Where Academic Achievement Meets Personal Growth
Innovate DP Cultivates
Independent, Critical Thinkers
By Ellery Wakeman | November 21, 2024
Read more of our 2024 Schools of Thought stories here.
Innovate DP is transforming the traditional education experience through tailored, immersive courses that offer students a more engaging way to learn. Project-based and relationship-driven, the Dos Pueblos High School program dually focuses on students’ academic achievements as well as their personal growth.
Directed by teacher Kelly Choi, the vision behind Innovate DP aligns with an increasing national interest in project-based, master-assessed models. The program was inspired by schools that had successfully implemented similar ideas of closely involving students in the creation of their own education.
“A bunch of teachers and I worked together in a previous program,” said Choi, the 2014 Santa Barbara County Teacher of the Year. “The team and I spent two years researching high schools all over the United States, asking questions like, ‘How are you making kids curious, and how are you making them feel engaged in their learning?’ ”
Innovate DP was the answer to these questions. The program, funded in partnership with the Santa Barbara Education Foundation, prioritizes personal relationships among teachers, adults, and students in the classroom while restructuring conventional courses to be more flexible and engrossing. Students create their schedule based on a variety of rotating topics that fulfill subject requirements. Additionally, they are offered opportunities to work with a teacher or mentor to develop their own projects.
Aside from differences in curriculum and grading, Innovate DP students are regular participants in the broader Dos Pueblos student community. “Students take the quarter classes with Innovate, and take the elective classes outside of Innovate,” explained Choi. “It does not fully replace it, but it does replace their English, math, history, and science classes.”
Innovate DP features workshops, guided studies, and traditional electives. Regular workshops are four to six weeks long and focus on topics in core content areas, whereas enrichment workshops teach a variety of life skills aimed at students who are on track or ahead of their credits. Honors credit is offered in math and English courses.
“The feedback has been extremely positive,” said Choi. “The students like knowing their teachers really well, they like the support they get, and they like that they have choice in what they’re learning.”
The program’s success is clear — 72 percent of Innovate students are on track for four-year college eligibility, outpacing both the district average of 63 percent and the state average of 43.8 percent. “Additionally, it shows how children learn in ways beyond a test or an essay,” said Choi.
One-on-one personal interaction with staff ensures that every student feels seen, heard, and guided on their personal journey, Choi went on. More than 80 percent regularly meet with mental health specialists.
The Innovate website spotlights its students, teachers, mentors, coaches, and counselors. Their biographies reflect a collective appreciation for the program, with students valuing the unique learning space that they help direct.
Ollie M., class of 2026, said his favorite workshop so far has been “Cookin’ Jambalaya,” a history course that focused on the Silk Road and overseas trade routes through the lens of food, the site says. His group chose to make a gumbo for their final project, using their new knowledge of the recipe’s origins, ingredient sourcing, and historical significance.
Vivi H., class of 2027, joined Innovate because she enjoys hands-on learning. A football player who participates in Friday Night Lights, she and her peers in a math course predicted Super Bowl teams and winners using a statistical analysis of teams, quarterbacks, and receivers.
Innovate DP does not have an application process. Rather, students indicate interest on a course request form. There are approximately 200 students currently enrolled in grades 9 through 12, and the program anticipates roughly 60 students enrolled per grade level.
See experienceinnovate.org.
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