Steve Levitt Visits The Levitt Lab at Da Vinci Connect
The Levitt Lab at Da Vinci Connect, powered by ASU Prep, welcomed its namesake founder, economist and Freakonomics co-author Steve Levitt, on August 20 for his first visit with the school’s inaugural class.
The Levitt Lab at Da Vinci Connect combines a flexible, mastery-based high school model with Da Vinci’s signature practices and experiences. Students can earn college credits through Arizona State University at no cost to families, learn at their own pace, and advance by demonstrating mastery. The model includes personalized learning, Wonder Sessions, Socratic-style Open Exchanges, passion-driven projects, and Da Vinci’s project-based, real-world and career-connected learning experiences.
The program operates four days a week on campus, with a flex day each Wednesday, and will serve 200 students when fully enrolled.
The Levitt Lab at Da Vinci Connect is one of three Levitt Lab sites across the country rethinking the future of education. Over the summer, educators from all three sites came together with Levitt for planning and collaboration, sharing ideas and learning from one another as they reimagine what high school can be.
“We’ve reimagined what high school can be by asking one essential question: What do students really need to thrive in life, not just in school?” — Steve Levitt
Levitt spent the day building relationships with students and staff, joining morning advisory circles and games, meeting with students, and hearing directly from them about their experiences so far. He also shared his inspiration for The Levitt Lab and his vision for creating a high school experience that is genuinely responsive to students.
The visit comes as The Levitt Lab continues to build its unique school culture. Students are developing a strong advisory community through games, identity work and circles, and recently held their first successful Open Exchange, a Socratic seminar exploring the question: When should kids get their first smartphone?
Reflecting on the discussion with Levitt, one student shared, “I feel like the Open Exchange was really inspiring and helped me really listen and hear other people’s ideas and thoughts on the topic.”
This week, students will take another big step in their first year together as they head out on their first Overnighter, a Da Vinci signature practice and another opportunity to build community, make new friends, and ease the transition to high school.
