Opportunity Education

Transforming schools into
effective learning communities

Demonstrating student performance, meeting the needs of parents, and supporting teachers are challenges school leaders face everywhere.

With the Quest Forward methodology, curricula, and platform, your school can become an active learning community where students engage deeply, parents gain confidence in their child’s growth, and system and district leaders can expect to see better performance patterns, with data to prove it.

With the Quest Forward methodology, curricula, and platform, your school can become an active learning community where students engage deeply, parents gain confidence in their child’s growth, and system and district leaders can expect to see better performance patterns, with data to prove it.

Learn more about:

The MethodPlatform appsQuests and Courses

Key Components of Quest Forward Learning

  1. The Quest Forward Learning methodology, with orientation materials for school leaders, teachers, students, and parents.
  2. A collection of custom-configured courses for selected academic or life-skills subjects, implemented from Opportunity Education’s library of over 2,000 quests.
  3. The Quest Forward Platform, including the Quest!™ app (learning management system for students and mentors), QuestCommunity™ (integrated student information system for school administrators), and QuestMaker™ (curriculum design system for curriculum and course designers).
  4. Orientation, training and support for school leaders and teachers, to support the deep transformation of teaching and learning for student agency and effective mentoring.
  5. Analytics insights: To enable mentors and school leaders to best support each student, the Quest Forward Platform provides deep insights into student activity, pacing, collaboration, note taking, and all levels of assessment.

School-Wide Transformation

Making learning more relevant and engaging is key to the academic and skills growth of students. Quest Forward Learning provides a transformational shift to teaching and learning. This process is built on our research-based methodology, a full standards-aligned curriculum, and student- and teacher-facing technology.

Why the comprehensive approach?

Quest Forward shifts the relationship between teacher and student to a truly student-centered approach to learning. The new dynamic encourages students to own their learning pathway, understand the habits and skills they are practicing, and drive their own growth in ways they didn’t think possible. This shift reframes the purpose and work of education and is most effective when applied school-wide.

While Quest Forward easily integrates other platforms and curricular materials, we do provide the backbone for a school with our method, quest-based courses, the Quest Forward Platform apps, and comprehensive teacher orientation and support.

The Quest Forward experience:

For TeachersFor Students and Parents

Introducing Quest Forward Learning at your School

We recognize that significant changes to school and classroom routines are not easy or comfortable. To enable the school to shift to more active and engaged learning and teaching, we provide detailed implementation plans, extensive orientation, and ongoing support.

Our goal is to help you integrate Quest Forward Learning into your daily work with confidence and optimism. For each school, we assign an Implementation Manager to work with you and your team through every step of the implementation of Quest Forward Learning at your school.

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Data and Analytics

Each student’s learning trajectory in a Quest Forward Academy, school, or program is personalized and paced to works well for each student. To enable mentors and school leaders to best support each student, the Quest Forward Platform provides deep insights into student activity, pacing, collaboration, note taking, and all levels of assessment.

Quest Forward Implementation Plan

1

Phase 1: Get Ready!

In the first phase of the launch process, your school selects members for its Quest Forward Team and outlines the practical aspects of your Quest Forward program. The information you collect in this first phase serves as the foundation for the entire implementation process.

2

Phase 2: Course Configuration

In the Quest! app, courses scaffold academic topics and skills to ensure students work through the course material in an effective order. Templates and handouts provided by our Implementation Manager guide your team as you outline the scope and requirements of your courses. Based on this outline, our Learning Design Team will configure academic and skills courses that best meet your students’ needs.

3

Phase 3: Mentor Training

With Quest Forward Learning, teachers do not instruct, but mentor students as they drive their own learning. Prior to the launch of your program, the teachers who will be using Quest Forward Learning attend Mentor Orientation led by our Mentor Coaches. This orientation will help teachers understand the mission and methodology of Quest Forward Learning, introduce them them to our apps, and help them become comfortable with using the approach with students in their classes.

4

Phase 4: Final Launch Preparation

In this final phase of the launch process, we ensure that your team and your students are ready for Quest Forward Learning, that your classrooms are well-configured, and that students have access to their courses.

5

Phase 5: Evaluate Impact Throughout the Program

All schools using Quest Forward Learning participate in ongoing student impact and performance evaluation throughout their programs. Evaluation enables us to improve Quest Forward to best meet the needs of our stakeholders, and it will help your school optimize students’ experience and outcomes. Prior to program launch, the Implementation Manager will review your customized evaluation plan and activities with you.

When I am learning with Quest Forward Learning, it makes it feel not necessarily easier, but different because I can learn what I want to learn, but I can also do it in my own way.
— Nora, a student at Glasgow Middle School
This school has changed our lives forever! Best decision we’ve ever made!
— Nicole Koster, parent of a student at Omaha
Quest Forward has made my son actually like going to school again. He loves the autonomy given to the students.
— Melissa Irving, parent of a student at Omaha
I was excited for my daughter to join Quest Forward Academy. She has learned the importance of time management skills in an independent learning setting, and how those skills will aid in her future choices. She has also become more aware of learning experiences by trial and error, and embracing those lessons by moving forward in a positive direction from them. My daughter’s confidence has grown tremendously in such a short amount of time from her experiences at QFA. We are grateful for this opportunity for her and her future.
— Arise C., parent of a student at Santa Rosa
What has become clear as day for me is that my son does as well as his teachers teach. If he has a teacher who’s passionate about teaching, loves teens and challenges him he will rise to the occasion every single time. We have found that and more at QFA. I love picking him up from school just to hear him arguing on all sides of relevant issues that matter in today’s world. Bravo QFA, you have accomplished the unaccomplishable. My son is finally engaged and happy to learn!
— Tracy O., parent of a student at Santa Rosa
We are delighted with the personalized program that Quest Forward Academy offers our daughter. She is engaged and open to new ways of learning. She has a new sense of self and confidence as she is gaining the skills and knowledge she will need for college and beyond. After a negative and “boring” two years in another High School, QFA has provided our daughter with a positive learning environment where she can be who she is and discover who she wants to become.
— Rebecca M., parent of a student at Santa Rosa
Quest Forward Academy has been everything we were hoping for and more. I love the attention that the Mentors (Teachers) give to their students. They are totally available for the students and will go above and beyond. The courses are interesting and challenging and fitted to help your individual student achieve their best. Best High School in Sonoma County and best affordable tuition for an independent school.
— Danyelle S., parent of a student at Santa Rosa
I’m amazed at the individual attention each student receives from the mentors. What used to be an occasional “cool” project at my daughter’s previous high school has become the new normal at Quest Forward Academy. I am totally ‘wow’d’ by the whole learning approach offered by Karen and her team. Clearly her years as a teacher and professor, and then heading curriculum for Stanford On-Line give her an impressive perspective on educating young adults for tomorrow’s world.
— Joel M., parent of a student at Santa Rosa
Quest Forward Academy Santa Rosa and the Quest Forward Learning ecosystem is an alternate route for people that have gaps in a wide variety of areas. We provide a support system for these kids that no public or bigger private school can offer. Most importantly, we prioritize relationships with the students first that is warm, but firm. Our students understand they have been given an incredible opportunity.
— Angela Pryor: Quest Forward Academy Santa Rosa
I love the idea of not simply teaching content, but educating students for individual growth to reach their ultimate potential.I am proud to be part of what I believe is a player in the evolution of education; Quest Forward Academy, centered around students learning individually, and becoming independent thinkers!
— Jennifer Dalbey: Quest Forward Academy Omaha
I have found quest to be an interactive resource that provides today’s student with the interactive engagement necessary in modern classroom. My students have expressed great interested in the dynamics towards limitless possibilities in explorational learning. Simply, Quest forward understands that education is not a destination it’s a Quest.
— Jonas Beaubru: Upward Bound
Quest Forward is an innovative learning program educating and cultivating young people to master problem solving skills in a constantly evolving world. It brings together a global community who is ready to bring about positive change in their communities.
— Tara Kossari: Launch Montgomery

Research Insights

Interested in diving deeper into the Quest Forward methodology? Our approach is inspired by learning-science insights and proven practices, and our Research and Evaluation team continues to inform all aspects of our work with their research perspectives.

These research briefs reflect recent thinking on key aspects of Quest Forward Learning.

Learn more about our research

  • Skills Practice: The Role of Practice in a Post-Memorization World

    A research brief that covers broad questions about the role of skills practice, highlights studies on skill development and practice, and outlines concepts for supporting practice in Quest Forward Learning.

    Download

  • Personalized Learning

    A research brief that highlights the latest research findings on personalized learning and documents best practices that inform the Quest Forward methodology, curricula, platform, and mentor support.

    Download

Recent News

August 16, 2018

4 Types of Quests: Discovery, Practice, Design, & Reflection

As Quest Forward Learning has grown to serve many different kinds of learning experiences, programs and organizations, and as we have built many different quests in the process, the need for four ...Read More

August 9, 2018

The Hands-Off Mentoring Approach

August 6, 2018

The Progression of Incorporating Technology in Tanzanian Classrooms

August 2, 2018

Q&A with Mark Smith: Director of Quest Forward Academy Omaha

View More News

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