What is MicroSociety?
MicroSociety was developed by the late George H. Richmond in 1967. This concept was founded based on the idea that children need motivation and initiative to attend and stay in school. Richmond and his wife, Carolynn King, a Harvard trained educator with a law degree from Villanova, launched the Consortium of MicroSociety Schools, an association of like-minded educators interested in society building as a strategy to ignite students’ desire to learn. Later, the two established MicroSociety, Inc. (“MSI”), a non-profit consulting service. They wrote the first MicroSociety Handbook and along with a few trusted educators wrote a library of curriculum and a three year training sequence for teachers. By 1999, MSI became a full service professional organization working with schools in some of the Nation’s most at-risk communities and was approved by The U.S. Department of Education. (taken from MicroSociety website.
MicroSociety provides a real world context for learning. Students operate ventures, earn wages, and pay taxes, while they develop the following 21st century skills::
1) Critical Thinking
2) Creative Problem Solving
3) Effective Communication
4) Collaboration
These skills enable them to thrive in a global economy and the aim is to prepare students for the ever changing world.
All students earn wages in the school's currency "pawbucks," make deposits in the micro bank and pay taxes.
MicroSociety provides a real world context for learning. Students operate ventures, earn wages, and pay taxes, while they develop the following 21st century skills::
1) Critical Thinking
2) Creative Problem Solving
3) Effective Communication
4) Collaboration
These skills enable them to thrive in a global economy and the aim is to prepare students for the ever changing world.
All students earn wages in the school's currency "pawbucks," make deposits in the micro bank and pay taxes.
"Kids want to make meaning of their lives. If we treat them like they are not capable, we won't get very far. We have to leverage what they do have and believe that if we give them opportunity, that they will rise to the occasion."
-George Richmond
-George Richmond