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Learning Lab Wichita to house four school models at Union Station for 2024-2025
Wichita, KS (July 9, 2024) – Learning Lab Wichita is partnering with four innovative K-12 school models to reside at Union Station for the 2024-25 school year.
Learning Lab Wichita is a collaborative hub and co-learning space supporting diverse K-12 educational models. Its state-of-the-art facility and shared amenities aim to help education innovators succeed.
The four resident school models are:
• Creative Minds: a USD 259, Wichita Public Schools, vertical classroom for K-6 learners focusing on hands-on, exploratory learning activities. Creative Minds is a unique educational approach where students can explore their passions and choose how they demonstrate mastery, and parents have a voice in the curriculum. Teacher Olivia Sumner
• Guiding Light Academy: a community of K-8 learners that partners with USD 313, Buhler School District, for individual online learning, and then students come together for collaborative activities, resulting in personalized education tailored to students’ unique abilities. Founder Elizabeth McMeans and lead learning strategist Renee Ford
• Khan Lab School Wichita: Established in 2014 under the leadership of Sal Khan, author of The One World Schoolhouse, Khan Lab School provides a unique avenue for students to realize their educational aspirations. The Wichita location is the inaugural expansion school, and it will seamlessly integrate online and in-person learning. Founding Director Kyle Ellison
• Wichita Independent Secular Educators (WISE): WISE is a child-led homeschool community for students ages 7-18 and their families. WISE families meet several times a week to learn, grow and explore together with a focus on educational and social enrichment activities. Leaders Kammi Altig and Jaime Snider
“These school models are examples of different ways kids can have personalized learning experiences to help them thrive,” said Lydia Hampton, Learning Lab Wichita’s managing director. “The diversity among the four innovative models helps refine how we serve the K-12 community, so we can learn and grow together toward our goal of serving learners and educators the best way possible in the future.”
The four learning environments will operate entirely independently inside the Learning Lab space, with their own calendars, operating hours and curriculum selections.
In addition to hosting the four resident school models, Learning Lab will offer memberships to families and educators who want to benefit from the innovative community and the facility’s amenities, including a makerspace, podcast studio, technology lab, and video studio.
Learning Lab Wichita space is designed for maximum flexibility, allowing K-12 learners and educators to use the space for their unique purposes. The facility will also offer a variety of programming options for K-12 learners and educators.
Learning Lab Wichita opens its doors for membership on Tuesday, Sept. 3. A family friendly grand opening celebration will take place from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, and all are invited.
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Learning Lab Wichita Celebrates Breaking Ground in Historic Union Station in Downtown Wichita
Wichita, KS (October 12, 2023) – This week, Learning Lab Wichita, a collaborative hub and co-learning space centered on providing resources, community, and support to education entrepreneurs, celebrated the launch of construction on its new permanent location at Union Station in downtown Wichita.
The group kicked off a new era of education innovation with an interactive experience, where the community could immerse themselves in a virtual reality experience showcasing the future space, hear from leaders in the community, and engage with special guests making bold moves to transform education in Wichita.
“As we break ground, we empower education entrepreneurs to innovate models and ideas that provide families and learners space to create their own learning pathways,” said Lydia Hampton, Operations Director of Learning Lab Wichita. “The Lab will offer an ecosystem to education entrepreneurs, providing resources, community, and support so they can advance innovative, personalized learning models and ideas. We encourage education entrepreneurs to reach out at golearninglab.org and connect with our team on how to engage or book space within the Lab.”
Learning Lab is a hub of multiple individualized educational models where teachers, school leaders, education entrepreneurs, community leaders, and families can access this innovative space to launch and expand learning. The Lab’s offerings and experiences will continue to evolve, and on any given day might include support for student-centered micro schools, bring together educators for professional development, or engage community groups in providing hands on, applied learning opportunities for learners.
“Learning Lab Wichita represents a unique option for families who are looking for alternative educational opportunities for their children,” said Dr. Kaye Monk-Morgan, CEO and President of the Kansas Leadership Center. “Learning Lab will be a collaborative hub for educators to foster and scale school models and ideas responsive to our learners and their needs.”
This project is supported by Stand Together community, in partnership with the Wichita community, to create a space dedicated to personalized approaches to education across K-12. The space will span nearly 16,000 square feet and will offer flexible learning spaces of varying sizes available for long-term leasing or on-demand booking with the capacity to host 220 learners and a wide array of innovative education organizations throughout Wichita.
"Wichita has an amazing group of people driving continual transformation for kids' education in this community, and I can't wait to see what we accomplish together through Learning Lab Wichita," said Chase Koch, founder and CEO of Koch Disruptive Technologies and founder of Stand Together Ventures. "Learning Lab and its partners are establishing what could be a model of co-learning spaces advancing innovative individualized learning for other communities and the country. If successful, people will be talking about Wichita as an education innovation hotbed."
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