Reflections  on the Massachusetts Alternative Educator Network’s October trip to Bronx Arena High School

By Diana Lebeaux

PoP’s new Massachusetts Alternative Educator Network is for educators who work with students facing barriers to success in traditional high school settings. Last month, a group of us traveled to New York for a site visit to the Bronx Arena High School, a small alternative school known for its personalized, relationship-driven educational model. When our group of 13 Massachusetts educators arrived by cabs and car-shares and first gathered on the school’s steps, many of us met for the first time. Members of the group come from urban, suburban, and rural school settings, and many were uncertain what we might learn from a school in New York City. 

What we found by day’s end was that there was a lot for us to learn, both from the school and each other.

Renowned for its success with students who had struggled in traditional high schools, Bronx Arena had been on my to-visit list for years, and others in the group had some academic understanding of the school. However, that didn’t prepare us for what we would experience during our site visit to the tight-knit school community. As one visitor noted, “It’s like seeing something be built: you can read a manual, but when you see it in real time, you actually understand the concept.”

Administrators greeted us warmly, and oriented our group to the school’s unique model, designed for students who had encountered barriers to success in other high schools. Each student spends much of their day in their “arena,” a kind of home room or advisory space co-taught by a generalist teacher and a counselor joining Bronx Arena through a partnership with a local community organization. Students work at their own pace toward proficiency across subjects, with academic and social-emotional support from their arena’s educators. Independent work is balanced with group learning, targeted tutorials, two scheduled specialist blocks each day, and time for activities like volleyball during down times. 

We joined them for all of these things, leading to organic moments of shared learning. In one arena, two educators from rural central Massachusetts were surprised to learn that several students got to school by car share each day; the students were just as surprised to learn that kids in central Massachusetts still take yellow school buses. In another, visitors were struck by the benefits of the partnership that brought counselors to every classroom. Dialogue with the school staff also reinforced the value of the bold structural design innovations that Bronx Arena had made.

One educator noted: “This visit reminded me that we also need to examine the larger structures that either support or limit our ability to meet students’ needs.”

Our group spent time in both arenas and specialist courses, spoke in formal panels and informal conversations with students and educators, and collaborated on sensemaking and planning activities. We came away with practical ideas from their strategies that work best, including student progress tracking, asynchronous learning, and integrated student support. Just as valuable was the chance to experience Bronx Arena together, compare observations, and consider what we might bring back to our own schools.

One attendee noted: “Having that third, fourth, or fifth set of eyes all looking at the same thing at the same time and giving feedback is really, really beneficial.”

Another added, “There is tremendous value in visiting schools alongside other educators. We all bring different experiences, perspectives, and challenges from our own schools, so we notice different things and ask different questions. For me, some of the most valuable learning came from hearing how other educators interpreted what we were seeing and connecting it to their own work. It pushed me to think beyond individual programs or practices and consider larger questions about school leadership, resources, and systems.”

We left the school feeling inspired. Network members spoke of a reunion to discuss  implementation of some of the ideas they brought home from the Bronx; those in the current Co-Lab shared their eagerness to get started on their own design work. On our way back to the hotel we discussed the surprising relevance of our visit to settings back home.

As one participant shared, “Going into the visit, I wasn’t sure how a school in the Bronx would relate to our small, rural program. I left realizing that we aren’t all that different.” 

To learn more about the Massachusetts Alternative Educators Network, contact Diana Lebeaux at dlebeaux@powerofplacelc.org.