THANKS SO MUCH FOR STAYING WITH US HERE ON THE LOCAL VIBE. ENROLLMENT IS NOW OPEN FOR APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY’S LAB SCHOOLS. THERE ARE TWO IN THE TRIAD THAT SERVICE ELEMENTARY AGE STUDENTS. THERE’S ONE IN ELKIN AND ANOTHER IN WALKERTOWN. THAT SOUNDS PRETTY COOL HERE TO TELL US MORE THIS MORNING IS DR. HANNAH REEDER. SHE IS ASSISTANT DEAN OF STATE’S COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND THE DIRECTOR OF LAB SCHOOLS. FIRST OF ALL, DR. REEDER, GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. ABSOLUTELY. CAN YOU FIRST EXPLAIN TO OUR VIEWERS WHAT A LAB SCHOOL IS AND WHAT ITS PURPOSE IS? ABSOLUTELY. SO LAB SCHOOLS ARE PUBLIC SCHOOLS THAT ARE OPERATED BY UNIVERSITIES IN NORTH CAROLINA WHO HAVE A STRONG TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM. THE LAB SCHOOLS ARE KIND OF HAVE THREE PURPOSES. THE FIRST IS TO REDEFINE AND STRENGTHEN THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN HIGHER EDUCATION AND UNIVERSITIES AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THE SECOND IS TO IMPROVE STUDENT OUTCOMES. SO PROVIDING ALTERNATIVE EDUCATIONAL MODELS FOR STUDENTS. AND THAT COMES WITH SOME FLEXIBILITY. THE THIRD PURPOSE OF A LAB SCHOOL IS TO BE A TRAINING GROUND FOR FUTURE TEACHERS AND PRINCIPALS. AND SO WE HAVE A LOT OF OUR STUDENT INTERNS, STUDENT TEACHERS FROM HERE IN THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, THOSE WHO WANT TO BE TEACHERS AND FUTURE PRINCIPALS DOING A LOT OF WORK IN THE LAB SCHOOL. SO THEY’RE LEARNING, TAKING WHAT THEY’RE LEARNING IN THEIR COLLEGE COURSEWORK AND THEN APPLYING IT IN THE CLASSROOM AT THE LAB SCHOOLS. WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE TWO LAB SCHOOLS IN NORTH CAROLINA. WE ARE THE ONLY INSTITUTION APS THAT IS TO OPERATE TWO LAB SCHOOLS. THE ONE IS THE STATE ACADEMY AT MIDDLEPORT IS LOCATED IN WALKERTOWN, JUST OUTSIDE OF WINSTON-SALEM. IT SERVES KINDERGARTEN THROUGH FIFTH GRADE. THE SECOND LAB SCHOOL JUST OPENED THIS YEAR, THE APP STATE ACADEMY AT ELKIN. IT SERVES STUDENTS SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH GRADES AND IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ELKIN CITY SCHOOLS. WOW. OKAY, GREAT. DR. REEDER, THANK YOU FOR GIVING US THAT OVERVIEW. SO IS IS THE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE DIFFERENT FROM TRADITIONAL SCHOOLING? IT IS. AND SO WE TRY TO PROVIDE OUR STUDENTS WITH AN EXPLORATION BASED APPROACH. WE REALLY WANT OUR STUDENTS TO EXPLORE THEIR CURIOSITIES AS IT RELATES TO THE CURRICULUM. WE PROVIDE A VERY HANDS ON LEARNING APPROACH LITERACY AS IT IS A HUB AND IS THE CENTRAL FOCUS OF EVERYTHING THAT WE DO AT THE LAB SCHOOLS. WE ARE GRANTED FLEXIBILITY THROUGH THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION AND THROUGH LEGISLATION. WE THAT’S WHERE WE GET TO DEVELOP AND TEST NEW IDEAS. SO IF SOMETHING WORKS GREAT, LET’S TAKE IT AND THEN REPLICATE IT INTO OTHER SCHOOLS. IF IT DOESN’T WORK, THEN THAT’S OKAY. LET’S TRY SOMETHING ELSE. OUR LAB SCHOOLS ARE REALLY FOCUSED RIGHT NOW ON INNOVATION. WE ARE MOVING AWAY FROM THE ONE TEACHER, ONE CLASSROOM MODEL. OUR TEACHERS ARE GOING TO COME TOGETHER IN GRADE LEVEL SPANS AND START CO-TEACHING, WORKING COLLABORATIVELY TO TEACH STUDENTS AND MAKING SURE WE’RE MEETING THEIR NEEDS AND WHERE THEY ARE. WE’RE ALSO MOVING TO A FOUR DAY INSTRUCTIONAL WEEK NEXT YEAR, SO OUR TEACHERS WILL HAVE PROTECTION BLOCKS OF TIME MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY TO PROVIDE INSTRUCTION AND THEN ON FRIDAYS THEY WILL GET TO WORK WITH EACH OTHER AND BE PROFESSIONALS. THEY’LL HAVE A FULL DAY TO PLAN WITH EACH OTHER, TO HAVE THEIR MEETINGS, TO PARTICIPATE IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. AND THEN WHILE OUR TEACHERS ARE DOING THAT, OUR STUDENTS WILL BE ENGAGED IN ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES. SO FROM TUTORING TO INTERVENTIONS TO STUDENT CLUBS, CHOICE ACTIVITIES, WE HAVE A LOT OF RESOURCES FROM THE UNIVERSITY THAT COME IN AND PROVIDE SPECIAL STUDENT PROGRAMING, ALL OF THAT WILL HAPPEN ON FRIDAYS. A LOT OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT WILL HAPPEN ON FRIDAYS. SO WE’RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHERE WE’RE GOING. ONE, BEING ABLE TO JUST FOCUS ON THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS, MEET THEM WHERE THEY ARE, BUT THEN ALSO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT PROFESSIONAL SPACE FOR OUR TEACHERS AND THE DIFFERENT TEACHING METHODS FOR THOSE TEACHERS TO HELP GIVE THE STUDENTS THE BEST EXPERIENCE. I REALLY LIKE HOW THIS SOUNDS. DR. REEDER, THIS IS DOES SOUND SOMEWHAT GROUNDBREAKING IN YOUR APPROACH TO THINGS LIKE THAT. TO TALK ABOUT WHO’S ELIGIBLE AND WHAT’S THE IDEAL STUDENT CANDIDATE FOR THIS? ABSOLUTELY. SO AT THE UPSTATE ACADEMY AT MIDDLE FORK, ANY CHILD THAT’S IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH FIFTH GRADE IS ELIGIBLE TO ATTEND THE SCHOOL IF THEY LIVE IN FORSYTH COUNTY. SO REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEIR HOME SCHOOL IS, THEY ARE WELCOME TO COME TO THE UPSTATE ACADEMY AT MIDDLE FORK. THE WINSTON-SALEM FORSYTH COUNTY SCHOOLS. WE PARTNER WITH THEM TO PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION AND CHILD NUTRITION SO THEY CAN STILL RIDE A BUS TO SCHOOL AND THEY CAN GET FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH AT THE SCHOOL. THE APP STATE ACADEMY AT ELKIN IS SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH GRADE, AND SO ANY CHILD THAT IS CURRENTLY ENROLLED AT AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, WHICH IS OUR PARTNERING SCHOOL THERE, IS ELIGIBLE TO ATTEND THE STATE ACADEMY AT ELKIN. DR. REEDER, BEFORE WE LET YOU GO, WE’RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME. WE JUST WANT TO KNOW IF THERE’S AN ASSOCIATED COST TO ATTEND EITHER LAB SCHOOL. THERE IS NO COST. IT IS. BOTH OF OUR LABS ARE FREE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. SO AGAIN, TRANSPORTATION IS PROVIDED. CHILD NUTRITION. THERE ARE NO FEES ASSOCIATED. THERE’S NO FEE TO APPLY. EVERYTHING IS FREE. EVERYTHING IS PROVIDED JUST LIKE A TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOL. WOW. FANTASTIC TO HAVE YOU ON OUR SHOW. DR. REEDER, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. AND A REMINDER FOR EVERYONE AT HOME, YOU HAVE ALL SUMMER LONG TO GET THOSE ENROLLMENT APPLICATIONS IN FOR EITHER LAB SCHOOL IN THE TRIAD. TO LEARN MORE, JUST HEAD TO THE WEBSITE ON YOUR SCREEN