Impact that proves school transformation is possible.
4 Learning exists to prevent pushout and end learner disengagement — by helping schools transform the learning experience through the School Remix Model. We track what changes lives, share what we learn, and build accountability around outcomes that matter.
Why we say pushout, not dropout.
Because the burden shouldn’t fall on students to “persist” inside systems that weren’t built to serve them. Pushout names the institutional practices that exclude — and the transformation work required to interrupt them.
Impact at a glance.
Selected outcomes when the model is implemented with fidelity.
Note: Where we cite peer-reviewed or published research, we do so directly. Where we share program-reported outcomes across sites, we label them as such and include context.
Disrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline (HSRA)
Upon enrollment, ~65% of students have already been involved with the criminal justice system — falling to roughly ~12% by the time students graduate.
One-Year Graduation (HSRA)
HSRA graduates ~89% of its one-year graduation cohort each year. This number holds across 4 Learning-operated sites within the School Remix Network, such as Studio 4 LA, Studio 4 MTL Nord, and Studio 4 MTL Côte-des-Neiges.
Academic Growth (Studio 4 Montréal / Projet 4 — Program-Reported)
Both Studio 4 Montréal locations see one-year academic growth of 141%.
Career Pathways + Paid Internships-For-Credit (Business of Music & Media)
Our Business of Music & Media approach has been published for its ability to bring paid internships to students so they can earn school credit, income, and resume-building accomplishments through a student-powered record label.
School Remix Network (network-level snapshot).
Impact across the School Remix Network.
We share aggregate patterns and trends across the School Remix Network to support continuous improvement, partner learning, and transparency.
What You’ll See Here
Network charts for Growth in HOPE and student experience.
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To what extent does the recording studio contribute to you coming to school every day?
◼︎ Without the studio, I would not come to school
◼︎ Without the studio, I would come to school much less
◼︎ Without the studio, I would still come to school, but it wouldn’t be as exciting
◼︎ The studio has no impact on my attendance
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On a scale of 1 to 4, how at home do you feel while in the recording studio?
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To what extent do you feel valued by the recording arts program as a unique human being in the world?
◼︎ I feel the same in the recording arts program as I do anywhere else in my school
◼︎ I feel somewhat valued
◼︎ I feel valued
◼︎ I feel very valued
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Do you believe the recording arts program has helped you develop any of the following skills?
◼︎ Yes
◼︎ No
◼︎ Maybe
Big data.
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↑ GPA ↑
Remix Network Partners indicate increase in GPA of 115% in one trimester for students served directly.
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↑ Attendance ↑
Remix Network Partners indicate increase in Attendance of 124% in one trimester for students served directly.
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↓ Interventions ↓
Remix Network Partners indicate a decrease in behavioral interventions for students served directly.
Methods and Notes: The above data represents students served directly by one of our programs within the School Remix Network. We share aggregate findings while protecting privacy. Methodology notes are available upon request.
“Re-engaging youth in their high school education through their interest and passion for recording arts.”
Impact you can see (stories + artifacts).
Impact isn’t only a number — it’s visible work.
Studio-based learning turns “engagement” into production: creating, collaborating, revising, and publishing authentic work.
What we measure.
We help schools define student success — and measure what matters.
Traditional accountability often assumes stable enrollment, linear pathways, and one timeline to graduation. Re-engagement schools serve young people who have been pushed out, are credit-deficient, highly mobile, and navigating real barriers. We believe that the re-engagement work we’ve done over the past 30 years at HSRA should be mainstream. Every student deserves a broader understanding of success and every school deserves to see the whole student.So we partner with schools to broaden — and clarify — what student success looks like in context, then build measurement systems that are honest, actionable, and equity-centered.
We firmly believe the alternative and re-engagement school sectors are the true sectors of education innovation. Schools that have served young people traditional schools have failed, and done so successfully, have achieved tremendous outcomes through revolutionary approaches to teaching and learning that every school can benefit from.
That’s why our alternative accountability work is informed by field-building efforts to expand accountability for alternative and re-engagement settings, including NACSA’s white paper When Anecdotes Aren’t Enough and the SUNY Charter Schools Institute’s Active Ingredients initiative, which focuses on better measuring and communicating success for vulnerable students. (qualitycharters.org).
Outcome areas we track and strengthen with partners:
Re-engagement: students returning to learning and staying connected
Attendance / stick rate: staying engaged through the year
One-year graduation rate: a fairer measure for re-engagement contexts
Credit attainment + momentum
Academic growth
Studio utilization: the studio as an instructional engine
Growth in HOPE: student hope as a leading indicator of persistence and achievement — Using the nationally normed HOPE Survey from The Talent Enthusiasts, we work with schools to track growth in hope over time. Hope has been shown to correlate strongly to academic achievement, such that as feelings of hope increase, so do academic outcomes. Students learning at a School Remix Network member location consistently outperform national averages on the HOPE Survey.
What drives the outcomes (model fidelity).
Impact isn’t accidental. It’s structural.
The School Remix Model works when it’s implemented with fidelity — meaning schools build the structures that turn engagement into achievement. We understand that not every Network Member can implement every aspect of our model, however, outcomes indicate that even a few incorporations go a long way towards uplifting student success.
Key drivers (aligned to the 10 Distinguishers):
Studio Learning Model: real-world production as the engine of learning
Advisory + culture by design: students are known, supported, and accountable
Personal Learning Plans + competencies: growth is visible; pathways fit the learner
Wraparound supports: barriers reduced so school becomes possible
Business of Music & Media: career readiness rooted in real work
Alternative accountability: measurement that reflects real student trajectories
The evidence base (research + publications).
Peer-reviewed research and published evidence.
HSRA and the School Remix Model
Peer-reviewed and published work has documented HSRA’s outcomes and its role in transforming student lives when implemented with fidelity.
Business of Music & Media
In an article published in the McGill Journal of Education titled "How to Pay Your Students to Go to School," our signature Business of Music & Media programming has been shown to increase attendance and academic achievement for students who need it most.
Why support matters (impact + sustainability).
What supporters make possible.
Support helps us:
Strengthen school transformation support for pushout prevention
Grow evaluation and evidence across sites
Expand the School Remix Network’s shared tools and learning
Increase educator access and dissemination through the RemixED Conference
FAQs.
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The strongest outcomes show up when schools implement with fidelity — especially advisory, PLPs/competencies, wraparound supports, and production-centered instruction.
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We share aggregate results and trends; privacy protections vary by partner agreements. Full methodology notes can be shared during partnership conversations.
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We follow partner agreements and applicable policies to protect student privacy and share only what is appropriate at the aggregate level.