George Lucas Educational Foundation

Deepening Learning With Understanding by Design

Learners benefit when teachers intentionally plan their units backward—starting with the desired outcome.

March 20, 2020

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Schools That Work

Maplewood Richmond Heights High School

Public, Urban
Grades 9-12
Maplewood, MO

Maplewood Richmond Heights High School is a 370-student comprehensive high school in suburban St. Louis. Identified as a target for state takeover in the 1990s, MRH High has been working for the last two decades to transform itself into a high-quality school anchoring a revitalized neighborhood and school district. Today, teachers design their own curriculum using the Understanding by Design framework; there’s an emphasis on developing deep connections with students and families via home visits; and in all classes, teachers treat students as apprentices and look for ways to empower students and connect lessons to real-life people, places, and opportunities.

  • Achieved a 98.4 percent score on the Missouri Department ofEducation’s Annual Performance Report in 2018,which measures college and career readiness,test scores, attendance rates, and graduation rates.
  • Received a National Excellence in Urban Education Award,the only U.S. school to be awarded a gold level in 2015.
  • Named a Breakthrough School by the National Associationof Secondary School Principals in 2014 and 2017.

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Filed Under

  • Curriculum Planning
  • Teaching Strategies
  • 9-12 High School

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