The Pearl: Remote Democratic High School

Protect Education, Uphold Democracy - Support The Pearl's Fight Against Tyranny in Education

Protecting Democracy Starts in Our Schools

The US government is currently waging a war against education that affects the entire world. Our future is seeded in the minds of our youth through their experiences in school and with society, and it is our duty to ensure that they have access to the complete, accurate, and unbiased knowledge they need to be capable of making their own decisions. 

Our mission at The Pearl is to provide high school students with an online democratic education to help them become informed, competent, and involved citizens in a safe, anti-racist environment.

A few ways we ensure that the work we do upholds democratic values include - 

• Resisting censorship by encouraging our students to read banned books, explore topics through different cultural perspectives, and discuss controversial and complicated issues such as Critical Race Theory
• Providing our students with the skills they need to see through propaganda by learning how to analyse media and studying examples of nationalism throughout history
• Teaching research skills so that our students can understand fact from fiction and become more informed on any topic that comes up in their lives
• Encouraging our students to ask questions in class, including questioning our instructors in a way that fosters intellectual debate. 
• Preparing students to become active members of their communities through collaborative projects, studying current events, and creating a culture of empathy
• Allowing our students to shape their curricula based on the topics that matter to them and what they need to learn most effectively, providing them with the opportunity to learn self-advocacy and take on responsibility for their own learning. 

Creating a Safe Space for Our Youth

Many of our students are teenagers who were pushed from their traditional schools due to the constant threat of violence, bullying, or harassment. The Pearl becomes an oasis for these children, providing them a space to learn and complete their high school degrees in an environment that makes them feel safe and supported.

Tragically, there are still thousands of kids, particularly those who are queer or BIPOC, who cannot attend their high school without fearing for their safety. While The Pearl cannot help every child who needs a safe place to go, our doors are always open to the students who find us, and we will do everything within our power to ensure that these young minds continue to blaze brightly.

Our student body is 60% BIPOC, 67% 2SLGBTQ+, and 53% neurodivergent. We give our students a safe space to shine.

In our course evaluations, students consistently report feeling safe, seen, and heard. Parents have shared that not only do they feel their teens are receiving an exceptional education, but they believe we have saved their child's life.

We know that our educational program is impactful. We need your help to scale up and make The Pearl available to more students. We also need to make sure we have scholarship funds available so we never need to turn a student away who feels we are the right school for them.

No donation is too small. As a grassroots non-profit, your donations help keep The Pearl running for every student and teacher in our community.