Creating Civically Engaged Citizens, Ready to Change the World

Creating Civically Engaged Citizens, Ready to Change the World

by Nizzie Lokman & Karma Bennett

Using the Expeditionary Learning model, the Detroit Achievement Academy is one of the highest performing schools in the country. For an example of their innovative learning model, students as young as second grade use their studies to answer the question, “how can a citizen make a positive impact on a community?”

Viewing historic changemakers through the lens of narrative nonfiction, young scholars will seek to become modernday Detroit citizens who are solving real problems in their community in the here and now.

This example of a learning expedition reflects the Detroit Achievement Academy’s principles, in emphasizing social interaction as integral to the learning process. They emphasize that knowing students— individually, culturally, and developmentally— is as important as the curriculum. Rather than rote memorization, their approach emphasizes, “How the adults at school work together to accomplish their shared mission is as important as individual competencies; lasting change begins with the adult community.”

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