FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 12, 2025

The Village School Becomes First Khan Schools Network Partner School on East Coast 

Inaugural partnership with Khan Schools Network positions The Village School as regional leader in personalized education

Arlington, Va – August 12, 2025 –The Village School today announced its selection as one of the first partners in the Khan Schools Network, becoming an early Khan Partner School on the East Coast. This groundbreaking partnership establishes The Village School as a regional leader in mastery-based learning, positioning students for success in an AI-driven future where deep understanding matters more than surface-level test performance.

The Khan Schools Network (KSN), launched by Khan Academy founder Sal Khan, stands at the unique position intersection of Khan Lab School (a mastery-based lab school), Khan Academy (a globally influential online learning provider), and Schoolhouse.world (a peer-tutoring platform). KSN partners with select schools to implement mastery-based learning approaches that ensure every student achieves deep understanding before advancing to new concepts.

“At Village School we care more about who our learners become than what they know - a value that only becomes more important as we enter the AI era. Mastery based learning provides a venue for us to lean into this belief and cultivate learning that goes beyond tests and textbooks. Mastery based learning positions young people as valuable contributors to the world, working and learning alongside experts, cultivating passions, and most important - discovering themselves.” said Dr. Elizabeth Dean, Head of Learning Design at The Village School.

Addressing the AI Revolution in Education

The partnership comes at a critical juncture as educators nationwide grapple with how to prepare students for a rapidly changing future. While AI is one factor shaping education, The Village School’s mastery-based approach—supported by the Khan Schools Network—ensures students develop the deep conceptual understanding, adaptability, and human-centered skills that will serve them well in any technological landscape.

The Village School weaves mastery-based learning and digital literacy with a focus on human connection to create three interconnected dimensions of their learning model:

• Agentic Learning: The school deeply trusts young people to direct their own learning experiences. Through hands-on, real-world projects and ample time for play and exploration, learners develop ownership of their education. This self-directed approach cultivates critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and the confidence to navigate challenges independently.
• Human Connection: The Village School's micro-community environment nurtures meaningful relationships between learners, educators, and community members. As technology pulls society toward more screen time and fewer face-to-face interactions, the school deliberately creates spaces for genuine connection, emotional expression, and community building. By prioritizing these relationships, educators help learners develop the social-emotional skills and support networks essential for resilience, belonging, and psychological well-being.
• Digital Literacy: Recognizing that technology is unavoidable, The Village School equips learners with skills to thoughtfully engage with technology as creators, not just consumers. Students learn to navigate digital environments ethically, evaluate information critically, and recognize both the potential and limitations of technological tools. This approach empowers them to make intentional choices about how they use technology, distinguish fact from misinformation, and understand the broader implications of digital systems on society—preparing them to shape, rather than merely be shaped by, the technological landscape.

"We've seen what happens when we introduce powerful technology, like smartphones, without teaching children how to engage with it thoughtfully—and we cannot afford to repeat those mistakes with AI," said Maria Vogelei, Head of School. "This partnership with Khan Schools Network allows us to take a different approach: combining mastery-based learning with intentional digital literacy and strong human connections. Rather than turning kids into AI guinea pigs, we're empowering them to become architects of their own learning and creators of technology, not just consumers."

Looking Ahead

The Village School is now preparing to launch a high school program in the Fall of 2026 built on the same foundational principles. The timing is critical: today's high school graduates will enter a college landscape where they must compete alongside AI for jobs and opportunities.

The high school program will emphasize hands-on, experiential learning, creative problem-solving, and character building—skills that remain uniquely human even as AI capabilities expand. More important than gaining knowledge of the world, The Village School graduates will enter the world with a knowledge of themselves and the confidence and experience to pursue their passions.

"This partnership represents more than just an educational innovation – it's a commitment to ensuring our students are prepared for a future we can only begin to imagine," said Dave Saunders, a member of the Board of Directors for The Village School. “By focusing on mastery rather than just coverage, we're giving young people the tools they need to thrive in an AI-enhanced world.”