Welcome to the Friday Feature, a new series on Cato at Liberty that’s going to highlight interesting stories in the education space. Innovative schools; exciting educational programs; inspiring students, parents, and teachers—all these and more. This first post looks at New Hampshire’s Learn Everywhere program since one theme of the Friday Feature will be that children can—and do—learn everywhere.

“Commissioner, you have to help us. The school closes at 9 p.m., we need it open until 10 p.m.”

This simple request by a member of a New Hampshire high school robotics team was the genesis for an exciting program that launched this year in the granite state. Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut was thrilled to see how excited the students were about learning. But then he realized their learning didn’t count when it came to high school graduation.

That experience was the inspiration behind Learn Everywhere, an innovative program that allows the State Board of Education (SBOE) to license community educational programs to count toward high school graduation credits.

Under Learn Everywhere, applicants outline their proposed programs, including the suggested credit and how student progress will be evaluated. At the end of a program, students will receive a certificate of completion and a grade to submit to their home district for credit. Each program will report participation information to the state annually.

To understand the potential impact of Learn Everywhere, consider the first program to be approved. The New Hampshire Academy of Science (NHAS) will offer courses in Biology Research, Chemistry Research, Physics Research, and AP Biology. The NHAS already offers science‐​based programs for youths, including access to advanced laboratory equipment through their STEM Lab and equipment loan program. Now, in addition to working with high‐​level scientists on state‐​of‐​the‐​art equipment, students can receive high school credits when they participate in NHAS programs.

Learn Everywhere empowers families to make decisions that work for them. Let’s say a student is a budding actor who takes afterschool classes and performs in community theater. Receiving credit for those efforts will allow the student to use the school day to take another class or a study hall to accommodate the theater schedule.

Teachers will also benefit. Studies show many teachers want more autonomy. With Learn Everywhere, teachers can create new afterschool learning opportunities for students, knowing their students will receive credits for their efforts.

There are lots of ways to learn. As homeschoolers, my children have taken classes at co‐​ops, the local district school, a private school, and college. They’ve earned independent study credits through debate. They’ve learned through online courses and from experts in our community. No one source is always better than another. Their high school transcripts reflect this diversity. Now, through Learn Everywhere, students in New Hampshire public schools will have similar flexibility.

With the launching of Learn Everywhere, the “Live Free or Die” state is a national leader in education. It will be exciting to see what students achieve through these new opportunities.