Giving Compass' Take:

• This Getting Smart post profiles a small school in Renton, Washington, that incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) lessons into the curriculum.

• How might such a STEM-focused program work in other school districts? In what ways will AI training help prepare children for the future of work?

• Here's more on why the next generation of science education is hands on.

Imagine a small secondary school in a converted city hall next to a library and a park, on a river, in a vibrant urban core. Imagine every student conducting community-connected projects, studying computer science, and graduating from high school with an AA degree.

You’re imaging Renton Prep, a microschool at the south end of Lake Washington in bustling downtown Renton, a suburban Seattle city that is home of the Boeing 737 and the Seahawks NFL training facility.

Michelle Zimmerman is the Executive Director of Renton Prep Christian School and Amazing Grace Elementary in Seattle, schools her grandmother started almost 60 years ago.

Like her own hybrid high school experience combining dual enrollment courses and work experiences, Zimmerman created a secondary school where learners engage with integrated community connected projects that prepare them to enroll full time as juniors at local community colleges.

Renton Prep uses Core Knowledge curriculum in middle grades to build content knowledge. Students take more than 20 field trips to explore learning at the intersection of domains ...

A few years ago, Michelle began to see references to artificial intelligence (AI) in popular culture and the media. When she saw more adaptive learning programs being released she realized AI was changing both what young people should learn, as well as how they can learn. In 2016, she began researching AI implications and applications.

She interviewed industry experts on what students should know and be able to do. She scaled that back to elementary school and began incorporating learning experiences for all students.

Read the full article about exploring new frontiers for learning through AI by Tom Vander Ark at Getting Smart.