Kanye West has made himself a cultural mogul. Beyond his Grammy-dominating music, he’s also made an indelible mark on the fashion industry with collaborations with Adidas and Gap that constantly fly off the shelves, and he’s also forayed into tech by creating a music-playing device. But still, no one saw his most recent move coming: a venture into pedagogy through founding his own school. He’s opened up Donda Academy in Simi Valley, California, named for his late mother, Professor Donda West. The private institution is a Christian-based prep school whose mission, according to its website, is to “use an ethic of integrity and care ... [to] prepare students to become the next generation of leaders, thinkers and innovators by providing them with a world-class education that includes a rigorous core curriculum, and an emphasis on sustainability, creativity, critical thinking and problem solving.” But beyond its flashy aesthetics, according to an investigative report by Rolling Stone, the school has a couple of quirks that may concern some — like requiring families to sign NDAs, and the school’s executive director having no formal teaching experience.
