Backed by science

Why Our School Model Is the Best Choice — For Kids, For Community, For Tomorrow

At GESE, we reject the “sit-and-listen all day” model. Instead, every day is built around 2 hours of focused instruction, surrounded by a living, breathing ecosystem of learning: outdoors, practical, relational, intergenerational, and communal. When we combine small bursts of concentrated teaching with real-world tasks (growing food, caring for land, maintaining infrastructure, preparing meals, doing chores), children learn more deeply—and carry those lessons into life.

This is why our model isn’t just appealing, but undeniably the best choice we can make for our children, our communities, and our shared future.

Power of Focus + Rest: Quality Over Quantity

  • The brain can only sustain very high levels of attention for a limited span. Many educational neuroscience studies show that shorter, high-intensity instructional sessions yield better retention and engagement than long lectures.

  • By limiting direct instruction to two hours, we free the rest of the day for embodied, applied learning—the kind that anchors knowledge in real experience rather than abstraction alone.

This structure mirrors how mastery actually develops: teach a core concept, then immediately practice, apply, reflect, repeat.

Outdoor & Experiential Learning: Evidence-Backed Power

Our children don’t just sit inside — we bring learning into nature, into gardens, woods, and fields. Decades of research now confirm: this works exceptionally well.

  • Outdoor learning supports emotional, intellectual, and behavioral development: students show gains in independence, initiative, creativity, problem-solving, empathy, and self-discipline. (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point)

  • Students who learn outdoors often report better motivation, retention, and excitement about learning—and teachers report improved conduct and performance when lessons take place outside. (Harvard Graduate School of Education)

  • In one survey, nearly 9 out of 10 teachers observed that children were happier when engaging in outdoor lessons; 72% said outdoor instruction improved both students’ and mentors’ physical/mental health. (Soocial)

  • In a comprehensive review of outdoor/experiential school programs, many studies show positive long-term effects on academic performance, resilience, social skills, and learner identity. (grayff.org)

In short: stepping outside is not a luxury—it’s a core learning strategy.

Chores, Maintenance, Growing Food & Meal Prep: Learning by Doing

We embrace tasks often labeled as “life skills” or “chores”—but they are far more than that. These are deep learning opportunities:

  • Gardening and food production help students internalize ecological systems, biology, nutrition, cycles of life, climate, and responsibility. Garden-based learning programs show improvements in nutritional awareness, environmental literacy, and academic engagement. (gardening.cals.cornell.edu)

  • Intergenerational programs combining food/agriculture education show that involving elders and children together increases emotional attachment to place and deeper ownership of learning. (MDPI)

  • Caring for shared spaces (buildings, land, infrastructure) teaches stewardship, teamwork, pride, planning, problem-solving, accountability—and gives children real influence over their surroundings.

These tasks transform children from passive consumers of education into active stewards of their environment.

  • In community garden settings, older and younger participants exchange wisdom and technical skills, creating lasting bonds, mutual respect, and a shared sense of purpose. (Ag & Natural Resources College)

  • As one guide notes, contemporary intergenerational education helps repair the “growing separation” of young and old, and rebuilds mutual understanding across ages. (generationsworkingtogether.org)

  • In a broad review, intergenerational learning is described as a key strategy in modern lifelong learning, demographic shifts, and social capital renewal. (ERIC)

Community is not an add-on; it is the scaffold that supports every facet of our model.

 Intergenerational Learning & Community Involvement: Reweaving Social Fabric

Most conventional schools isolate generations. Our model invites elders, parents, community members as teachers, mentors, collaborators, and custodians.

  • Intergenerational programs have been shown to boost children’s social skills, attendance, cultural knowledge, emotional health—and also improve well-being and engagement for older adult participants. (Center on Reinventing Public Education)

More Caring Adults, Higher Relationship Density = Stronger Support

When students have more varied adult relationships (mentors, elders, skill-shares, community partners), they gain resilience, trust, support networks, and diverse role models.

  • Traditional classrooms often require one teacher to handle all academic, social, and emotional roles. In contrast, our approach brings in multiple caring adults — each specializing, caring, mentoring, coaching—so no child is overlooked or isolated.

  • This multiplicity increases the adult-to-child ratio in the broad sense—more hands, more eyes, more people invested in each student’s growth.

Where a conventional school might have 1 adult to 25 students, we effectively build a web of adults around each child. That means more attention, more feedback, more relational safety, and more opportunities for individual flourishing.

Bilingualism

Learning more than one language profoundly transforms the brain.

  • Bilingual learners show measurable improvements in executive function—attention, memory, and problem-solving—because their brains constantly practice flexibility and focus.
    Northwestern University, Bilingualism Research Center

  • Studies from cognitive neuroscientists show bilingualism strengthens neural pathways and can even delay the onset of dementia by 4–5 years, due to enhanced cognitive reserve.
    University of Ottawa

  • Children learning in two languages develop stronger literacy and reasoning skills, outperforming monolingual peers in critical thinking and adaptability.
    U.S. Department of Education

In short, bilingualism isn’t an enrichment—it’s an evidence-backed advantage for life.

Social-Emotional Learning: The Foundation for Lifelong Success

Research confirms: when we nurture the heart, the mind follows.

  • Students who participate in SEL programs show an average 11-point gain in academic achievement compared to peers in traditional settings.
    Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

  • SEL instruction significantly improves students’ self-management, social awareness, and relationship skills, while reducing anxiety, aggression, and emotional distress.
    American Psychological Association (APA)

  • Integrating SEL into classrooms leads to measurable improvements in school climate, peer relationships, and teacher well-being.
    Harvard Graduate School of Education

Teaching emotional intelligence is not extra — it’s essential.

  • Longitudinal studies show that students with strong SEL foundations are more likely to graduate, hold stable employment, and contribute positively to their communities as adults.
    Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology

Play-Based Learning: Serious Benefits Through Joy

Through play, children develop creativity, confidence, and the ability to solve complex problems. Research across neuroscience, education, and psychology confirms that play is one of the most effective and developmentally essential ways children learn.

  • Play strengthens brain architecture and enhances memory, attention, and self-regulation — critical skills for academic and lifelong success.
    Harvard Center on the Developing Child

  • Students engaged in play-based learning demonstrate improved language development, social skills, and executive function compared to peers in more rigid academic settings.
    American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

  • Research shows that children who learn through play exhibit greater creativity, empathy, and motivation to learn—key predictors of long-term academic and emotional well-being.
    LEGO Foundation & UNICEF Global Report on Learning Through Play

  • Educators who integrate play report higher student engagement, stronger relationships, and more inclusive classrooms that support diverse learners.
    The Hechinger Report

Play isn’t the opposite of work — it’s how children build the skills to succeed in school and in life.

Community Engagement & Service Learning: Education with Purpose

Through service learning and community engagement, students apply knowledge to meaningful projects that strengthen both academic understanding and social responsibility. The research is clear: when students connect learning to life, motivation and achievement soar.

  • Students involved in service-learning programs show improved academic outcomes, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities compared to peers in traditional classrooms.
    National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC)

  • Service learning fosters empathy, civic engagement, and cross-cultural understanding—helping students see themselves as capable of creating real change.
    Education Commission of the States

  • Youth who participate in community-based education develop a stronger sense of belonging and purpose, which predicts higher academic motivation and emotional well-being.
    Journal of Experiential Education

  • Collaborative projects between schools and local organizations strengthen community bonds and promote mutual growth, benefiting both students and society.
    National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

When learning serves others, it transforms both the student and the community.

The Stakes Are High: Why This Matters for the Future

We don’t just seek to educate children—we seek to cultivate citizens who can heal ecosystems, rebuild community, restore resilience, and carry purpose into a changing world.

Our world is facing climate instability, social fragmentation, limited connection to people and place, and alienated youth. A “desk-based,” test-driven model does not equip children as they need to be.

Conversely, children who have a deep understanding of ecology, sustainability, community dynamics, commitment, and teamwork are far better prepared to lead with creativity, humility, and collaboration.

This model is not experimental—it synthesizes best practices from outdoor education, forest schools, garden-based learning, intergenerational pedagogy, and relational schooling.

The evidence is mounting; the outcomes are real; the transformation is possible.

Why This Is Undeniably the Best Choice

  • Decades of cognitive and educational research affirm that short, focused instruction combined with hands-on application leads to deeper, lasting learning.

  • Outdoor and experiential learning not only strengthens academic performance—it nurtures emotional intelligence, social connection, and behavioral well-being. Students who learn in nature are more focused, creative, and resilient.

  • Chores, gardening, cooking, and maintenance aren’t “extra activities”—they are gateways to meaning, responsibility, and ecological literacy, helping students understand their role in sustaining life and community.

  • Intergenerational collaboration rebuilds what modern systems have lost: trust, wisdom, mentorship, and cultural continuity. When children learn alongside adults of all ages, every learner becomes richer in perspective and compassion.

  • And with more caring adults per child, no student goes unseen. Every learner is known, supported, and celebrated—academically, emotionally, and personally.

    This is not just education reimagined.
    It’s education restored to what it was always meant to be—human, connected, purposeful, and alive.

    The challenges of the 21st century demand citizens who are grounded, relational, purposeful, and systems-aware—and this model cultivates exactly that.

This is more than an alternative—it is the best possible way forward for our children, our communities, and our world.