Even for those children who perform well in today's assessment-driven school environment, there is little to suggest that what is learned actually is retained in long-term memory. Rather, it often has to be re-learned at different levels over the course of 13 or more years of schooling because it is not absorbed by the whole brain. Use of integrative learning activities can vastly increase retention of subject matter, because teachers who are skilled in this approach make EVERY learning event relevant to a student's life. Read curriculum developer Roger Scrank's "Top Ten Mistakes in Education" for more information.
From a student standpoint: Young people already realize that technology is an awesome servant that can present nearly unlimited possibilities. At the same time, they must come to understand that they have the responsibility to think critically about human issues. Encouraging students' development and expression of critical and creative thinking skills must be a primary goal of education if the result is to be real learning. This of utmost importance at Higher Ground Academy.
Students at HGA are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning. As is not the usual practice in the typical classroom, HGA students have the opportunity to engage in each learning task from beginning to end while remaining in the flow of thought for that task. | 
