It’s time to rethink high school! That’s the takeaway from a new experiment we heard about, called the “Independent Project.” Last fall, a high school in Massachusetts chose eight students to basically design and run their own school-within-a-school. Some were honors students, while others were on the verge of dropping out. The students were free to get advice from teachers and their guidance counselor, but they were mostly responsible for monitoring their own work, and giving each other feedback.

Sounds like an invitation to slack off, right? Check out what happened: In the first half of the semester, the students decided to study science and history. In the second half, they focused on math and literature. At the same time, each student learned something on their own – like cooking, playing the piano, or making a podcast. Finally, they all created a film, where they talked about their experiences, and the lessons they learned. By the end of the experiment, two students who had considered dropping out said they were eager to stay in school! Another student who had been failing math, volunteered to help teach it.

So why the turnaround? Susan Engel directs a teaching program at Williams College in Massachusetts. She says the most remarkable thing about the Independent Project is that it shows what can happen when teenagers take “ownership” of their education. In other words: When you take away all the standardized tests, multiple-choice questions, and precise lesson plans, this experiment shows that teens want to learn. They just want to learn things that matter to them, on their own terms. Engel says that’s important when you consider a quarter of North American students don’t finish high school! As she puts it: The current education system is broken and the Independent Project may offer some clues to help fix it.