What does it take to create a school where curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and meaningful learning are part of everyday life? In his article, Building a Brighter World: Reflections on the Hanahauʻoli School, Chris McNutt, the co-founder and Executive Director of the Human Restoration Project, reflects on his recent visit to Hanahauʻoli School and the progressive education principles that have guided our approach to teaching and learning for more than a century.
Chris’s reflections explore an important idea the underlies much of what we do at Hanahau‘oli: while creating environments that prioritize student agency, meaningful relationships, and experiential learning takes intention, commitment, and hard work.
Both he and we believe that these principles are not exclusive to any one school or community. They offer possibilities for educators everywhere who seek to reimagine what education can be. Chris’s thoughtful perspective reminds us that progressive education is not simply about what happens within the walls of Hanahauʻoli, but about the broader potential to create more joyful, equitable, and human-centered learning experiences for all children. Not every child will come to Hanahau’oli, but how we teach and learn here is built upon philosophies that can reach students everywhere.
Read Chris McNutt's full article on the Human Restoration Project website →