What is it like to be an Acton parent?

We’re not a school where you drop your children off and hope for the best. We ask that parents be the “guardrails” along with the guides. How do you do that? 

Three things are crucial for Acton families:

• Age-appropriate independence and responsibility at home to mimic what learners experience at school
• Regular family meetings to review work, troubleshoot issues, and set goals together
• Attend Exhibitions of Learning to give honest feedback

Age-appropriate independence and responsibility at an early age have long been lauded as the biggest predictor of success. That holds true for learners in the Acton model. The learners who thrive in a learner-driven environment are the ones whose home environment closely resembles the Acton model with independence and responsibility at home.

Parents of children in traditional schools have told us they often feel disconnected from their child’s learning and school experience. At Acton Marietta, we ask our parents to have regular family meetings to discuss what their children have been doing at school. Families who place value on the child’s important work at school will see their learners thrive in a model like Acton. Family meetings are a chance for families to show their children that they have important work to do and give the children a chance to celebrate their successes with their families.

We also ask that families attend our public Exhibitions. Acton’s Exhibitions of Learning take place at the end of four- to seven-week sprints that make up a session. Much like an agile software sprint, sessions have a real-world deliverable at the end and are presented to a live studio audience made up of more than parents.
Exhibitions are performances with stakes as high as possible. We want Heroes to feel more like Steve Jobs presenting the iPhone than like a lame middle school science fair.

Want to learn more? Check out this article on being an Acton parent, or watch the video below to hear how various Acton parents and founders view Acton. Want to take a deep dive? Watch this video with Acton founder Laura Sandefer about the origins of the Acton schools and how the model works.

​Do you have questions, or are you ready to schedule a tour? Click here to schedule a discovery call today!