The Sky High

One of the most important insights I gained while building The Sky High in Akbarpur was recognizing the gap between what parents expect from schools and what students really need to thrive. But I’ve also come to realise that understanding where parents are coming from is key to moving forward. They invest their hard-earned money in the hope that education will transform their children’s lives. Their heart is at the right place, but there’s often a mismatch between the indicators that they use to assess learning and what actually drives learning. For example, in pre-primary education, we focus on helping children express themselves. Thanks to Nilesh Nimkar and Mitali Thatte’s push, we shifted our strategy and now use native language to develop expression because if we force English too early, their ability to express ideas can be stifled. However, when parents see notebooks filled with the native language, they worry that no English is being taught, assuming the education is ineffective. They don’t yet see that building a strong foundation—whether in language, critical thinking, or creativity—is what truly prepares children for success in the long run. This kind of mismatch highlights a bigger challenge: parents often value structure—homework, strict schedules, and notebooks being filled mostly through board copied text. Schools which focus on conceptual clarity and  deeper, more meaningful learning mostly find it hard to onboard parents in practice for their methodology despite regular onboarding. This becomes very tricky for schools as they don’t want to lose on students. But the fact is that many rural students are already two grade levels behind their urban peers, and this gap will only grow if we stick to outdated, process-driven standards. As an innovative school in a rural demography, it's critical  to recognize that balancing the structure parents value with the learning outcomes students truly need. It’s about meeting parents where they are—understanding their concerns—while showing them that their children need more than a traditional model. One way that we have tried is being extremely transparent and communicating the why behind every structure/practice that we place in our school. Not sure if that has brought in acceptance but we strongly hope that it will eventually, because we need schools that not only keep students engaged but also equip them with skills to thrive in today’s world. If you have an anecdote/practice of how you convinced your customer/ parent of something they were skeptical about please do share in the comments! The Sky High Sandeep Rai Pooja Chopra Abbas Dadla Chahat Sanghvi Akash Nath Satyam Kumar W. Aakash Pragya Gaur The Circle India #Ruraleducation #Parentengagement #Holisticlearning #Studentsuccess #Educationmatters #Contextualisedlearning #Bridgingthegap #Schoolleadership #Transformingeducation #Empoweringstudents #Educationforall

What does it take to truly enhance the quality of education in rural India, where nearly 3/4 of the population resides? How do we create enabling ecosystems for entrepreneurs and impact organizations beyond the metro pin codes? How can we design learning experiences that are deeply contextualized and impactful for these communities? These were some of the important questions we delved into last month when The Sky High had the privilege of hosting the Board of Trustees from The Circle India in Akbarpur. During their visit, the board spent an entire day with us in our school in Akbarpur, gaining a deeper understanding of our unique context. They met with our learners, their parents, and local community members, observed our classrooms, and engaged directly with our teachers. The insights and thoughtful discussions on how The Sky High can amplify its impact gave us a lot of sparks and direction. Most importantly, they gave us a lot of confidence that there is this group of impact leaders willing to support and back us so that we not only stand but run on our feet. We are currently a 0 to 1 non-profit start-up wanting to change the “what and how” of rural education in India. Our first year of journey has been defined by our commitment to creating school solutions that address the specific needs of our students. We have been deeply focusing on contextualized curriculum and local teacher capacity building. The visit was a real shot in the arm for our relentless educators and teacher coaches. Our teachers have not only shown deep belief in our mission to create an enabling environment for our kids so that they can thrive and compete with their city counterparts. But also, have submitted themselves to a lot of unlearning and learning at the same time. Our big thanks go to the incredible team at The Circle India who always have our back and to the Board of Advisors for taking the time to engage with us, share their wisdom, and strengthen their support. This visit has filled us with hope, gratitude, and renewed energy to continue our mission of creating meaningful change in rural education through The Sky High. Sandeep Rai Ramesh Srinivasan Meher Pudumjee Nandita Dugar Nikunj Jhaveri Shaheen Mistri Soumya Jain Rati Forbes Vikram Bhalla Pooja Chopra Abbas Dadla Nivi Siddharthan Satyam Kumar W. Aakash Pragya Gaur

Celebrating Our Teachers: The Heart of Sky High On this special day, we pause to celebrate and express our deepest gratitude to the incredible teachers at Sky High. Every day, we witness our teachers' unwavering dedication, relentless hard work, and remarkable openness to learn and grow. Yet, we must also recognize that many of these teachers come from a system that hasn’t always served them well—a system that's traditional and has failed to nurture their true potential for growth and professional advancement. With the support of our exceptional teacher coaches, they embrace new methodologies, seek feedback, and continuously refine their craft—all with the singular goal of empowering our students. It’s not easy, but their willingness to rise to this challenge, to step out of their comfort zones, and to commit to evolving alongside their students is nothing short of extraordinary. The bond they build with each child, the trust and love they cultivate, is nothing short of magical. It’s this connection that turns learning into something deeply personal and transformative. To our teachers, thank you. You’re not just teaching lessons—you’re building futures, unlocking potential, and shaping tomorrow's leaders. Your work matters, and today we celebrate you for all you do. A special shoutout to our teacher coaches (Satyam Kumar & W. Aakash), who serve as mentors, guiding and supporting our educators to achieve excellence in their classrooms. Through your efforts, you're not only improving instruction but also empowering our teachers to grow and thrive. P.S. Our leader, Akash Yadav, often steps into the classroom to teach and connect with the kids. It’s his way of staying close to the heart of learning while showing our teachers what’s possible when you engage with students on a deeper level. (Here’s a glimpse of that!) Happy Teachers' Day to the heartbeat of Sky High! 💙 Neetu Bajpai | Neha Kushwaha | Pragya Awasthi | Shruti Shahi | Alpana Verma | Anshika Shukla | Ruhi Bano | Shristi Katiyar #teachersday #educationforall #ruraleducationimpact #transformingruralschools #empoweringeducators #teachers #celebratingteachers