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Genius Hour: student-elected enrichment blocks in the extended day with showcase events

Design · All designs
Evidence · 1 claim (1 mixed) · 1 study (1 qualitative), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description

Genius Hour is Los Padillas's extended-day enrichment structure in which "Students select an extracurricular activity to focus on daily for 6 weeks," with options ranging "from coding, robotics, and circuits to knitting, soccer, martial arts, and mariachi." All teachers are involved, keeping classes small for individualized attention, and academic skills are woven in informally. Each 6-week cycle ends with a Genius Hour Showcase where parents and caregivers observe what students produced, serving also as family engagement.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

  • Extended day schedule with time built in for enrichment
  • All teachers involved so classes stay small

Constraints

  • Devised as part of the school redesign and directly tied to community priorities gathered in visioning sessions

Target Learners

  • Elementary students (PreK–5) in a Title I, predominantly Hispanic dual language school

Learning Goals

  • Student choice and voice
  • Academic enrichment
  • Relationship-building across grades
  • Family engagement

Claims

Examples

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Key Sources

  • Germain, E. (2024). New Mexico community school profile: Los Padillas Elementary School. Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/new-mexico-community-school-los-padillas-brief
Page metadata
Field Value
type design
id genius-hour-elected-enrichment-blocks
title Genius Hour: student-elected enrichment blocks in the extended day with showcase events
description Genius Hour is Los Padillas's extended-day enrichment structure in which "Students select an extracurricular activity to focus on daily for 6 weeks," with options ranging "from coding, robotics, and circuits to knitti...
status review
generated by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-10
trust unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources 1 — germain-2024

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