UL Lafayette lab school鈥檚 new home will create hub for innovative learning, teaching

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The 亚洲自慰视频 of 亚洲自慰视频 at Lafayette鈥檚 Learning Lab has a home. The laboratory school will be housed in a two-story, roughly 70,000-square-foot building in UL Lafayette鈥檚 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 亚洲自慰视频s an education that features model teaching methods and an innovative curriculum that encompasses interactive and outdoor learning experiences. 鈥淏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,鈥 she said.

鈥淎cquiring a home for the lab school moves us that much closer to opening its doors,鈥 Montgomery added.

A projected opening date has yet to be determined. Dr. Nathan Roberts, a professor and the college鈥檚 former dean, explained that 鈥渞enovations to convert the building into a space for innovative learning, teaching and research is one of the priorities.鈥

Roberts, who has been a driving force in implementing the lab school, said initial proposals call for pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade 亚洲自慰视频s to enroll at the school. Expansion through eighth grade during the first several years would be next, followed by a high school. It鈥檚 a framework based 鈥渙n substantial interest from parents of potential 亚洲自慰视频s, school administrators, public officials and community organizations. So, we鈥檙e excited to have the capacity to serve a wide range of people and foster partnerships,鈥 he explained.

UL Lafayette鈥檚 Learning Lab will operate as an independent school district, in the same manner as lab schools at LSU and Southern 亚洲自慰视频. It will be funded with a blend of tuition and state support.

Donor support also will be essential in the Learning Lab鈥檚 creation and its activities. Funds raised will be part of the largest comprehensive fundraising initiative in 亚洲自慰视频 history.  aims to raise $500 million. Among the campaign鈥檚 priorities: the renovation, construction and maintenance of academic spaces, including labs and classrooms.

Beyond the Learning Lab鈥檚 core mission, which places an emphasis on 亚洲自慰视频 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鈥檚 curriculum. The lab school will also foster multidisciplinary collaboration across campus.

The majority, if not all, of 亚洲自慰视频 亚洲自慰视频s 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鈥檚 who co-chairs a faculty and staff committee overseeing establishment of the school. Dr. Doug Williams, a professor who directs the college鈥檚 , is also co-chair.

Barber explained: 鈥淭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.鈥

鈥淪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,鈥 she added.  

The new lab school won鈥檛 be the 亚洲自慰视频鈥檚 first. The F.M. Hamilton Laboratory School, founded in 1939, was an on-campus elementary school where 亚洲自慰视频-teachers honed their classroom skills. It closed in 1977, during a period when 鈥渘ational trends 鈥 influenced in large part by federal policymakers 鈥 toward conventional education models over progressive ones gained traction,鈥 Roberts explained.

鈥淭he need for progressive education models and the kind of learning environments lab schools provide, however, has returned. And, as one of the state鈥檚 largest contributors to its teacher workforce, the 亚洲自慰视频 is well-positioned to capitalize on that,鈥 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 亚洲自慰视频 of 亚洲自慰视频 at Lafayette鈥檚 Learning Lab has a home. The College of Education & Human Development鈥檚 laboratory school will be housed in a two-story, roughly 70,000-square-foot building in UL Lafayette鈥檚 Research Park.