Social Justice Pathway

What

The Social Justice Pathway is a three-year program featuring self-direction and project-based learning in an interdisciplinary model rooted in community action and collaboration. Students begin by learning the practices of social justice in sophomore year by identifying global and local issues that they want to devote themselves to, and learn how to achieve transformative rather than temporary relief from social problems.

Who

This program is for students interested in empowerment, conviction and the passion to build a better world and are willing to work hard at it. It's an opportunity for authentic education and experiential learning beyond the high school walls. The Social Justice Pathway is for the student who is interested in rigorous curriculum that is not learned in a traditional way. The program is designed to help students reach for and succeed at a wide-range of post-secondary goals--from the highly competitive college track to the work force and everything in-between.

How

Designed to be a school-within-a-school, this 3-year program begins sophomore year. Students explore the theme of Social Justice within the context of the core college-preparatory and A-G approved curriculum. Students move together through English and History classes in a multiple subject setting. While subjects are separate courses, they connect to each other by asking students to read novels from the time period studied in history, or use reading and analysis skills from English class to understand primary documents in their History class. Students work in a project-based environment both on and off campus. Through readings, discussions, critiques, brainstorming sessions, writings and peer editing, class work will be designed to connect to real issues identified by our students and challenges in our local community. Ultimately, students make their own solutions to these problems and work to solve them. This work goes beyond the classroom through internships and field trips off campus. The
students’ experiences outside the classroom enriches curriculum and evaluates the effectiveness of what we are doing in the community.

Social Justice Pathway is available for 10th grade students, and students continuing in the pathway from the preceding year only.

More information is available in the Course Catalog.