Learn and Serve America's National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

Educators have long acknowledged that not all learning occurs in a classroom. This paper describes an innovative educational program in Minnesota, where the educational facility was built in a dedicated space at the Mall of America. The program is based on an outcomes-based, transdisciplinary curriculum for 16- to 19-year-old youth, featuring the "School to Work" transition model, technology preparation, and service-learning. The school is an arrangement between Mall of America management, who wanted to create a sense of community, and the Bloomington School District, which wanted to develop an innovative educational program. This paper describes the program's governance and alliances, finances, facilities, technology, public relations, curriculum, and evaluation process. The curriculum features life/career choices, global studies, entrepreneurship, environmental issues, and arts in the marketplace. (ERIC:LMI)