“Most Likely to Succeed” is a documentary about an inquiry-based alternative high school in San Diego called “High Tech High.” Watch the trailer below to get an idea of what the documentary is about:

In the documentary, the origins and structure of the Westernised schooling system are called into question. The last time the Western school system underwent a reformation was in order to standardise industrialism by providing it with workers who could all perform the required tasks. As the world we live in becomes increasingly technological, the workforce requirements have evolved from performing standardised industry tasks to being more competency and “soft skills” based. Our school systems still operate the way they did 100 years ago despite drastic societal changes.

High Tech High is an alternative high school that has been developed in order to adapt to the changing world. This school doesn’t use school bells, subject blocks, or direct instruction. Instead, students pursue inquiry-based projects that are student-led and cross-curricular. Students spend most of the school day doing group projects, socratic discussions, or independent studies. The focus of this system is to develop the student’s competencies, rather than cram their brains with content that they’ll regurgitate on a standardised test then quickly forget. While the teachers of High Tech High acknowledge that they might not get through as much content as most schools, if the extinction rate of this content is so high, they’re argument is “what is the point of learning more content?” Wouldn’t students benefit more from developing life-long skills such as communication, teamwork, or problem-solving through intrinsic and independent learning?

Change is hard though, especially when trying to reform 100 years of institutional norms. Without textbooks, homework, or a week-by-week syllabus of content, parents typically feel a sense of anxiety about whether they’ve made a mistake. These anxieties however are typically alleviated when they go to the first showcase night. This showcase is a way to keep students and teachers accountable and to show the community what students are doing in the school. These projects are also available to view online. These projects are used as a summative assessment of the students learning across multiple subjects. While students may not partake in standardised testing, admission rates to post-secondary schools don’t seem to be hindered.

I thought this documentary was exceptionally well done. That being said, it does feel somewhat promotional. There seems to be some discrepancy in whether they are a public school, or a charter school, and what that means for funding. The school is advertised as having less funding per student, but it’s unclear if that is taking into account the private funds they receive from families, since it is a charter school that receives half it’s funding from the government, and half of tier funding from private tuition. Overall, I believe that every teacher candidate should watch this video, as it is good to see there are other ways to approach education. Ideally, teachers can find ways to incorporate this multi-disciplinary inquiry-based approach into whichever system they work in.