Academy of Thought and Industry at Museum Mile

Welcome to the new Academy of Thought and Industry (ATI) at Museum Mile! We are so thrilled to offer a continuous learner-centered experience from Guidepost Children’s House (ages three through six), through our Guidepost Lower and Upper Elementary programs (ages six through twelve), all the way through our new adolescent ATI program (ages twelve through sixteen).

The ATI experience is unique and compelling. Our program’s Montessori foundation features both a deep understanding of adolescent development and a commitment to guide and nurture our students on their individual journeys to create lives of virtue, value and purpose. To achieve these goals, we understand that it would never work to set up institutional schooling and place students within that somewhat-rigid framework. Instead, we continually co-develop the school experience with our students as they grow and change as individuals and as a community. True ownership comes by way of including students in the design process of space, time and arrangement of learning contingencies.

Dr. Montessori’s gift to adolescent education is the visionary framework of autonomy paired with accountability. Students emerging from their middle and high school education today must navigate an ever-changing world through their ability to be self-driven, to approach problems with innovation and perseverance and to be citizens of our global society who understand how their personal choices and actions affect others. The ATI program is a guided space to hone these competencies within the school experience.

Deep learning consists of both ‘learning’ and ‘doing’—thought and industry. At ATI, we combine rigorous core learning arrangements, clustered around humanities, analytics and Socratics in which our students build the foundational working knowledge needed to engage in ever-complex, multi-disciplinary real-world projects. In addition, students experience activities under the heading “life design,” including our coaching program, which ensures personalized fulfillment of their own short and long-term goals. A rich practical life component and iterative creatives round out the exposure students require during these years to develop life-skills and to be exposed to potential interests they might want to explore further.

We know that the adolescent years can be a wonderful but challenging time for you as parents and that choosing the right program is not always an easy decision. Yet one thing is certain. By joining ATI, we are sharing your child’s middle years together, by constantly communicating and striving to make sure that his or her school experience supports and realizes the young emerging person he or she is truly meant to be!

I look forward to meeting you,