Education Lab is a Seattle Times project that spotlights promising approaches to persistent challenges in public education. The Seattle Foundation serves as the fiscal sponsor for Education Lab, which is supported by grants from the Gates Foundation and Ballmer Group. Learn more about Ed Lab and subscribe to our weekly newsletter . Echoing throughout a forested Bainbridge Island campus are the typical chirps and chitters of woodland fauna, punctuated by another sound: squeals of delight from fifth graders. The students discover a new animal, which silently slinks back to its home in the pond. A plant previously only seen in textbooks sparks awe. A glimpse of a refurbished fire lookout tower — stairs leading about 120 feet into the air, above the tree canopy — sets off excited, nervous chatter.…