Map Academy—a free, public charter high school open to all Massachusetts students...

2. Rethinking the High School Schedule 09.09.2019

One major aspect of the high school experience we chose to overhaul was the schedule. There are no bells at our school and students have a lot more autonomy over their day. In this episode, we talk about how we're reshaping this school day model after seeing it in action our first year.  ------ Frustrated by the current state of education, Rachel Babcock and Josh Charpentier decided they woul...

1. Opening a High School That Puts Kids First 19.08.2019

As leaders of our district's Alternative High School Program, we saw the limitations and shortcomings of the traditional model and the available alternatives. The traditional school model serves some kids, but not all kids.  We set out to reimagine high school. In our first episode of Education Disruption, we talk about how and why we came to open our own high school. ------ Education Disrupt...

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