Hooray For Monday August 11, 2025: Agency and Autonomy
Aug 9, 2025
Orly Friedman, an Inspired Teacher and founder of Red Bridge in San Francisco, discusses the transformative power of student agency in education. She highlights how her school allows learners to decide when they're ready to advance, fostering independence and responsibility. Orly shares practical strategies that any teacher can implement to promote a student-driven environment, emphasizing the connection between autonomy, engagement, and success. Her insights inspire a shift towards innovative practices that empower students in their learning journey.
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Journey From TFA To Designing Redbridge
- Orly Friedman moved from Teach For America to Khan Lab School and then designed Redbridge to prioritize agency.
- She discovered student success depended less on raw ability and more on work habits like focus, goals, and asking for help.
Agency As Goal+Will+Skill
- Redbridge defines agency as setting a meaningful goal and having the will and skill to achieve it.
- Orly Friedman centers every lesson on teaching goal-setting and the competencies to follow through.
Agency Builds Learning Resilience
- Students who know their own learning habits and can manage time and ask for help succeed across teachers and settings.
- Orly Friedman argues that agency gave students resilience during the pandemic and in varied learning contexts.