Screening of “Most Likely to Succeed” and discussion to encourage rethinking our schools

What do we want our schools in Pittsburgh to look like?

It’s a big question. but one place to start a discussion is by looking at what other cities and successful schools are doing.

On January 6, the Environmental Charter School (ECS) will host a free screening of the acclaimed 2015 documentary Most Likely to Succeed. After the screening, ECS educator Michelle King, Director of the Fred Rogers’ Center Rick Fernandes, and Ann Sekula of the Remake Learning Council will guide a discussion on the changing state of learning in Pittsburgh.

Documentarian Greg Whiteley created Most Likely to Succeed in response to his own disenchantment with his young daughter’s school experience. The film explores the history of education in the U.S., arguing that the “hands-off,” memorization-based style of teaching still employed by most public schools is ill-suited for preparing children for 21^st century careers.

For an alternative, Whiteley documents the methods and outcomes of one San Diego high school, High Tech High (HTH). At HTH, learning is interdisciplinary and project-based. Instead of preparing students for standardized tests, HTH aims to cultivate faculties (such as creativity and collaboration) seen as essential for success in the digital age.

Most Likely to Succeed has been widely commended since it’s 2015 Sundance Film Festival premiere, It has also has been criticized for its implication that a single school can provide the solution to a nationwide problem and that being prepared for a career is the only object of education.

Sunanna Chand of the Remake Learning Council points out that while some students may be more responsive to the hot new methods of High Tech High, others may benefit from a more traditional approach, and she sees the problem for kids in Pittsburgh more as one of access. “Lots of children are not loving learning,” she says.

To Nikole Sheaffer, director of innovation at ECS, the purpose of the screening and discussion is to encourage thought and conversation about learning in Pittsburgh, and to hear what teachers, parents and children want from education.

“We are excited to host this event to continue to build the regional conversation around school design and creating learning experiences for 21st-century learners,” says Sheaffer. “We hope that this continues to spur discussion around how formal education settings can begin to reimagine what school looks like.”

Most Likely to Succeed will be screened at 7 p.m. on January 6, at the ECS Upper School. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The film is 86 minutes long, and will be followed by a 30-minute panel discussion, with opportunities for audience participation. Spaces are limited, so reserve yours online.