Pharrell Williams has announced that he will open the Yellowhab school in Norfolk, Virginia later this year. According to the legendary music producer, the school will provide instruction for 40-50 students currently enrolled in grades three through five. In an effort to assist students in marginalized communities, he is looking to provide tuition for all students during the first year of instruction.
Yellowhab will not operate in the traditional manner that many schools in the area do. Located in the Ghent neighborhood of Norfolk, the school will use a lottery to select students. After selecting students, classes will be assigned according to educational level rather than age. With a select group of sponsors, partners and educator, Williams believes Yellowhab will offer a “highly personalized education that knits together transformative learning opportunities at school, at home, online and in the community.”
“If the system is fixed and unfair, then it needs to be broken,” Williams said.
“We don’t want lockstep learning where so many kids fall behind; we want bespoke learning designed for each child, where the things that make a child different are the same things that will make a child rise up and take flight.”
Applications for prospective students are available through July 1. The school is slated to open on September 7.
