Rachel Rodriguez, Head of School, Ransom Everglades School – caa

Invest: sat down with Rachel Rodriguez, Head of School at Ransom Everglades School, to discuss how they are preparing students to lead in a rapidly changing world. From character education and signature academic programs to AI ethics and global languages, Rodriguez is focused on aligning every aspect of campus life with the school’s mission. “The mission of our school is to train a leadership class that gives more back to the community than they take from it,” said Rodriguez.

How does Ransom Everglades weave core values like integrity, empathy and resilience into curriculum and daily student life?

It all begins with clarity and alignment around what our core values are. Everyone who works on our campuses — from me and the leadership team to faculty, staff and partner organizations — understands that our values are of the highest priority and shared. We also look for families who believe in those same values so that home and school are aligned.

The mission of our school is to train a leadership class that gives more back to the community than they take from it. Even as a rigorous academic institution, we are a service-driven school first. That lens shapes how we think about integrity, honesty and empathy and how we design student experiences.

Those ideas are embedded through a robust advisory curriculum and in the way we teach. The Harkness method, for example, asks students to engage in thoughtful, Socratic conversations and to listen closely to each other. In the sciences we explore ethics as it relates to artificial intelligence, the environment and all scientific advances; in the humanities, every topic is viewed through an ethical lens. Our core values aren’t posters on the wall — they are expectations we live out every day.

How do you balance rigorous academics with opportunities for students to explore the arts, innovation and hands-on learning?

We start with backward design. Faculty first identify the skills students need to develop — creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration — and then design courses and assessments that cultivate those competencies. Graduation requirements provide a strong academic foundation, but we also ensure students have room in their schedules to pursue deeper interests.

For the arts, that means true depth. A student who falls in love with ceramics can pursue it for four years. Our performing arts pathway spans seven years because we are a school that serves students in grades 6–12l, so students can grow as actors, musicians or dancers over a long arc. We also offer signature, grade-level programs that cut across disciplines.

One example is Pathways, a two-year interdisciplinary program for juniors organized around thinking dispositions rather than a single subject. Students pursue essential questions from multiple perspectives and are encouraged to step beyond traditional course boundaries. Another is the Bowden Fellows, a program that students apply to in the junior year and use the summer for attaining intricate knowledge and exploring questions on the humanities and ultimately ask, “How does this project help us understand what it means to be human?” In all of these, students bring their passions and creativity to bear on real questions.

How are you ensuring students are both proficient in digital skills and thoughtful, ethical users of tools such as AI?

That is one of the defining questions for schools today. Our goal is to make sure technology strengthens, rather than replaces, the critical thinking skills students need to navigate a complex information environment. We created an AI and Research Ethics (AIRE) task force to help faculty and staff understand emerging technologies and translate that understanding into classroom practice.

One practical outcome is our “Traffic Light” system for assignments. A red-light assignment is “humans only,” often completed on paper with no devices. A yellow light allows students to consult AI if they cite it appropriately. A green light invites them to use AI as a tool, for example, to refine questions or prompts. That structure helps students think explicitly about when and how AI is appropriate.

We also calibrate use by developmental level. Our sixth- and seventh-graders use technology through virtual reality and required computer programming, but they do not use AI in school. As students get older, they encounter courses that focus directly on ethics and technology, including projects on ethical frameworks for different types of technology use. Across the board, we are trying to be intentional: preserving writing, research and analytical skills while ensuring students are fully prepared for a digital world.

What initiatives are you using to cultivate future leaders?

Leadership development is woven through many of our programs. In Pathways, students are asked to approach their inquiry projects from three stances: leadership, service and research. That structure pushes them to think like scholars and problem-solvers and to be intentional about the impact they want to have.

Our Volunteer Service Organization (VSO) is another important vehicle. Its student leaders design and drive service initiatives, particularly in the Coconut Grove community. Around Thanksgiving, for example, it was the student government president and vice president who appeared in a video inviting the community to participate. We ask students not just to donate, but to show up, understand needs and get involved.

We also benefit from the Tsialas Compassionate Leadership program, which challenges students to see leadership as an act of care. Effective leaders must continually think about who is in their circle and how they are supporting those people. Compassionate, inclusive and ethical leadership is the standard we set for student leaders across campus.

How do you help students discover and pursue their passions, both inside and outside the classroom?

We believe in voice and choice, and we try to say yes until we truly have to say no. Academically, seniors can pursue independent studies in areas beyond our regular course catalog. Next summer, we are expanding an externship program so students can spend time in workplaces, test their assumptions about careers and better understand what daily professional life looks like.

Clubs are another intentional structure. Because they meet during the school day on both campuses, every student participates in something and no one has to miss out due to after-school commitments. That is part of what it means to build community and to give students a safe space to explore interests that may turn into long-term passions.

Looking ahead, what are your top priorities for Ransom Everglades over the next few years?

One priority is aligning our academic structure with the rapid evolution of AI and computer science. Today mathematics and computer science are housed in one department, but we are in the process of splitting them. We want to treat computer science and AI as distinct areas of study with a strong ethical foundation, and we are asking hard questions about how to prepare students for “proper use” that has a positive impact.

We also created a new Director of Teaching and Learning role to keep us focused on curriculum relevance. This year we approached course selection differently, inviting more student voice and choice before we finalized offerings. As a result, we are introducing new courses that students are genuinely excited about, even if that means they will face difficult choices within an eight-period day.

Global citizenship is another major emphasis. We offer seven-year sequences in four languages — Portuguese, Spanish, French and Chinese. Some students, including those from English-only homes, are graduating effectively trilingual after seven years of study in more than one language.

Finally, we are investing in spaces that reflect our values. We are in the permitting phase for the Sundheim Humanities Center, a 30,000-square-foot facility with 19 classrooms designed around a pedagogy of inquiry, communication and student collaboration. And in the performing arts, we are moving toward a conservatory-style model so that students interested in acting might also study dance, voice, Shakespeare, stage combat?? or comedy. We are a relatively small school, but year after year we see students winning national speech and debate honors and pursuing the arts at the next level. Our job is to keep building the programs and environment that make those paths possible.