Butler Tech releases full length documentary to highlight the need for change in the public education system
More than 50 million public education students in America attend a standard pre-kindergarten through grade-twelve school system. This one-size fits-all model of education assumes that all students of the same age should learn the same information, at the same pace, in the same way, and be able to identically prove their learning through standardized tests that then determine their ability to move to the next stage in their education.
“For more than a million students who drop out each year in America, this system doesn’t work,” shared Jon Graft, Superintendent and CEO of Butler Tech, a career technical school located in Butler County. “These students are not finding their passion, they are not finding their purpose, and the death of the American public education system is at stake.
Butler Tech is leading the way in disrupting the assembly-line model of education and highlighting the efforts with the release of a new documentary titled, The Education Revolution. The documentary follows four high school students as they share their journey from a traditional high school to Butler Tech, a career tech school that selects students based on their grit and tenacity versus grades or attendance. A school that models equity, access, inclusion and diversity and reveres students having a voice and a choice in their education.
“Educators, parents, students, and elected officials have spent decades attempting to make minor adjustments to the traditional assembly-line model of education. It is time to stop admiring the problem of this flawed system and create a third-order, transformational change in our education system,” said Graft. “We do not profess to be the solution to our American education system. However, we are committed to end the admiration of the problems that exist in schools and focus our efforts on disrupting the old traditions.”
Anjel, Noah, Gabe and Ainsley, The Education Revolution’s featured students, came to Butler Tech looking for something different. They chose to leave the school systems they had always known to pursue a passion through their chosen career pathway. Once immersed in a culture that encourages failing forward – a belief that risk-taking leads to greater growth, the documentary follows along as these students set goals, invent, create, overcome obstacles, and ultimately experience a personalized education that will lead to them making an impact on the world.
“The stories of the four students featured in the documentary are gripping examples of this generation redefining what success looks like for them and them alone,” shared Shane Haggerty, President of Purposeland Marketing and PR based in Columbus, Ohio. “These four fresh voices give humanity to what ambition and purpose mean for today’s students on the cusp of entering the ‘real world.’ While it may seem like merely a showcase of four outstanding examples of student success, these four represent the sophistication and drive of many high school students figuring out what’s ahead and doing it in their own way because they are allowed to at Butler Tech.
The Education Revolution was released on Butler Tech’s website in three episodes which were filmed during the 2019-2020 school year, forcing the students to also overcome the challenges of the pandemic and its impact on education.
“My hope is that other districts join the education revolution. To be one of the change agents by implementing such a model is only significant if others replicate it,” professed Graft. “As the leader of Butler Tech, I look forward to taking on the challenge of the education revolution and working with dedicated staff and students across the globe to better understand how to make our world better. Our communities are demanding it, and our students deserve it.”
To view The Education Revolution and learn more about joining the collective of determined students, parents, educators, policy makers and business owners who are disrupting the assembly-line model of public education, visit www.butlertech.org/EducationRevolution