Learning at Acton Pittsburgh
21st Century Learning
The latest in educational technology for self paced mastery of reading, writing and math skills.
Hands-on project based quests to master the tools and skills needed to solve problems in the real world.
Deep Socratic discussions about heroes, history and self-governance to hone critical thinking skills and the ability to powerfully think, write and speak.
Professional tools for art, engineering, tech and storytelling in place of worksheets and busy work.
Written promises and covenants that form a tightly bound community of individuals learning to form authentic friendships and honestly resolve interpersonal problems.
We believe that learning to be, learning to do, and learning to learn are more important than learning to know.
Learn to Learn
Socratic Discussions and self paced challenges equip young heroes to be independent lifelong learners.
Learn to Do
Hands-on Quests for Science, Entrepreneurship, and the Arts prepare children for Apprenticeships and real-world challenges.
Learn to Be
The Hero’s Journey, relational covenants and real world consequences transform difficult decisions into virtuous habits.
"Our son is excelling in his current learning environment. He is passionate about learning and has made strong friendships."
Parent at Acton Academy Austin Main
Elementary Studio
A day in the life
A day in our Studios is creativity within constraints: large blocks of time for work and play with clear but broad guardrails, equipping young people to manage their time, set goals, and track progress.
Step into a day in the life at Acton Academy.
Daily Schedule
Each day is broken up into work sprints with a shared purpose or goal.
8:30 Drop-off / Free Time
8:50 Daily Launch (Socratic Discussion)
9:05 Core Skills
Goal setting, math, Writers' Workshop, reading, civilization discussion, "Brain Breaks" throughout
11:30 Lunch / Free Time
12:30 Quest Launch (Socratic Discussion)
12:45 Quest
Hands-on work, team-based challenges, sciences, coding, entrepreneurship, art & music, history, report on goals.
2:45 Studio Maintenance
3:00 Closing Group (Socratic Discussion)
03:15 Pick-up
The schedule is flexible to accommodate different learning needs. Students can rearrange work blocks and choose from a variety of work options based on personal goals, passions, and commitments.
Measuring Mastery
Young heroes celebrate the mastery of tools, skills, and character by earning badges and taking part in public exhibitions.
Learners use badges to track academic progress in Core Skills like reading, writing, math and spelling and character development in Servant Leader Badges.
Young heroes deliver public exhibitions of their work at the end of each four to six week sprint.
Self-management and self-governance skills are measured by peer reviews at the end of each session.
Our Educational Philosophy
We believe clear thinking leads to good decisions, good decisions lead to the right habits, the right habits forge character, and character determines destiny.
Every year, children build small businesses from the ground-up.
Watch the video to learn about our business fair.
A Learner-Driven Community
Our young heroes learn in tightly bound communities with extremely high standards of excellence, where self-management and self-governance are celebrated daily.
1. Learners create and sign a Contract of Promises describing how each individual will act and the consequences for violating community norms.
2. Running Partners and Squads encourage younger and older heroes to listen, affirm, set goals and hold each other accountable.
3. Servant Leader badges celebrate warm-hearted and tough-minded decisions that build character.
Begin your Family's Journey
Contact Us
Acton Academy Pittsburgh, 3500 Brooktree Road Wexford, PA 15090 USA
Acton Academy Pittsburgh © 2023
