Deep Dive
Most parents never stop to question the school model they grew up with. Grades, lectures, test scores — it feels like the only way because it's the only thing most of us have ever seen. Start here.
This 14-minute video makes the case that it doesn't have to be. It's the clearest explanation we've found of why the traditional model produces capable test-takers who struggle the moment the structure disappears — and what a genuinely different approach looks like in practice.
What Shaped Our Thinking — and Might Shape Yours.
Several of these are from or about the Acton Academy network — the model Waypoint is built on. The rest are the talks and films that shaped how we think about learning, motivation, and what children are actually capable of. Start anywhere.
Do Schools Kill Creativity?
TED Talk | Sir Ken Robinson
The Learner Driven Revolution
SXSW EDU | Jeff Sandefer
Stop Stealing Dreams
TedX Youth | Seth Godin
A Day In the Life
At Acton Academy
Most Likely to Succeed Preview
A groundbreaking documentary about education and curriculum reform in 21st century America
Teach for Mastery
Not Test Scores
TED Talk | Sal Khan
Developing Grit
The Power of Passion and Perseverance
TED Talk | Angela Lee Duckworth
A Hero's Journey at Acton
How young people see themselves at Acton Academy
What Drives Acton
Acton Academy
School in the Clouds
Education is a self-organizing phenomena in humans
TED Talk | Sugatra Mitra
A Hero's Journey
Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey
Growth Mindset
Developing a Growth Mindset | Carol Dweck
The Books Behind the Thinking
These books shaped the thinking behind Waypoint — some directly about education, some about how people learn and grow, and one about how adults communicate with children in a way that builds rather than diminishes them. Courage to Grow is the place to start if you want to understand the Acton model specifically. The rest are worth reading in any order.
Featured Book Highlight:
Courage to Grow: How Acton Academy Turns Learning Upside Down
by Laura Sandefer, Acton’s Co-Founder
“Acton Academy is one of the most important education developments in the world. The story behind the ideas, the school, and the movement is a must read.
-”Tom Van der Ark, CEO of Getting Smart
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