ACOT² is a collaborative project with the education community to help high schools create the kind of learning environment this generation of students needs, wants, and expects so they will stay in school.

1 in 3 high schools students in America will not graduate

For most students, dropping out is a gradual process of disengagement that can be reversed with more challenging, relevant coursework and personalized support from schools, teachers, and parents.

Designed to make a difference right away

With a 30-year history of delivering innovative technology and education solutions, Apple initiated ACOT² to articulate and demonstrate simple yet powerful design principles for the 21st-century high school:

• Understanding of 21st-century skills and outcomes. Educators and parents must understand what skills students need to learn to be successful in work, higher education, and citizenship.
• Relevant and Applied Curriculum. Students should be engaged in real world challenges using a multidisciplinary approach. Curriculum should engage students in the application of ubiquitous technology and advance achievement of 21st-century skills.
• Informative Assessment. Assessments used in the classroom should provide relevant feedback to students, teachers, parents, and decision makers as to progress towards 21st-century skills and should continuously improve student learning.
• A Culture of Innovation and Creativity. Schools should create a culture that supports and reinforces innovation for learning and leverages the creativity and ingenuity of every adult and student.
• Social and Emotional Connections with Students. Each student should have a clear and purposeful connection to school, with at least one adult who is in tune with the student’s learning preferences, learning interests, and social connections.
• Ubiquitous Access to Technology. Students and educators need 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week access to technologies that empower them to do research and data analysis for solving complex problems; publish with multiple media; communicate with peers and experts; and work collaboratively.