The 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 Learning Lab has a home. The laboratory school will be housed in a two-story, roughly 70,000-square-foot building in UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Research Park.
The building was previously occupied by the National Marine Fisheries Service, a federal agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. U.S. Sen. John Kennedy .
Dr. Paula Montgomery, interim dean of the , said the Learning Lab will offer its students an education that features model teaching methods and an innovative curriculum that encompasses interactive and outdoor learning experiences. 杏吧专区淏eyond a cutting-edge learning and teaching environment, the Learning Lab will be a hub for teaching practice and theory, education-based research and interdisciplinary collaboration,杏吧专区 she said.
杏吧专区淎cquiring a home for the lab school moves us that much closer to opening its doors,杏吧专区 Montgomery added.
A projected opening date has yet to be determined. Dr. Nathan Roberts, a professor and the college杏吧专区檚 former dean, explained that 杏吧专区渞enovations to convert the building into a space for innovative learning, teaching and research is one of the priorities.杏吧专区
Roberts, who has been a driving force in implementing the lab school, said initial proposals call for pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students to enroll at the school. Expansion through eighth grade during the first several years would be next, followed by a high school. It杏吧专区檚 a framework based 杏吧专区渙n substantial interest from parents of potential students, school administrators, public officials and community organizations. So, we杏吧专区檙e excited to have the capacity to serve a wide range of people and foster partnerships,杏吧专区 he explained.
UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Learning Lab will operate as an independent school district, in the same manner as lab schools at LSU and Southern 杏吧专区. It will be funded with a blend of tuition and state support.
Donor support also will be essential in the Learning Lab杏吧专区檚 creation and its activities. Funds raised will be part of the largest comprehensive fundraising initiative in 杏吧专区 history. aims to raise $500 million. Among the campaign杏吧专区檚 priorities: the renovation, construction and maintenance of academic spaces, including labs and classrooms.
Beyond the Learning Lab杏吧专区檚 core mission, which places an emphasis on student research and active learning, the opportunities the school will afford are considerable. Conducting methodology research to determine the efficacy of curricula and programs is among them.
Such research will yield best practices that will be shared with school districts across the state and nation. It will also provide a built-in mechanism to continually assess and strengthen the school杏吧专区檚 curriculum. The lab school will also foster multidisciplinary collaboration across campus.
The majority, if not all, of 杏吧专区 students studying and training to become teachers will gain classroom experience at the lab school, in addition to their field experiences in area school districts, said Dr. Aimee Barber. She is an assistant professor in the college杏吧专区檚 who co-chairs a faculty and staff committee overseeing establishment of the school. Dr. Doug Williams, a professor who directs the college杏吧专区檚 , is also co-chair.
Barber explained: 杏吧专区淭he intent will be to immerse our teacher candidates in a space that enables them to not only learn about global best practice, but actually implement best practice as part of their teacher preparation.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淪o, in their junior year, they will be immersed in laboratory school classrooms in preparation for their final year, which is a year-long residency in area public schools,杏吧专区 she added.
The new lab school won杏吧专区檛 be the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 first. The F.M. Hamilton Laboratory School, founded in 1939, was an on-campus elementary school where student-teachers honed their classroom skills. It closed in 1977, during a period when 杏吧专区渘ational trends 杏吧专区 influenced in large part by federal policymakers 杏吧专区 toward conventional education models over progressive ones gained traction,杏吧专区 Roberts explained.
杏吧专区淭he need for progressive education models and the kind of learning environments lab schools provide, however, has returned. And, as one of the state杏吧专区檚 largest contributors to its teacher workforce, the 杏吧专区 is well-positioned to capitalize on that,杏吧专区 he added.
Learn more about . To support the lab school, contact Nicole Jones, senior director of Development, at nicole.jones@louisiana.edu or 337-482-0934
Photo caption: The 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 Learning Lab has a home. The College of Education & Human Development杏吧专区檚 laboratory school will be housed in a two-story, roughly 70,000-square-foot building in UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Research Park.