The opinions expressed in this piece are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carolina Journal or its publisher.
In rural, suburban and metropolitan school districts across America, families are voicing a sentiment that has been simmering for years: the traditional schooling model is no longer meeting the needs of today’s learners. Age-based grade levels, rigid pacing guides, and classrooms forced to teach to the “middle” have created a system where too many students feel unseen, unchallenged, or unsupported. What we have long considered “normal” in education simply doesn’t align with what we now know about the modern student — or with what their future demands.
It is against this backdrop of urgency and opportunity that drove me to found DOTT Academy in Palm Beach County, Florida emerges. Named for the acronym: Daily Opportunity To Thrive, this educational institution is one of the first fully competency-based curricula in multi-age learning groups in the nation. And I believe North Carolinians would benefit from similar learning models…