When schools attempt to change pedagogy on a large scale, they are generally met with quite a bit of resistance. At the centre of this resistance is fear. Fear from students that they would not be able to attend post-secondary without traditional schooling methods, and fear from parents about the future of their children.
Using High Tech High as an example, it is easy to see the positive aspects of an alternative approach to learning. It is made clear from the 2015 “Most Likely to Succeed” documentary that the students are able to create projects that they are passionate about, and that they are able to demonstrate their learning in any way that they would like. This approach can be extremely beneficial to students who do not respond well to traditional methods. The same student who might fail a test on a certain subject, may very well be able to produce a play detailing the topic. Despite it not being the standard method of learning, it is a clear indication that they have truly internalized and understood the concept.
However, it is also acknowledged that this approach would not work for everyone. I can say for certain that this format of learning would not benefit me in the same way it might my classmates. I know that I work best when I am given very specific instructions and a very clear rubric so that I know exactly what I must do to get the grade that I desire. I know that I would also worry about my chances of getting into university, as well as knowing where I stand academically in relation to the rest of the country.
This is addressed in the documentary, however, when they reveal that the students from High Tech High scored 10% higher than the state average on the Senior exit exam (Whitely et al., 2015, 1:19:58). Further, the High Tech High college acceptance rate is a staggering 98% (Whitely et al., 2015, 1:20:09). These statistics alone illustrate the type of schooling happening at High Tech High to not only be adequate, but perhaps in some instances superior.
References
Whiteley, G., Dintersmith, T., & Leibowitz, A. (2015). Most likely to succeed [Video]. One Potato Productions. webapp.library.uvic.ca/videos/viewlinks.php?vfn=Most-Likely-To-Succeed-(2015).mp4