Student Agency

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What is Student Agency?

At the heart of our teaching and learning pillars is a firm belief in the power of student agency: skills and habits that support students in their learning across all subject areas, which have been noted as essential for students’ long-term academic and career achievement. 

At Gateway we have categorized these skills into five key areas:

  • Academic Strategies
  • Academic Habits
  • Self-Awareness & Growth Mindset
  • Self-Advocacy
  • Collaboration & Community Skills

At Gateway, these skills and habits are valued and taught explicitly together with the content area skills and knowledge within each subject area.  Just as students are evaluated in their mastery of math, for example, their metacognitive awareness and understanding of how to approach mathematical problems is taught and assessed. These skills continue to benefit students long after a test is passed or a class completed, empowering them to take control of their own formal and informal learning.

Gateway Impact

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Gateway Impact is a professional development initiative launched in 2019 to support educators everywhere who want to incorporate student agency skills into their practice. Since its inception, hundreds of educators have benefitted from low or no-cost professional development through Gateway Impact's annual Powerful Learners Conference, as well as newsletters, free online resources and more. 

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