Pacesetter in Personalized Learning: Summit charter network shares its model nationwide

Students at Summit Public Schools spend high of their time working on rigorous, real-world projects.

How does a thermometer work? Several 7th graders discuss their ideas.

Nearby, each student named Ferdinand is modifying a swallow so the bird can survive from the video-game fantasy world he’s designed on my pc. “I’m handling it spiked feathers,” he said which includes a grin. “My world has insane predators.”

Some students will work in pairs. Others can be with their Chromebooks. The classroom is abuzz with activity.

“They know what to do,” says Brandy Holton, who teaches 7th-grade science, social studies, and English along at the Chicago International Charter School (CICS) Irving Park, which serves grades K