District’s Pathways receives praise from international education expert

Bob Pearlman, internationally known school consultant and author, has praised the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District’s Pathways initiative as a groundbreaking model for education.

“I haven’t seen anything comparable nationally,” he said. “As implementation moves forward, I see the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District as being a national model for 21st-century learning.”

Fielding Nair International, one of the architectural firms working with the district on its master facilities plan, brought Pearlman to the district. Pearlman specializes in education reform efforts, school structuring and technology, and was director of strategic planning for the New Technology Foundation from 2002 to 2009. He consults in the United States and the United Kingdom on 21st-century learning, focusing on new school development and district-wide implementation of 21st-century skills.

Recognizing that students have different needs and interests, Pathways emphasizes learning from diverse perspectives, so that students can find a school that is the best possible fit.

The three Pathways are:

• Society: Learning from the perspective of people interacting with others (Roxboro Elementary and Middle, Oxford, Fairfax, Renaissance);
• Discovery: Learning from the perspective of people interacting with the physical world (Gearity, Boulevard, Monticello, Legacy);
• Creativity: Learning from the perspective of expressing and celebrating the human spirit (Canterbury, Noble, Wiley, Mosaic).

 Pathways Q&A