THE TOWNSHIP MODEL FOR THE 21ST CENTURY SCHOOL

The Township Model for the 21st Century School

Samuel P. Jackson
University of North Texas (Denton)

The Township Model for the 21st Century School

Schools of choice, programs of choice, schools within schools, and academies of various
titles continue fortifying a foundation of chicanery; these approaches lack a fundamental element
concerning the shift away from traditional methodologies and practicality and produce
inconsistent, oftentimes mediocre, results. The transition between secondary education and postsecondary education or vocational employment presents various issues regarding student
preparedness. Also, educators have an obligation to prepare students for more than simply
attending college or clocking in and out. Historically and presently, schools have been and
are still expected to instill civic, social, and humanitarian attitudes and skills that will shape our
democracyschools are expected to build student respect for differences in ideas and cultures
(Cuban, 2004, pg. 239). Currently, traditional practices involving scheduling, assessment and
environment fail regarding the before-mentioned civic, social, and humanitarian attitudes; this

THE TOWNSHIP MODEL FOR THE 21ST CENTURY SCHOOL

paramount area of concern necessitates an avant-garde revitalization. What if students became

involved in creating a micro-society complete with its own governing system and pseudoeconomy exogenous of a traditional setting? What if assessments were embedded in projects
which intrinsically related to the development of the micro-societys economy, politics, foreign
relations and culture? What if the students experiences and the data provided via those
experiences developed congruently to the real world? Educators need attend not only to the
technical core of instruction but to the nature of the human environments in which this
instruction occurs (Lee & Bryk, 1989, pg. 190). Instead of integrated on-the-job training and
academic studies, the job becomes the training and education. The Township Model represents
an amalgam of research concerning Kilpatricks project method, standards-based grouping, and
professional learning communities within a realistic environment (i.e., a school campus
constructed as a town); administrators, teachers, students, parents and other community members
possess the opportunity within this model to not only reinvigorate current practices but also
provide tangible experiences for students which relate to future vocations.
Kilpatricks (2013) project method serves as the instructional foundation for the
Township Model; assessments, embedded in the various projects which operate in coalition with
the overall success of the citizens (e.g., students, teachers, administrators) and the town, provides
data for instructional and logistical decision-making. Goals which the citizens set, in
concordance with local, state and national guidelines, exist as components of the occupation in
which they serve; the success of the business which governs their occupation directly relates to
personal achievement. For example, the towns Grocery Store/Restaurant employs students and
teachers as Managers, Assistant Managers, Servers, Chefs and Cashiers; the teachers, serving as
Managers, incorporate courses such as, Health, Botany, Biology, Zoology, Culinary Arts,
Graphic Design and Accounting. This model ensures student awareness of the goal that he or

THE TOWNSHIP MODEL FOR THE 21ST CENTURY SCHOOL

she is supposed to reach because of the connection with the real world; more so, students
individually and in groups possess a conscious aim, a motive for activitya collaborative
working method (Sutinen, 2013, pg. 1042). The overall goal of the model incorporates both
academic and social success within a tangible, relative environment.
The Township Model, concerning student grouping, employs a version of standardsbased grouping; the standards used by the Township Model incorporate career choices, aptitude
assessments related to the career choice, an interview process by teachers and students, and data
from previous coursework and standardized test results. The model provides students of varying
ages and talents the opportunity to collaborate within various groups in the micro-society; this
shift from traditional age-based student grouping to standards-based groups allows and
promotes student movement among groups (Vogel, 2012, pg. 325). The Township Model
utilizes a tailored version of standards-based grouping; in the practical sense, it resembles a
milieu of student/parent choice, aptitude tests and interviews, state and federal guidelines and
past course work and assessments. In this way, grade-level or age-based groupings become a
non-issue, older students mentor younger students; also, the model encourages completion of
course work based on ability and not age. Practically, students serving as Managers or Assistant
Managers, with both student and teacher mentors, in the before-mentioned Grocery/ Restaurant,
vary in ages and abilities which creates a more realistic learning environment. Within the model,
students also occupy families; grouped stochastically, these families serve as groups for social
interactions apart from employment-based interactions.
Administrators, teachers and students in the Township Model work collaboratively in
professional learning communities; teachers within the application of the model, at the
Grocery/Restaurant for example, collaborate with students as instructors and pseudo-business
partners. Teachers from each business cooperate and study multiple sources of student data to

THE TOWNSHIP MODEL FOR THE 21ST CENTURY SCHOOL

discover where students are performing well (Hord, 2009, pg. 40). These sources include job
performance, embedded standards within the projects included in the day-to-day assignments,
and overall performance of the pseudo-business. In the Grocery/Restaurant, if accounting issues
occur, then the business partners need supplemental training in certain areas of mathematics.
Teachers as business partners connect with teachers/business partners of other businesses in the
town; one teacher from each business constitutes a team. In these small groups, members focus
on their students needs, their curriculum, and instructional practices (Hord, 2009, pg. 42). The
Township Model also utilizes Town Hall Meetings involving all teachers and administrators, and
a web-based discussion board where the small groups engage in collaborative communication.
The model also incorporates partnerships with schools in other states and countries; video
conferencing and other virtual forums foster collegiality exogenous to the town.
Logistically, student short-term schedules involve employment-style segmentations; for
example, students work two hour shifts at three different businesses. The two hour blocks
involve instruction and application; decisions regarding places of employment stem from
collaboration with teachers, administrators, counselors, students and parents. These rotations last
one semester; at the end of the first semester, the student meets with the before-mentioned
committee to determine any necessary adjustments. Regarding long-term scheduling, as the
student progresses through the town at various capacities, he/she develops a more precise postsecondary plan which determines scheduling decisions.
The Township Model consists of a campus of multiple facilities assembled or zoned as an
actual town; the more realistic the environment, the more students and teachers contribute to
ownership of the ultimate goal; on-the-job training becomes the job. In each building or
business, teachers and students assume leadership roles. The central building, City Hall, houses
the Principal as Mayor and the Assistant Principal as Deputy Mayor; along with a Student Mayor

THE TOWNSHIP MODEL FOR THE 21ST CENTURY SCHOOL

and staff, the location also houses Financial Officers, Law Enforcement (actual police officer
with student understudies), Judges, Lawyers and a Shipping and Receiving Department.
Students and teachers address the following subject matter; Politics, Criminal Justice,
Government/History, Public Speaking, Data/Software Management, Probability and Statistics
and Environmental Ethics. The Publishing Co. employs an Editor in Chief, Accountants and
Operations Managers; teachers and students create and manage the town newspaper, website,
graphic arts design for printing and advertising, robotics and paper conservation. They engage in
the following subjects; Journalism, Essay Writing and Research, Web Design, Graphic Design,
Robotics, Biology, Accounting, Chemistry. At the before-mentioned Grocery/Restaurant,
students and teachers serve as Managers, Assistant Managers, Chefs, Servers and Cashiers; they
will engage in studies in Health/Nutrition, Botany, Zoology, Culinary Arts, Graphic Design and
Accounting. The towns Farm employs Farmers and Farmhands; they work to supply the
Restaurant/Grocery with produce and meat products. This location also houses an Auto
Mechanics facility, Veterinarians office and Landscape Design; students and teachers engage in
learning Ecology, Zoology, Anatomy, Chemistry, Robotics, Supply and Demand and Agriculture.
The town also has an Embassy which employs Ambassadors and Community Liaisons; they
serve the town by connecting with other schools (state and nationwide and internationally), and
promoting bilingualism and multi-culturalism. The location also houses the following programs;
Dual Language (1 Way and 2 Way), LOTE, and World History and Cultures.
The Clinic/Fitness Center employs a Doctor, Nurses and a Fitness Director; the location
houses, other than the self-explanatory, a food and clothing bank. Teachers and students engage
in Health/Nutrition courses, Anatomy, Physical Education, Biochemistry and Public Service
Announcement Production. To augment the social aspects and interactions, Counselors serve as
Family Leaders with teachers and students as Assistants; facilities called Homes house the

THE TOWNSHIP MODEL FOR THE 21ST CENTURY SCHOOL

families (random grouping); they explore social issues, counseling, competitions (family vs.
family competitions), share some meals and housework (chores). Counselors instruct family
members regarding Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Sex Ed. and Psychology; students write memoirs
(personal) and biographies (other family members). The Theatre/ Music Hall houses the Band
Director and Assistants with the Fine Arts Director and Assistants; the Theatre provides light and
sound production, concerts for town and community, Broadway-style productions, and hosts
Town Hall meetings and conferences. Students learn Performing Arts, Electrical Engineering,
Sound and Light Engineering, Accounting, Graphic Design, Songwriting and Playwriting, Art
History and Music History.
Masking traditional practices with superficial re-labeling exemplifies the current,
ominous, conundrum which pollutes public schools; true reform requires eschewing traditional
practices (scheduling, grouping, and physical environment) and adopting models which address
the specific socio-academic needs of students and teachers. Ultimately, developing an attitude of
ownership remains a sine qua non; when students and teachers approach learning fueled by the
impetus to learn, true, lasting transformation occurs. The Township Model represents an attempt
to both satisfy the socio-academic needs of teachers and students and project learning into an
egalitarian dimension.

References
Cuban, L. (2004). Making Public Schools Business-likeAgain. Political Science and Politics,

THE TOWNSHIP MODEL FOR THE 21ST CENTURY SCHOOL

37(2), 237-240.
Hord, S. M. (2009). Professional learning communities. Journal of Staff Development, 30(1),
40-43.
Lee, V. E. & Bryk, A. S. (1989). A Multilevel Model of the Social Distribution of High School
Achievement. Sociology of Education, 62(3), 172-192.
Sutinen, A. (2013). Two Project Methods: Preliminary observations on the similarities and
differences between William Heard Kilpatricks project method and John Dewys
problem-solving method. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 45(10), 1040-1053.
Vogel, L. R. (2012). A Leaders Journey: The Challenges of Implementing Standards-Based
Student Grouping. NASSP Bulletin, 96(4), 323-349.