What to know about SOLFL, an ex-WeWork exec's private school in El Portal
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A private school created by former WeWork executives is set to open in El Portal next year with a non-traditional approach to everything from curriculum to classroom design.
- For starters, there's no frontal teaching, so visitors won't find rows of desks with a teacher at the helm.
Why it matters: Student of Life, for Life (SOLFL, pronounced "soulful") is the latest example of Florida's evolving education landscape.
- The state has sought to welcome non-traditional forms of learning by promoting a parent-first approach and expanding how taxpayer dollars can be used.
What they're saying: Representatives of SOLFL told Axios that Florida's school choice laws played a role in its decision to locate in Miami.
- Reps say it plans to accept tax-funded scholarships for students in its new location, as it did in its first year of operation.
- A spokesperson for the Florida Department of Education said the school is not currently participating in any statewide scholarship program, such as Step Up, which grants tax-funded scholarships.
The intrigue: The school was founded by Rebekah Neumann, a former WeWork executive and the wife of that company's co-founder, Adam Neumann.
- The school is a rebranded version of WeGrow, WeWork's Montessori-style school in New York City that closed in 2019 after one year, following WeWork's failed attempt to go public.
- A year later, Rebekah Neumann bought back the curriculum from WeWork and turned it into SOLFL, multiple outlets reported.
Between the lines: The school has been operating in Hollywood for two years with about 80 elementary and middle school students currently enrolled, representatives said, and a waitlist of several hundred.
- Plans to enroll high schoolers are in the works.
Zoom in: Online, SOLFL describes itself as an experience "designed to unleash and nourish" the soul by "fostering deep connections between [students'] souls, their bodies and the world around them."
- The program places the Torah at the center of its "spiral curriculum that connects the secular learnings in English, History, Math and Science to the Jewish calendar," according to its online curriculum page.
Case in point: The elementary and middle schools have what's referred to as "living classrooms," where lessons blend subjects and students engage with nature.
- For example: In a unit focused on the environment, middle schoolers may read "The Hobbit," representatives said; for social studies, they'll learn about how Indigenous cultures coexist with nature.
Zoom out: While the school de-emphasizes traditional benchmark measurements, it has issued several standardized assessments, including MAP and ISL tests, reps said.
Friction point: SOLFL has faced backlash from locals who allege the school and the Neumanns' additional development plans will reshape the character of El Portal.
- The school plans required demolishing a church, which prompted the initial outcry from locals.
- The Neumanns have also purchased another tract where they plan to build a major mixed-use development, the Real Deal reported.
What we're watching: The school is seeking approval for its site plan, which includes amending El Portal's comprehensive master plan and securing a special exemption, per the Real Deal.
- In January, the Village Council deferred its approval vote.