For many students, high school is seven or eight hours of math, English, chemistry, gym and social events five days a week. But for about 70 students looking for something new, the Levitt Lab has shifted its focus from schooling to learning.
The Arizona State University Prep team established the Levitt Lab, a public charter at the Payne Hall on ASU’s campus, and welcomed its first class of students to the fall of 2025.
The concept was started by Freakonomics’ Steve Levitt and the University of Chicago’s Jeffrey Severts after Levitt was frustrated after seeing his children go through high school but not learning soft skills for daily life.
“They don’t teach you how chemistry and math and history all have a connection; it was more of a box-checking exercise. We wanted to change that,” Severts said.
Instead of going from class to class, the students work in small groups with teachers, called “guides,” helping them understand how the subjects and concepts work in the real world. Each week, the students also have a 90-minute “open exchange” seminar where they discuss a topic of controversy, such as climate change, religion or government.
“We don’t teach kids what to think; we teach them how to think,” Severts said.
Amy Johnson, principal of the Levitt Lab Tempe, explained that students also do “wonder sessions” once a week where for one hour, they learn about topics like the anatomy of an eye, how to buy a house or another skill that isn’t taught in an educational setting.
Johnson joined the project after years of being both a public and charter school math teacher, where she felt the pace of coursework was not effective for students or teachers.
“We have left a generation of kids behind because many of these models don’t work with the reality of their needs,” she said.
Students also have private time with a teacher to focus on topics that are challenging to them. This can look like one-on-one tutoring.
The rest of the day is self-paced. Students can work on independent projects that cover a topic that they are interested in, take other classes at ASU or go to practice for a sport or club. Some students play on teams with other ASU Prep students at other school campuses.
Johnson said individual projects have ranged from organizing a charity 5K run, learning how to decorate a cake, or mapping out neurons in the brain — all topics that students decided and completed on their own to showcase to the public a few times per year.
Students can also take up to 12 100- or 200-level college courses per year, helping some achieve their goals and learn coursework that goes beyond the high school requirements.
Johnson’s daughter graduated from the program and will be attending ASU this fall. She was able to join a non-audition college band for credit while at the Levitt Lab and perform at ASU Gammage as a high school student.
To qualify, students must be on track to graduate, and be able to attend school in person on the ASU campus and must apply to ASU Prep before being guided through further application.
Madeline Bates joined Independent Newsmedia in 2025 as a Phoenix/Tempe reporter. Before graduating college, she spent a semester in Washington as a Congressional reporter in the first 100 days of the second Trump administration. But local news is where her heart is. She is excited to be in Phoenix full time and exploring new parts of the city (as long as they have AC).
Community: After living in East Phoenix for two years, she fell in love with Paradise Valley, Mesa, Tempe, and everywhere in between. She recently discovered the beauty of the South Mountain Reserve and hopes to continue exploring should the weather comply.
Education: Madeline has a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and a certificate in Political History and Leadership.
Random Fact: She is a self-taught nail tech. No, she cannot do your nails.
Hobbies: Hiking (when its not 100 degrees), fiction writing, cooking, baking and trying new coffee shops.
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