Journal of K-12 Educational Research 69 This lens broadens a person’s thinking, creates hope, and emphasizes innovation and rigor. Transformational schools foster a healthy culture that creates excitement and joy for learning, establishes a supportive environment, and creates opportunities for continual reflection. Transformational schools feature unique dynamics that promote risk-taking, inspire innovation, and encourage students and staff to imagine new possibilities. Transformational schools alter outcomes for learners that diminishes barriers, develops grit in learners, produces innovation, and helps staff and students grow. Implications The body of scholarly research related to school transformation warns of the danger of continuing the practices of traditional education, summarized in the term “schoolishness,” coined by Blum (2024). Schoolishness includes teaching content out of realworld contexts, enforced uniformity, extended seat time, artificial boundaries, inflexible class schedules, and lecture-driven learning (Blum, 2024). Klein (2020), demonstrates that students graduating from high school feel ill-prepared for the workforce, and that a majority of adults say they cannot connect their academic learning to their current employment. Berger (2014) argues that traditional school programs significantly impact the ability of students and teachers to think and act differently than prescribed by traditional learning standards and limit students’ opportunities to develop skills that prepare them for the 21st century. Kim (2011) contends that creativity, collaboration, and character education are not being prioritized, resulting in the loss of potential and opportunity for critical skill development. Students struggle with the frustration that the subjects they are required to learn in school hold little to no relevance for their lives. The findings of the current study affirm that schoolishness is a metric that needs to be changed. The director of pedagogy at Vandermont shared that school needs to redefine success and change the way schools talk about pedagogy and how students engage in learning experiences. A lead teacher at The WIDE School emphasized the importance of creating learning experiences around the interests of the students rather than implementing a rigid curriculum. The head of school at Gateway College Preparatory shared how the school has rebranded school expectations to raise student expectations for rigor, communication, and a commitment to education. Creativity, Collaboration, and Character Education The body of scholarly research related to the current study also emphasizes the importance of creativity, collaboration, and character education in education. Robinson and Robinson (2022) assert that creativity, collaboration, and character education are keys to school transformation. These three tools can equip students with critical thinking skills that are key for both college and career preparation. The participants of the current study echo the passion of Robinson and Robinson (2022) by sharing how their schools use the power of creativity to drive student passion and challenge students to embrace risks. Participants of the current study support the research by Paterson (2021) and ensure students use intentional, acquired values to develop collaborative skills. The founder at Vandermont described how one of the school’s core values of “collaborative contributor” is fostered through collaborative quests. She shared, “throughout these quests, we are gauging their growth on that collaborative element piece of their own personalities and abilities with their work.” During these quests, students develop communication skills and learn how to work together. Dewey (1944) asserted that “the establishing of character is a comprehensive aim of school instruction and discipline” (p. 346). Lickona (1997) affirms that effective character education reduces student misbehavior and promotes ethical decision-making. Character education creates a community of shared values and shared cultural norms. Character education establishes a shared language of values that helps to create a community bond and raises expectations for developing leaders and providing accountability for moral decision-making. Participants in the current study value and implement character education. Several of the unique school models used specific, intentional values and methods to instill character in students.
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