![\"\"](\"https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/29140/2026/image-20260531-063414-1bc37f14-m.jpg\")
Cambridge A-Levels are taken by 175,000+ students in 160 countries. Recognised by the Ivy League, Russell Group, and leading universities worldwide, including the top public universities in Japan. For students with clear direction, they’re a powerful signal of mastery.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/20/cambridge-alevels-are-taken-by.html","date_published":"2026-06-20T14:19:09+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"14:19","date_timestamp":1781965149,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"92462026","content_html":"Not every 16-year-old is still figuring out what they love. Some already know. For them, the IGSCE or A-Levels might be a good choice— the chance to go genuinely deep into 3–4 subjects. Breadth is a virtue. So is depth.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/19/not-every-yearold-is-still.html","date_published":"2026-06-18T23:36:35+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-18 23:36","date_timestamp":1781825795,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"92395293","content_html":"We’re not just designing a school. We’re asking: what does a 15-year-old need to become someone who can navigate a world that doesn’t exist yet? Parkhurst asked that in 1922. We’re still asking it a century later. When everything can be looked up, what core competencies are worth developing?
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/18/were-not-just-designing-a.html","date_published":"2026-06-17T23:35:59+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-17 23:35","date_timestamp":1781739359,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"92324367","content_html":"Dalton X in one sentence: take Parkhurst’s freedom and responsibility, layer on Minerva’s learning science, add A-Levels depth and global recognition, then head out into the world to learn, discover, explore, connect and build. That’s the plan.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/17/dalton-x-in-one-sentence.html","date_published":"2026-06-16T23:38:48+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-16 23:38","date_timestamp":1781653128,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"92251280","content_html":"Year 2 at Dalton X: students participate in four three-month rotations at hubs around Japan and across the globe. Mornings online. Afternoons solving real problems in real places. We are bringing the world to the classroom and the classroom to the world. Literally.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/16/year-at-dalton-x-students.html","date_published":"2026-06-15T23:22:56+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-15 23:22","date_timestamp":1781565776,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"92188303","content_html":"Dalton X High School opens April 2027. The “X” stands for the unknown — variables, possibility, the future unwritten. It also stands for a crossroads, a meeting across cultures and curriculums. The idea is to create a unique, hybrid model combining the best of traditional and cutting edge education.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/15/dalton-x-high-school-opens.html","date_published":"2026-06-14T23:42:57+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-14 23:42","date_timestamp":1781480577,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"92131718","content_html":"Kawaijuku — the group behind Dalton X — partnered with the Dalton School New York in 1976 to open Dalton schools in Tokyo and Nagoya. Dalton X isn’t starting from zero. It’s the next chapter of a 50-year relationship. More on Dalton X in the next few posts. www.daltonx.ed.jp
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/14/kawaijuku-the-group-behind-dalton.html","date_published":"2026-06-13T22:42:21+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-13 22:42","date_timestamp":1781390541,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"92089982","content_html":"The History of Dalton Schools: kajschwermer.com
","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/13/the-history-of-dalton-schools.html","date_published":"2026-06-13T05:57:03+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-13 05:57","date_timestamp":1781330223,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"92023977","content_html":"Freedom isn’t permission to do nothing. Dutch educator Hans Wenke reframed Parkhurst’s first principle: freedom is the earned outcome of responsibility. That distinction matters enormously in how you design a school. The balance between freedom and responsibility is a crucial one.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/12/freedom-isnt-permission-to-do.html","date_published":"2026-06-12T07:05:02+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-12 07:05","date_timestamp":1781247902,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91938392","content_html":"The Dalton Plan has three parts: the House (community), the Assignment (a contract between student and teacher), and the Lab (hands-on exploration). Built in 1922. Still the bones of what we’re building at Dalton X in 2027. I’ll write more about the Dalton Plan in subsequent posts.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/11/the-dalton-plan-has-three.html","date_published":"2026-06-10T23:25:55+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-10 23:25","date_timestamp":1781133955,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91868312","content_html":"Helen Parkhurst’s insight: give children real responsibility for their learning and they instinctively seek the best way to achieve it. Not a theory. Alongside her mentor, Maria Montessori, she actually watched it happen in her classroom over a century ago. No tests or exams, minimal discipline.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/10/helen-parkhursts-insight-give-children.html","date_published":"2026-06-10T00:16:17+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-10 00:16","date_timestamp":1781050577,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91790369","content_html":"“Let us think of a school as a social laboratory where pupils themselves are the experimenters, not the victims of an intricate and crystallized system.” — Helen Parkhurst, 1922. The brand new Minerva Baccalaureate is one leg of the Dalton X curriculum, Parkhurst’s century-old Dalton Plan is another.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/09/let-us-think-of-a.html","date_published":"2026-06-08T23:44:59+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-08 23:44","date_timestamp":1780962299,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91727103","content_html":"Ben Nelson: “We designed the curriculum, the pedagogy, the technology, the global orientation… to promote students' intellectual, social and emotional well-being, with only a single overarching goal in mind: the success of our students. Ultimately, this is the only metric that matters.”
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/08/ben-nelson-we-designed-the.html","date_published":"2026-06-07T23:51:27+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-07 23:51","date_timestamp":1780876287,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91682764","content_html":"Fully active learning works because it mirrors how understanding actually develops — through wrestling with ideas, making mistakes, getting feedback, and trying again. Minerva didn’t invent this. Cognitive science confirmed it. Minerva built a school around the science of learning. More on this in future...
www.kajschwermer.com","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/07/fully-active-learning-works-because.html","date_published":"2026-06-07T05:09:40+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-07 05:09","date_timestamp":1780808980,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91617546","content_html":"The API feature of OpenAlex looks particularly interesting: developers.openalex.org
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/06/the-api-feature-of-openalex.html","date_published":"2026-06-06T01:02:51+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-06 01:02","date_timestamp":1780707771,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91616407","content_html":"New Research Tool: OpenAlex: kajschwermer.com
","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/06/after-years-of-development-this.html","date_published":"2026-06-06T00:14:40+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-06 00:14","date_timestamp":1780704880,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":true,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91584608","content_html":"I’ve outlined the basic components of each of the four core competencies. These are further broken down into 80+ “habits of mind” across subjects. The goal isn’t to know things. It’s to become someone who can figure things out. The tight integration of skills with content is key. More on this in future posts.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/05/ive-outlined-the-basic-components.html","date_published":"2026-06-05T13:08:25+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-05 13:08","date_timestamp":1780664905,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91508341","content_html":"Most schools innovate by adding technology onto old pedagogy. Minerva went with first principles thinking and did the opposite: they rebuilt the pedagogy first, then designed technology to serve it. I’ll write more about how they did this when we start using the platform from next April.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/04/most-schools-innovate-by-adding.html","date_published":"2026-06-04T05:38:53+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-04 05:38","date_timestamp":1780551533,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91434004","content_html":"Effective interaction, the fourth core competency, is how you listen, collaborate, lead, and navigate disagreement. The competency most schools leave entirely to chance — assuming students will somehow absorb it, is integrated tightly throughout the entire Minerva curriculum.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/03/effective-interaction-the-fourth-core.html","date_published":"2026-06-03T01:07:43+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-03 01:07","date_timestamp":1780448863,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91371412","content_html":"If you can think, speak, and write well, nothing and no one can get in your way. The third Minerva core competency is effective communication. Learning to think and write clearly or speak confidently — understanding one’s audience, structuring one’s argument, and adapting one’s message to context.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/02/if-you-can-think-speak.html","date_published":"2026-06-02T04:12:56+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-02 04:12","date_timestamp":1780373576,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91295447","content_html":"The second core competency in the Minerva curriculum is creative thinking. Creative thinking involves generating original ideas, reframing problems, and finding connections across disciplines. It can be taught. It can be practised. At Minerva it is integrated across all subjects from the outset.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/06/01/the-second-core-competency-in.html","date_published":"2026-06-01T00:50:26+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-06-01 00:50","date_timestamp":1780275026,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91233574","content_html":"Attended my first international school event yesterday. It was an interesting experience. Over 4,000 people attended the event. Here’s a photo from the pre-setup of our table at the event.
\n
The first of Minerva’s four core competencies is critical thinking, which involves evaluating claims, analyzing inferences, weighing decisions and analyzing problems. Not a personality trait — a teachable skill. One that compounds with every subject, every year, if you build a curriculum around it.
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/05/29/the-first-of-minervas-four.html","date_published":"2026-05-29T07:34:39+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-29 07:34","date_timestamp":1780040079,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"91077240","content_html":"Jensen Huang’s “task and purpose” framework: reduce or automate routine tasks like coding; humans focus on and provide purpose. The Minerva Baccalaureate’s four competencies — critical thinking, creative thinking, effective communication, and effective interactions — develop exactly those real-world,...
www.kajschwermer.com","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/05/28/jensen-huangs-task-and-purpose.html","date_published":"2026-05-28T13:27:23+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-28 13:27","date_timestamp":1779974843,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}},{"id":"90990160","content_html":"“The purpose of a software engineer is to solve known problems and to find new problems to solve. Coding is one of the tasks. If your PURPOSE is to code, then maybe you will be replaced by AI. But most of our software engineers, their goal is to solve problems” -Jensen Huang, NVIDIA CEO. tinyurl.com/4zmjdzn5
\n","summary":"","url":"https://www.kajschwermer.com/2026/05/27/the-purpose-of-a-software.html","date_published":"2026-05-27T05:43:19+00:00","author":{"name":"Kaj Schwermer","url":"https://kaj.micro.blog/","avatar":"https://cdn.micro.blog/photos/96/https%3A%2F%2Favatars.micro.blog%2Favatars%2F2026%2F18%2F60185.jpg","_microblog":{"username":"kaj"}},"_microblog":{"date_relative":"2026-05-27 05:43","date_timestamp":1779860599,"is_favorite":false,"is_bookmark":false,"is_deletable":false,"is_conversation":false,"is_linkpost":false,"is_mention":false,"note":"","syndication":[]}}]}