School Models Dianne May 2026

By J. Hartley, Education Futures

High engagement, deep procedural knowledge, clear relevance. Builds craft and persistence. Pathologies: Can neglect abstract or theoretical knowledge not immediately useful. Requires low student-teacher ratios and expert practitioners as teachers—expensive. Example: Internship-heavy high schools (e.g., Big Picture Learning), trade schools, project-based learning (PBL) when done with fidelity. Dianne’s insight: "The apprenticeship model answers the student question, ‘When will I ever use this?’ before it is asked." Model 4: The Transformative Model (The "Polis School") Core Metaphor: The school as a democratic community or social movement. Primary Goal: Liberation and agency—changing the self and society. Teacher Role: Co-learner and critical guide. Student Role: Co-creator of curriculum and community norms. school models dianne

In the noisy debate over school reform—standardized tests vs. project-based learning, discipline vs. free play, tradition vs. innovation—few frameworks offer clarity. One that does is the lesser-known but increasingly influential . Named for its creator, educational theorist Dr. Dianne S. (whose full work appears in Reimagining the Grammar of Schooling , 2018), this framework argues that every school, regardless of its claims, operates from one of four core models. Named for its creator