Minnesota New Country School

210 Main Street - Henderson MN - 56044
Type of autonomy arrangement: Charter-TPP Contract
Basic Profile

Opened In

1994

Grades

K-12

Environment

Rural

Type

Chartered
Autonomies

Program

Determine learning program
Set school-level policy
Determine professional development
Determine authorizer assessments
Determine state assessments

Personnel

Select colleagues
Evaluate colleagues
Transfer or terminate colleagues
Determine tenure policy
Select leaders

Administrative

Determine school budget
Set staff pattern
Determine compensation
Determine teacher workday
Set schedule
Teacher Authority Is...
De Jure

The school’s board contracts with EdVisions Coop, which delegates authority granted in the contract to a site team of teachers at the school.

About the Learning Program

A project-based learning model based upon the idea that students will be most engaged in the learning process when they have a personal interest in what they are learning. Instead of sitting in a teacher-driven classroom all day long, students learn through the exploration of topics that interest them on their own terms, and largely at their own pace. Each students is a member of a team of 12-20 students, managed by an adult advisor who helps to facilitate the learning process. Instead of grades, students receive credit for their work. The amount of credit a student earns for any given project varies depending on a number of different factors, including the time they spent on the project, the learning objectives they meet during the project, and most importantly the overall quality of projects. Student work is evaluated against the advisor’s knowledge of the students capabilities rather than against a statistical mean or percentage, making the student/advisor relationship a critical aspect of the learning process.