Category: Blog Posts

In Episode 33 we learned about the transformation in Elmbrook Schools, a public school district located near Milwaukee, WI, serving over 7,000 students. Elmbrook is quickly becoming a leader in personalized learning, supported by a robust technology platform. Classroom environments support student engagement, collaboration, student voice and choice, and flexible work spaces.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders strategically approach building the capacity for shift with teachers and other leaders. Leaders create a culture for others in the system to learn, unlearn and relearn. Over the course of years, Elmbrook fostered change in teachers and leaders using a cohort model of professional learning. When they reached a tipping point, it was time to move from invitation to expectation. Since this work is about shifting mindsets, a well thought out plan for support is critical to build a contingent of believers.

Takeaways

Elmbrook is a school district that had achieved much success in the school-centered paradigm. After years of lack of risk taking, Dana and Mark worked to create a culture across the organization that fostered more strategic risk taking. Their pivot to learner-centered has been a journey of approximately five years. They have learned that change is a journey that takes time.

What created the spark for transformation? Five years ago, an invitation was sent out to a cohort of interested teachers – teachers already doing transformational work in their classrooms. Those early years consisted mostly of conversations and professional learning around the shift. The 42 participating teachers were then invited to write a grant to support further transformation in the classroom. Seventeen grants were awarded. The cohort model continued to be replicated. “Now it’s no longer an invitation, it’s an expectation. All of our educators are expected to annually create a personalized learning action plan. They now have to be team based. They now have to be tied to our district goals and initiatives.” What was a grass-roots endeavor has turned into a “treasured system.”

In this movement from invitation to expectation, the members of the first cohort became the leaders that built momentum toward the shift. “We just kept building this contingent of believers.” Principals were also provided with opportunities to shift their mindsets. They are active participants in learning with their educators. “Nothing is going to happen well unless our principals, our school-based leaders, are completely in-it-to-win-it with us. And they are and have been.”

In this transformation, Elmbrook innovators have given up the notion that content is king. Mark shared how access to information has changed as a result of technology. Now they ask the question: How are students authentically engaged? Helping equip teachers for the shift has been supported by quality professional development. “Control” is one of the areas that is a work in progress. Elmbrook has made headway in shifting control in the classroom, and there is work yet to do. Elmbrook is also working on providing all learners with that control over their own learning.

One of the challenges has been urgency. What does “excellence” look like? The community is fairly stable with many adults having attended Elmbrook school and presently achieving life success. Some parent find the shift scary. A final challenge shared included the amount of learning that teachers need to experience as part of the shift. The student clientele is becoming more and more diverse. Everyone needs to learn, unlearn, relearn. “I feel like a new teacher all over again.” From a leadership perspective, it is a challenge to keep teachers excited and motivated to explore new possibilities of learner-centered.

Elmbrook has implemented a new learning opportunity for high school students – an internship program called “LAUNCH.” They decided to ask the question: How can high school be less of a power-down and more of a launch? After researching learning environments that focused on creating authentic learning environments for high school students, they found that other districts and schools had found a way to reshape the transition from high school to higher education/career. The program is off-site from Elmbrook’s two high schools. The program consists of strands – education, business analytics, global business – with more strands coming next year. Students work together with a school mentor and a business mentor on a solution to a problem from a local business. Businesses pay $7,000 to participate in the program. Students produce and pitch solutions to local business leaders.

Elmbrook believes this program not only benefits students, but will benefit the community when students return home after college. This is only the first year, but they look forward to expanding this work in the future. A project example includes a local company wanting students to analyze supply chain logistics and costs. Three students, utilizing their background, analyzed whether this company should be using an internal or external supply chain to supply steel to manufacturing sites. Students figured out a blend of internal/external solutions. The company saved over a quarter million dollars as a result of adopting the proposed solution.

Regarding learner-centered leadership, Dana and Mark believe the competencies they want to instill in their learners they also want in their leaders – purpose-driven change agents, responsible citizens, emotionally intelligent, kind, grateful, flexible and adaptable, intellectually curious, resilient and competent communicators.

When asked about advice, Mark suggested that we are in the business of managing dreams for learners and we need to take that responsibility to a whole new level. We need to deliver on every student, every time, all the time – no more lip service. We need to think differently about the role of teachers and learners in the classroom. When we start to do this, we will restore reverence back to education.

Connections to Practice

• We have used a cohort model as well with success over the past two years with Leading #YourSalisbury.
• Our principals have been active participants along side our teachers in the Leading #YourSalisbury cohorts.
• The journey seems to not have an “arrival.” It’s a process of iteration.
• Our community is becoming more and more diverse as well, and it is a challenge to balance the new learning required of learner-centered with meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse community – learners and parents.
• We started an internship program this year for our high school students.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• How do we move Salisbury from invitation to expectation? Is this the year to do this, after two years of invitation and a growing cohort of teachers shifting mindsets and altering classroom practices to support learner-centered?
• How do we communicate the WHY to our stakeholders? Has that message been heard? Do we need to revisit it?
• How do we keep our leaders and teachers inspired to fully enter this world of learner-centered, even as we continue to be bombarded with state initiatives and a diverse community of learners and parents?
• The LAUNCH model is interesting! What elements can be done here in the Lehigh Valley?

Next Steps for Us

• Later this summer, we will be working with Paul Facteau from Apple, Inc. to help us design a plan with accountability mechanisms to move from invitation to expectation.
• We might need to engage teachers and leaders more in conversations around the challenges of moving toward learner-centered, especially as we want to move toward expectation. More supports will be needed and there is no better way to know how to support than have conversations and build those deep relationships with leaders and learners (parents as well).
• Pursue more partnerships with local business to create more learner-centered, open-walled opportunities for learners.

Episode 32 takes us to the Eagle Rock School & Professional Development Center in CO and a conversation with Michael Soguero, a founding member and Director of Professional Development at the Center. We talked about a residential boarding school for learners who come from all over the country to experience success in this learner-centered environment. The school provides grounding for the Professional Development Center (PDC) work of supporting engaging, progressive education practices throughout the United States. The Eagle Rock PDC works with educators committed to making high school an engaging experience for youth. Through their unique services and offerings the PDC strives to accelerate school improvement and support implementation of practices that foster each students’ unique potential.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders help others see the possibilities in the vision. They take this stance and never waver. They may ask a question such as, “If we look at this project, the schedule, our curriculum, etc… through the learner-centered lens, what are the possibilities?” The leader tells the story, shares the anecdotes/data, and brings others in while being authentic about the truths and the challenges. All of this is done in the service of uncovering future opportunities.

Takeaways

Michael shared infomration about the diversity of courses at Eagle Rock. Students can participate in diverse contextualized courses. The topics are real-world and have real purpose. The open-walled approach provides many opportunities for learners – in the Rocky Mountain National Park, collecting dragonfly monitoing data for scientists, education and the prison system, etc.

There is no required number of courses at Eagle Rock – teachers justify course creation based on core competencies. In order to graduate, learners are required to demonstrate themselves as engaged global citizens who are effective in communicaiton, make healthy life choices, and expand their knowledge base and are leaders for justice. There is no sequence of math courses. Every course helps develop students in at least one of the four areas. Students choose their own courses, and they all have their own unique pathway, providing the learners with agency over their learning.

The school also has a PDC on site. The PDC does not export solutions to other places working toward learner-centered education around the country. They don’t take the courses they create and share/market to other schools. Instead, they find other communities and partners who are working to re-engage high school students. They work with schools who serve underserved learners who have a similar alignment. Maybe these schools want to bring in restorative practices or implement components of PBL.  During a visit to a  partner school, the team from PDC unearths the other school’s assets, determines their ingredients, and then designs what is possible.

What do learners do when they graduate? Michael reminds us the learner may not have the same chunks of science or English that other learners from more traditional schools possess. Although these differences exist, they are not barriers for learners as they move on to other opportunities. In fact, 60% of students go on to a 4 year college. Others enter the workforce. Finally, many choose to complete a year or two of service in the public community.

What do transcripts look like at Eagle Rock? Michael realizes the transcript needs to help the students put their best foot forward as they embark on the college application process. Although the course work is not traditional, the transcript is similar to existing high schools. Students pass competencies, exams, and then receive the translated credit on a trimester-based transcript. This back-mapping of competencies is done in service to the learner – to reduce the potential friction between the high school experience and college acceptance.

The PDC will work with other systems to develop unique solutions for them based on their assets and context. The team will work with systems to manage change.  Leaders need agile, design-thinking, user-centered approaches to creating solutions. Iterative processes should be baked into leadership competencies.  

What else does a learner-centered leader need to be able to do? The leader needs to start with a vision, to take a stance, and to protect the approach. Pressures will arise, and the organization may be tempted to drift back to what is easiest. The leader tells the story, shares the anecdotes/data, and brings others in while being authentic about the truths and the challenges.

Learner-centered leaders need to think of all aspects of education through the learner-centered paradigm – schedule, lunch, curriculum, etc. This is a significant shift which leaders need to develop. In order for this to happen, leaders need to shift the mindset – or adopt the new mindset. Then, lead.

Connections to Practice

• We are a small, suburban, public school district.  Approximately 90% of our learners go on to trade school, a 2-year college, or a 4-year college. Few students enter the military and/or work force.
• Our transcripts are very traditional. We took a small step forward with internships this year.
• We have a clear vision, and we all know the direction.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• Our graduation requirements are very traditional. If we had a blended course or less traditional course, do we have the capacity/knowledge to backmap?
• Are we protecting our vision?  Does the invitation to expectation promote the protection of our vision? What evidence do we have?
• Have our leaders adopted or shifted their mindsets? Do we as leaders (along with our leadership team) embody this mindset and this work?

Next  Steps for Us

• As we grow our school within a school in our Middle School, we will need to develop a high school option. Could this high school course mirror Project Wonder?
• We are participating in a leadership retreat this summer.  During that session, we need to determine as a team if we are willing to commit to moving from invitation to expectation.
• Reflect on mindset. Maybe a reflective activity with our team to determine where we are, and where we want to go!

In Episode 31, we visited Innovations High School, the only Big Picture Learning School in Nevada, through a conversation with Taylor Harper, lead learner, and Julie Akers, a scholar graduating in 2018. In our conversation, we talked about how Innovations High School navigated the traditional constraints of public education to create a learner-centered learning environment.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders have an internal compass that guides them: They love the humans they are responsible for! The transformation at Innovations High School has not been easy as we learn from the conversation with Taylor and Julie. When the work gets messy and times get challenging, leaders go back to their core – why they are doing this work and how it impacts the lives of all that work in the system, teachers and learners. Human-centeredness makes all the difference in a transformation.

Takeaways

Systemic transformation can happen anywhere there are learner-centered mindsets fueling a learner-centered vision. Innovations is a public high school, and only five years ago, was one of the worst performing schools in the Washoe County School District. The school has been a Big Picture Learning school for four years, with year one being the most challenging. A key piece to recognize in the transformation is that Innovations did not start from scratch. The work acknowledged a school-centered system and the accompanying mindsets and gradually shifted toward the elements of learner-centered.

Learning at Innovations High School is highly learner-centered. Learners have the opportunity to make many choices and have their voice heard along their educational journey, including the choice whether or not to attend Innovations High School. Learners also have the opportunity to lead “kick-in” and “kick-out” student meeting as well as gatherings. Another example of voice and choice: at the start and end of each trimester, learners take a survey and meet with their teachers to share feedback on the curriculum. Teachers then take that feedback and make modifications to ensure relevancy to the learners. Learners also have the ability to design an internship experience. Julie is currently involved in an internship in education. The “leave to learn” element of BPL is a core component of learning at Innovations High School.

Julie has a passion for education. Last year she was able to secure a job at a pre-school and found the work fueled her passion for learning. She then set up an internship at an elementary school. She felt like she fit in and the work really connected to her passion. Her teacher has mentored her throughout the internship process. Julie sees the classroom she is in as very learner-centered. Other internships Julie shared include art, music – any variety of internships based on learner passions.

The learners – or scholars as they are called – are responsible for locating the internships. They take the responsibility, often accessing a database that is available through BPL. Julie feels this builds responsibility. The learner sets up an informational interview, then a shadow day. If they feel they have a good match, an internship is established. The work of internships is evaluated through feedback from mentors and advisors. Throughout the process, learners set goals for the internship experience and compose regular reflections on their progress.

In the process of transformation, Innovations has had to let go of many components of the dominant school-centered paradigm. Historically institutionalized inequities have been torn down: how students come to Innovations, how learning happens, the conceptualization of teaching, and the role of learners. These shifts required much unlearning!

Learners have had to unlearn the instinct of, “Just tell me what to do.” Adults and learners have had to let go of the traditional lexicon: class became workshop; teacher became advisor; student became scholar. As a result of changes like these, Innovations became truly human centered; not curriculum, content, standard, test centered. This required adults to learn about the passions, interests and turn-offs of learners.

Taylor shared that learner-centered leaders need to know themselves well enough to know they don’t have all the answers, and there will be times when “I don’t know” is an acceptable response. Sometimes we don’t know exactly the path to get toward the vision of learner-centered. Learners place the human beings at the center of all decisions – adults and learners. “Love the humans you are responsible for. It is a compass that never goes wrong.” Leaders have both patience and impatience. Patience with the messiness – it’s going to be harder before it gets easier. Impatience with any time you see teaching and learning that is not learner-centered. Leaders must always call this out.

Learner-centered leaders must also have persistence and passion. Challenge archaic processes and policies. Be the squeaky wheel until learners gain the agency to activate their own learning experiences.

Advice for leaders who feel the zone of discomfort when expectations are not being met? Taylor suggests reconnecting with internal motivation. If you truly believe your learners can accomplish anything, you keep pushing because it will ultimately help them achieve their potential. “Don’t be afraid of the mess.” When you step back, you are a not-so-innocent bystander. “What got you into this work in the first place.”

Parting advice from Julie: “Don’t be scared of the change because that’s how we learn. Don’t be afraid to get your feet wet; just dive in and do it.”

Parting advice from Taylor: “We don’t have time to pontificate and read more articles. We have kids who are waiting. Don’t be afraid. Get in there and start the work. It’s going to get messy. Just keep focused.”

Connections to Practice

• We are a small, suburban, public school district. The Innovations story of transformation is inspiring!
• We piloted internship programs this year with much success, the “leave to learn” element of PBL.
• With our middle school “school-within-a-school” (Project Wonder), we are starting to shift our lexicon.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• What are our barriers to transformation? How can we look to Innovations High School to overcome the barriers typical of public school systems?
• What can we learn from the Innovations internship process/journey – interview, shadow day, internship?
• How do we provide learners with opportunities to asses and provide feedback on their learning experiences?
• How are we shifting our lexicon?
• How are we building relationships with teachers and learners? Does relationship building move beyond transactional?
• Could our leadership be more human-centered? What if it was?
• What is our why for doing this work?

Next  Steps for Us

• Expand the internship program at our high school. We received very positive feedback from the learners who participated in the pilot program. How can we make these opportunities available to all interested learners?
• Consider giving learners more ownership over the internship process, setting up interviews, shadow and the actual internship work.
• Engage student voice in feedback about learning opportunities.
• Shift the lexicon system-wide, especially as we move from invitation to expectation.
• Reflect upon this idea of human-centered leadership. Do we love the humans we are responsible for?

In Episode 30, we were joined by Helen Beattie and Clara Lew Smith from UP for Learning, an organization focused on the role of youth-adult partnership in the teacher/learner relationship and in school change. UP for Learning stands for “Unleashing the Power of Partnership for Learning.”

 Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders consider multiple perspectives, especially those of young learners, in the design of a transformational vision for education. Learner-centered leaders draw in different voices to understand the perspective of a cross section of community members around the issue of educational transformation. When young learners are invited to the conversation about school transformation, the vision gains a whole new richness.

Takeaways

Vermont legislation mandates personalize learning, competency-based learning, and open-walled learning. Up for Learning recognized a gap between the vision and the current mental model for school. While Vermont was working diligently to provide tools and resources, there was a need for helping others understand the possibilities of learner-centered education.

Clara’s perspective is informed by her work with a team of youth and adults to explore why change needs to happen in schools. Clara has built up trust from adults – she has the community’s best interests at heart. She is invested in the work.  In one example, Clara shares that she was concerned about one of the final candidates in an interview process. Because she has built trust, she was open and able to communicate her concerns.

Change happens because the leaders (both youth and adult) bring people to the table to engage in dialogue. Up uses strategies for inclusive dialogue.

Clara spoke about how she has embraced the invitation for agency. For other young learners to overcome perceived barriers and also accept the invitation, she suggests it is important for learners to feel that adults want to hear what they have to say. Adults can seek out perspective and answers from learners: Let’s talk about what is wrong with this situration. What is going well? Where are the areas for potential growth and change?  

The invitation to enroll in the conversation is based on strong relationships. How do adults view and treat each other? Do adults trust students as people? Do adults treat students like people who have something interesting to say?

Conversation that includes young learners is on-going and serves multiple purposes. UP for Learning utilizes mid-semester feedback protocols. Students self-assess their work and provide honest feedback about the course for the teachers. Then, an important conversation follows. The opinion of every student matters to teachers.

The voice of every learner matters. Adults should reach out to disenfranchised groups. Adults need to recognize that they may not want to hear what students have to say. It is important not to dismiss the conversation when you hear something you don’t like. Adults working to include learner voice should be cautious their actions are not perceived as tokenism. Conversations should go beyond a student council planning event, or a conversation with the typical students – those who speak out in class, participate in different activities, etc.  How are adults providing supports so that more diverse learners can share their opinions?

This is not easy work. School change is a slow, messy process. Both youth and adults are taking on roles which can be messy and uncomfortable. Because of this, it is important to learn along the way. Using rubrics and space for reflection allows the team team leading transformation to have integrity over the process and outcomes. There is a tipping point, and we need to help people experience first-hand and then believe deeply about the youth/adult relationships. Help teens embrace the challenge, be patient with setbacks, and be persistent in pursuit. Every opportunity can be additive to embrace practices which are consistent with learner-centered learning.

If you are an innovator in a system, it can be lonely. We need peers to sustain and support our efforts. When we do this work multi-generationally, we bring back to teachers/leaders the reasons they came into education.

Learner-centered leaders need diverse competencies. They need to understand systems change and learn from a strength-based or asset perspective. What works well in our system? How can these strengths be integrated into solutions?

Faculty can feel battered and disrespected by the current school-centered culture. Those doing the work of school transformation can be more solution-focused – which is fed by the wisdom and creativity of young people.

A leader has to be willing to listen, regardless of what is being said and by whom it is being said. The best leaders are the ones who think about the community around the issues.

The earner-centered paradigm, by its very nature, requires a sharing of power. This is important to the recalibration of the system, and it can be uncomfortable for both adults and youth. We are often good people doing good work. However, we need to think about doing the work with learners instead of to and for them.

We were left with one final thought: be persistent in this change because the work addresses the most basic of human needs – feeling valued, having a sense of purpose, having agency to pursue that purpose. Learners need to know that they have a right to be in these spaces and that the conversation will be better as a result of their participation.

Connections to Practice

• We have several structures in place (Superintendent Student Advisory Council, Social Media Advisory Council), but is it truly meaningful engagement?  How could we reimagine some of these structures to promote honest communication and deeper relationships?

Questions Based on Our Practice

• How might we engage learners in professional development around the vision and learning beliefs?
• How might we engage learners at the board/policy level?
• How do we define the term “relationships”?
• Do our students feel as though we truly listen to them?
• Do our teachers attend to learners as people?
• How do our learners provide teachers mid-semester feedback? Do they ever provide feedback for teachers?
• Are we looking at this change potential through an asset-based model or a deficit-based model?  Where are our building blocks for what’s next.
• Are we doing this work with learners or to and for learners?

Next  Steps for Us

• Talk to small focus groups of learners about “voice” Solicit ideas for how we can better engage learner voice.
• Talk to small focus groups about the importance of change,  Help them understand why we are doing this and why it is important. We will then cultivate student messengers of change.
• Consider a survey of learners. What would our learners say about the relationships they have with their teachers and leaders?
• Consider involving learner voice in professional learning and at the board/policy level. 

In Episode 29, we chatted with Chad Carlson, a coach at One Stone, a high school learning environment in Iowa committed to “making students better leaders and the world a better place,” and Chloe French, a 2nd year learner at One Stone. The learning environment at One Stone is rooted in empathy, innovation, and student-centered learning. Both the design of the school and adults are focused on helping learners prepare to flourish on any path that they choose by providing irresistible experiences for students. One Stone fosters a culture of creativity, collaboration, ownership, and entrepreneurship. One Stone learners thrive on optimism, relish opportunity, build confidence, and strive for success.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders believe in the power of students to take ownership of the learning. There is a high level of agency evident in the learning environment at One Stone. It’s clear that the adults have created the conditions for that agency by designing a wide variety of learning spaces for learners to make learning personal and irresistible. The learners respond to these conditions by willingly taking ownership of their learning. The adults trust the learners, and the learners trust the adults. This mutual trust creates a powerful synergy for co-learning.

Takeaways

Learning at One Stone is student-centered and student-driven. Self-directed learners engage with the community and develop their leaedership skills.

Teachers are considered coaches, and their role is to guide students. Learners take ownership for their learning, and work alongside the coaches. The learning model is collaborative, empowering, and a relevant experience. Those big ideas are really important as the most impactful learning does not happen individually. It is socially embedded. Learning happens within groups in all the different learning spaces. Learners build off of each other’s knowledge. The social component of learning at One Stone is empowering because students drive each others learning. The learning is relevant because they work to address real world issues, adding meaning and context.

A few years ago, the school was a set of after school programs – Project Good and Solution Lab. Students and parents were asking why these after school programs couldn’t be the “school” experience. A 24-hour think design challenge resulted in the development of One Stone in the fall of 2016. The school was born as a result of engaging student voice. 

There are approximately 70 learners in the school day, and 150 students come to the after school programs from 12 different high schools.

If you visited One Stone, what would you see? You would see something different everyday!  You might see students working independently or collaboratively in the Foundry. Or teams problem solving in the Design Lab. Maybe students independently pursuing an interest alongside a coach, or engrossed in collaborative courses on topics such as law and the brain. One stone is a learning environment with a variety of different learning possibilities happening in different spaces.

The Foundry is One Stone’s makerspace. Students use tools such as a 3D printers and laser engravers to create designs. Design Lab spreads all around the building. Students self-select around an interest deeply connected to a community organization’s problem. Learners use empathy and ideation to create prototypes, test them, and iterate improved design solutions.

The school also has a commercial grade kitchen – coaches/learners cook for the community every Wednesday. Another learning space is Ripple Studios, basically a closet converted into an actual music/sound studio. Learners use the space to podcast, record and practice their music. The jazz band also plays in the studio, and the students have started renting the space to professional musicians.

The Two Birds room is a student-led advertisement agency. In this space, professional level client meetings are conducted. For example, students work on logos for local organizations and businesses.

Chloe shared an example in which she collaborated with other learners to create an orthotic better suited for patients who experience the condition drop foot.  Learners engaged in the design experience where they first empathized to understand how patients experience drop foot. They ultimately created an orthotic product with improved straps, foam, and an air bladder. Another team has created an app for distracted drivers.  

How is Design Lab organized? Design labs are 12 weeks, and teams are typically 4-6 students. Students meet 4 times a week for approximately 1-2 hours.

Throughout the One Stone learning environment, the role of teacher has evolved to that of a coach. Each Design Lab team has a coach, but lab is led and driven by students. The coach is there to provide help, advice, and to keep the learners on track. Often, coaches may not even have the relevant skills for the task. They work with the learners, guiding them to the right resources and networks to acquire content knowledge and skills needed at the time for the challenge at hand. The coach works as a guide, advocate, and resource officer, but the team is largely student-driven, demonstrating how One Stone values learner agency and the power within each learner.

One Stone works through the lens of opportunities, as opposed to challenges or barriers. The school draws on community members for learning. Students are not learning in classrooms isolated from the community, instead they are learning with the community. One Stone relies on their relationships with the community partners to seek available opportunities and resources. Students are held accountable to the organization or individual.

Every course has specific learning objectives which are similar to other schools, including public schools. Students get qualitative feedback, using a growth-focused model. The students and coaches aim for mastery while validating growth of different skills and strengths.  

What do Chad and Chloe see as key competencies for leaders working in an environment such as One Stone? Collaboration – a most valued skill in the professional world. Learners need to be able to work with a range of perspectives, manage different work ethics and value systems. Learners at One Stone build their collaboration skills through guided and structured activities.

Leaders need to be radically open to what learning can look like. Learner-centered leaders believe in the power of students to own the learning.  One Stone empowers students by believing in their power to design solutions to their own and community problems. Learners set their goals, work with their coaches, set targets, achieve goals, and learn how to learn. 

Coaches also serve as advisors. Advisors have a cohort of about 10 advisees. Advisors meet with their cohort as a whole and individually on a weekly basis. They are connected to the learners and provide space for learners to be introspective. Students have someone to go to when they need additional help. For learners, it feels like someone knows them on a really deep level. The relationship can be “super open” and very trusting. Students know the guidance is coming from a good place.

Learners and coaches have growth mindsets and belive in the power of ambiguity. They believe in failing forward, trying new things, learning how to engage in a new, innovative, progressive approach. Chad indicated he sees himself as an equal with learners and always growing. 

One Stone advises other leaders to take risks and provides an environment where educators are supported to try new things. Learners and leaders fail forward and understand there is something to be learned in everything they do. They believe the environment needs to be safe to take intellectual and academic risks so that innovation may occur. Fail forward, and fail fast…a common phrase at One Stone.  Embracing change with an open mindset brings new learning experiences and insights.

Connections to Practice

• We cannot do the heavy lifting on transformation in isolation. How do we create the conditions for everyone to move forward together?
• Our connections to community could be improved. What are some challenges in the community? How can our learners collaborate with the community to design meaningful solutions?

Questions Based on Our Practice

• Do our teachers and leaders know they have permission to fail forward?  If not, how do we better communicate that?
• One Stone empowers students by believing in the power of students. Do our leaders and teachers believe in the power of learners?
• How can we help our leaders, learners and teachers challenge their school-centered assumptions?
• How can we better engage community resources? What are those resources?

Next  Steps for Us

• Talk to our student group about their perceptions of failing.
• Meet with our Leading #YourSalisbury district professional learning cohort to celebrate successes and failures from this year.
• Reach out to the Workforce Development Board to identify some businesses which might like to engage with our learners.

In Episode 28, we spoke with Dr. Pam Moran, superintendent in Albemarle County Public Schools in Virginia and Keaton Wadzinski, a consultant working with Albemarle learners. We discussed what learner-centered learning looks like in Albermarle County Public Schools along with the importance of honoring all individuals as learners.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders hold learner agency and students voice at the core of their work. They create conditions for learners to develop a sense of agency in their own learning in school and in life. This developed sense of agency and self-awareness helps learners understand they have influence, seeing change happen in the classroom, school, nation and world as a result of who they are and what they do.

Takeaways

Albemarle started their transformation over a decade ago with the question: What are the kinds of competencies and skill sets learners need to be successful at home and in life?

Classrooms in Albemarle County focus on many models of learning where students not only explore what to learn but how to learn: project-based learning, maker culture, using technology in interactive/connected ways, opportunities to orient within the learning space. Still, some classrooms represent a more traditional model. The new models represent a shift in pedagogy, assessment and curriculum.

There has been a focus on different kinds of assessments beyond the multiple-choice test: portfolios, performance-based assessments, task and skill-based learning.

Project-based learning has helped change the relationship between teacher and learner. Both bring an expertise to the work – instruction, background and interest. In one Albemarle high school, learners complete a passion project. Learners take learning into their own hands with these projects, and that often times result in significant increases in learner engagement.

Power shifts from the teachers to the learners in learner-centered environments. Traditional teacher controls are given up – teacher is in control, compliance is valued. If we want to educate our learners well for this century, we have to shift the power from the teacher to the learner.

Passion is an “educator” word. Learners don’t necessarily connect with this word.

One of the most critical factors influencing learner-centered leadership is to honor the fact that everyone in the organization is moving at a different pace of change. Some teachers are significant risk takers and explorers. Some are waiting to see what happens with the risk takers. Learner-centered leaders provide teachers and leaders with the space to understand change in their own time.

Learner-centered leaders understand relationships and focus on the developmental nature of learning. A focus on learning is a non-negotiable for effective leadership for transformation. Leaders need to listen to those who are challenging the direction of change.

Superintendents shift power from the superintendent’s office to the people that are served – teachers, principals and parent community. There are lots of leaders in the system!

Structure is not the same thing as control. Innovative learning can feel like chaos. How do we design structures to elicit agency and ownership? Structure can be scaffolding that allows leaders and learners in the system to experience agency.

Transformation takes time! And in Albemarle, they are in this for the long haul – well over 10 years of supporting teachers at the edges of educational innovation!

When we feel we have “arrived” in the transformation process, we realize we haven’t. There is always more to achieve!

School boards are essential to achieving a transformation. Learner-centered superintendents provide the school board with professional learning. Boards need to understand the work as well as those within the schools.

Connections to Practice

• As we shift mindsets, we focus on shifting the power in the classroom – from teacher to learner.
• Our Profile of a Graduate and Learning Beliefs are filled with educational jargon. How do we make that language accessible?
• Our board is supportive of this work because we provide them opportunities to deepen their own understanding of what is happening in the district.
• Transformation does take time! And it’s messy. Stakeholders will move towards this vision at different paces.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• What new models of learning do we see in the Salisbury environment? How can we promote more of the models with our teachers on the edges?
• How are our assessments shifting as we move toward a more learner-centered environment?
• How can we influence teachers to share control in the classroom?
• How can learners help us explore this idea that “passion” is an “educator” word? What words would learners use to describe their passions?
• How can we create conditions for learners to be engaged in more real-world projects providing impact on a greater scale beyond the school walls?
• When is it time to stop waiting to see what happens with change?
• How are we scaffolding agency in our leaders and learners? What structures do we put in place?

Next Steps for Us

• Implement the new walkthrough tool to gather data on learning in Salisbury.  What does our data say? How learner-centered are we? How can we grow more learner-centered models?
• Engage learners across the district in a conversation about the vocabulary we use as we transform our learning environment. How much of the terminology is not connecting with stakeholders? How do we brand the message?
• Identify structures that create the conditions for greater agency among leaders and learners in the organization. How can we better share leadership?

In Episode 27 we spoke with Jon Hanover, Founder and Executive Director of Roots Elementary School in Colorado. We discussed the history and GROW values of Roots Elementary, their transformation to a learner-centered environment, barriers they have overcome, and advice for learners and leaders as they move towards a more learner-centered environment.

Key Competency 

Learner-centered leaders place learner passions at the center of learning in core academics and social-emotional learning.

Takeaways

The work at Roots Elementary looks through the learner-centered lens at each learner and then designs and builds the work around learner needs. The work falls in three buckets: core academics, social-emotional learning, and learner passions.

Sometimes learners need to move across grade levels in order to get the instruction they need. Roots is keenly aware of individual learner strengths and needs, examining data and designing a core academic program for each learner.

Core academics is not enough for learners to thrive. Learners at Roots have experienced a wide array of situations prior to coming into the learning environment, including trauma. Roots works to understand how trauma impacts the brain, understanding the gaps in social-emotional development and competencies. This requires building deep relationships between teachers and learners.

Project Wonder focuses on uncovering each learner’s passions and personalizing for core academics. Learners are asked questions such as, “What lights your fire? What are you passionate about? What is it that you want to learn more about?” Once these questions are answered, deep learning projects are designed to support each learner to achieve their goals and interests. Customized, small group work as well as external speakers are common facets of the deep learning work of Project Wonder.

Jon shared how the GROW values (developed during the initial design of the school) are the heart of the Roots learning community.

• Grit – How do learners manage learning and the failure and frustrations that often accompany it?
• Relationships – How do learners develop the self-competency for success in core academics?
• Ownership – How do learners own their progress and growth? How do learners understand themselves as learners and where they are on their learning pathway?
• Wonder – How are learners encouraged to be curious about the world? How does this work foster connection to individual passions?

The Roots model represents a break from the traditional school-centered model. In core academics, one-size-fits-all instruction, by age cohort, along with whole group instruction do not fit with the way learners learn. School cannot be only about core academics, but must be supported by the effective social-emotional development of learners. Learners are more than just their reading and math skills. Project Wonder helps learners build the entrepreneurial skills to apply what they’ve learned in core academics to the real world.

Transformation is not easy work. Jon shared a number of barriers that Roots has overcome to make it the school it is today. One of the barriers included underestimating the importance of social-emotional skills for the adults in the school. Since teaching is being radically transformed, educators need to develop the skill to intensely collaborate and communicate with others. Nothing happens without the complete work of the full team. Roots has spent a lot of time investing in developing the social-emotional skills of the team.

Jon also talked about the inherent dissonance between personalization/individualization and community/relationships. Leaders need to realize that when you optimize for one over the other there are trade-offs and affordances and constraints that come with that optimization. For example, optimizing for personalization can lead to incredibly dynamic scheduling. Learners are seeing many adults during the day. Groups are fluid and change easily. This optimization impacts the depth of community and relationships you can build as time is a finite resource. In the early days, Jon reflected, Roots may have optimized too much for personalization. Some kids thrived, but others felt lost, struggling to build relationships with teachers. The challenge is finding the point that’s right for the organization – balancing personalization with community/relationships.

Leading change and leading the innovation process is the most important skill leaders need to bring about an impactful learner-centered environment. To really innovate, leaders need to feel comfortable taking risks and changing course when necessary. This can be hard on teachers, learners and families. Leaders cultivate an understanding that the “old way” isn’t working and decide to lead the charge for change. Meaningful innovation happens through developing an interesting hypothesis for change, testing the hypothesis, reflecting on what is working and what is not, pivoting when necessary and designing the next iteration. Leaders help their team get comfortable with this process, involving “a ton of teacher voice.”

Jon’s final piece of advice for leaders shifting to learner-centered? “You just have to do it.” The system isn’t working for all of our learners. It’s scary and hard, but continuing to do what we’ve always done will lead to certain failure. Moving to learner-centered, while it may lead to failure, could lead to success. When given the choice between certain failure and possible success, we have to choose possible success.

Connections to Practice

• We are struggling with the “why” in our district. Many of our students (over 88%) graduate and attend further education in a two-year, four-year, or trade school. Our school community values this and views it as a success. Based on our learners’ success in achieving this next step, our urgency for change is reduced.
• This year, with our Leading #YourSalisbury professional learning cohort, we are working to build the way. Through inquiry and discovery of future work place skills and careers, this small pocket of teachers is understanding the urgency of change.
• We are having more conversation about leading change with our leadership team.  We are currently engaging in a Lunch and Learn series using Cale Birk and Charity Allen’s exceptional and fun book, Changing Change Using Learner-Centered Design: From Failed Initiatives to a Change Process that Connects, Empowers and Actually Works.   Learn more about their book at this TLTalkRadio podcast.

Questions Based on Our Practice

• Do our teachers view themselves as a member of the “tennis” team or the “soccer” team?
• Would they see the benefits/differences between the two?
• Do we as leaders have the sub-skills required to lead change?
• Do we have the will to reflect critically on our practice?  Have we cultivated an understanding that the old way isn’t working for all of our students? Are we willing to just do it?
• Do we need to invest more time developing our own social/emotional skills?

Next Steps for Us

• Have a reflective conversation about these questions with learners at an upcoming superintendent advisory council.  How do you as learners manage learning and the failure and frustrations that often accompany it? How do you as learners develop the self-competency for success in core academics?  How do you as learners own your progress and growth? How do you get to know yourselves as learners? How are you encouraged to be curious about the world? How does this work foster connection to your individual passions?
• As a result of our Changing Change book study, each of us as leaders will take a risk and redesign a learning opportunity.
• We will also seek additional ways to incorporate teacher voice.  How can we learn more from our teachers’ perspectives?

 

In Episode 26 we are revisiting Springhouse Community School located in Floyd, VA. You may recall that in Episode 23, we had a wonderful conversation with school co-founders Ezekiel Fugate and Jenny Finn through the leadership lens. A significant part of our conversation in this episode is with two learners at Springhouse, Gabby Howard and Leah Pierce who provide us with a deeper dive into the kinds of learning experiences Springhouse provides. In addition to the learner experience our conversation includes discussion of learner agency and how the concept of relationships at Springhouse differs from other learning organizations.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders invest time in developing deep connected relationships.

Takeaways

We started the conversation by asking the learners at Springhouse to describe their learning experiences in three words. Gabby described her learning experience as individual, whole/all encompassing, and interactive. For example, as a learner, she focuses on the details of the project as well as the emotional and personal aspects of the process of completing the project. It is not enough to just do the project, instead learners reflect on process.

Leah described her experience as self-awareness, empowerment, and growth. Learners take time to focus on themselves throughout the process. They explore themselves through what they are learning and their daily life at Springhouse. For example, Leah is studying how to become an ER nurse. She volunteers with hospice once per week, is interested in doing ride-alongs with the local ambulance company, and is learning about other programs around the world – even considering internships in colleges and hospitals. She thought about what she wanted to do, and then she sat down with her advisor at Springhouse where they developed possibilities together.

Learners participate in independent project studio. Older students work with Ezekiel for about an hour and a half per week to work on their projects.

What are some challenges to learning in Springhouse? Each learner is required to engage professionally with his/her mentors, demonstrating agency in solving problems and creating relationships.

Students meet with mentors multiple times throughout the week. They talk about school and their personal lives. Conversations about school projects, family lives, and friendships help learners better understand themselves

When asked about positive, memorable learning experiences, learners shared about Springhouse presentation nights. Juniors and seniors are required to complete a presentation, performing in front of an audience to share the work they have completed.  Failures are also celebrated in this forum. For example, when Gabby didn’t finish her project, she was vulnerable and shared the process she used and took responsibility for failing to meet her personal goals.

Learners also participate in experience week trips 2-3 times per school year. One mountain lake trip included white water rafting, caving, and hiking.  Learners connect with each other and develop stronger relationships through the shared activities and daily life. Cooking and dining bring the learners together and strengthen the community bond. Learners even raise the funds for the trips through bake sales and community events.

Learners at Springhouse demonstrate agency and leadership and are prepared for success once they leave the school. They are developing independence even though they are guided and supported every step of the way.

What do leaders need to know in order to support the development of agency in learners? Leaders need to be willing to take risks and listen to their learners in order to develop understanding, connection, and compassion. Teachers and leaders need to be intentional about course design. When developing an entrepreneurship course, the facilitators are asking themselves about what kind of real-life experiences students can participate in to learn entrepreneurial skills. They turned to a current school issue – school recruitment. Students identified possible reasons for the challenges with recruitment and ways to confront/manage those issues. The facilitators realized they don’t have to make up a project – instead they need to involve the learners in their current, authentic challenges.

Each individual is honored and has something valuable to contribute. Learners are not empty buckets which need to be filled. Leaders value the process of relationship-building and the time it takes to connect. They invest the time to uncover and value vulnerabilities in order to help students develop resiliency to challenges.

The adults in Springhouse demonstrate integrity in their work, and they place knowledge, skills, and relationships on an equal platform. They have the personal philosophy or mindset of the importance of building deep relationships. Some barriers to developing strong relationships may include: time, fear of connection, vulnerability, and/or skills.

Leaders need to be connected to their context – themselves, their community, and the earth or larger system.  They need a sense of purpose. Why do they do the work? What are they oriented towards? Leaders need to keep each other honest – asking tough questions, being aware when avoiding challenging issues, and having the ability to lavish praise on themselves and each other.  

Connections to Practice

• Our Profile of a Graduate articulates dispositions we want to develop in our learners. How do we work towards those ideas across our organization?
• This year, we are sharing SuperPower recognition. Do our learners, teachers, and leaders celebrate their internal SuperPowers? What is the evidence?

Questions Based on Our Context

• How can we develop a family-like structure with our learners?
• Are our learners all deeply connected to an adult?  If not, why not?
• What are our barriers to developing strong relationships?
• Do our learners have time to talk with advisors about projects and personal lives?
• What types of place-based experiences do our learners have in our schools?
• Are we designing courses around real, authentic issues?
• Do our learners own their successes and failures?

Next Steps for Us

• Evaluate our current advisory programs.
• Talk with our learners in superintendent advisory council about whether or not they feel connected to an adult in school. What are their perceptions of the relationships of the adults in the organization?
• Work with school leaders to plan with intentionality how we can support our learners to think about the world of work beyond high school.

In this episode, we focus on leadership and a conversation with Big Picture Learning Co-Executive Directors, Dr. Andrew Frishman and Carlos Moreno. Our conversation dives deeply into how Big Picture Learning represents the five elements put forth by Education Reimagined and the key role of leadership in educational transformation. We also discussed a reframing of the term “relationships,” the power of giving up control, policy and mindset barriers and the shifting role of the teacher.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders explicitly redefine the role of the teacher. Teachers are no longer the sole keepers of the knowledge. Instead, as advisors, they develop deep relationships with learners and their families to co-create meaningful, personalized learning experiences.

Takeaways

Big Picture Learning (BPL) works to maintain integrity of its brand through intentional leadership. The engagement continues beyond the initial implementation. The BPL schools remain connected as a network. Those within Big Picture schools collaborate and learn with one another. Leaders, practitioners, and students connect with one another to share learning experiences with their own communities. This provides continuous growth and improvement in BPL schools.

Much of the work of transformation begins with the school leaders. They assist in providing “high touch” professional development for the school community. BPL encourages current school leaders to consider internal succession planning as well as develop their own talents. Veteran leaders are often tapped for additional leadership roles. Distributed leadership is employed to build capacity.

What does the learning look like in BPL schools? BPL seeks to lay out an approach to learning which encourages deep connections to learning and to each other as learners. Before students enter the school, they are connected with an advisor (redefined role of the teacher). An advisor works with the student to explore several questions – Who are you? What are you passionate about? How do you want to go out into the world? How can we help you design learning experiences to get you there? Advisors meet with the student and his/her parents outside of school in their community. The advisor seeks to understand the student as a learner and a person. They learn about the students’ interests, hobbies, challenges, etc.This connection goes far beyond academic content and technical skills.

Students are also connected to other students through advisory. A group of fifteen to twenty-five students stay with one advisor over the course of 2-4 years.  The combination of the deep individual relationship and getting to know students in advisory benefits the learners. 

Regarding relationships – the value is in the relationship itself. By placing the advisor/student relationship at the center of the learning, the advisor can work with the student and his/her family to co-create learning experiences.  For example, If a learner is interested in architecture, how would they find 5-10 places in the community where that is occurring? How can they set up a research interview? Who works there? How could they get that career? What does the day-to-day job/work look like? The students complete informational intervews to answer some of these questions. Then the work wth the advsor continues. How can we craft with you and your family an individualized learning plan? The advisor supports and scaffolds students experience in internships and helps students think about authentic projects and assessments.

BPL embodies the five elements put forward by Education Reimagined. The learning is open-walled, going beyond the walls of the school with internships and connections as shared above.  Learning at BPL is highly socially-embedded both in and out of school. Because it is student interest-driven, there is a tremendous amount of learner-agency. By defintiton, the work is highly personalized by each learner. Learners are developing and demonstrating competencies and skills. The competencies and sklls are deeply contextualized to the work the learners want to do.

Relationships in a school-centered environment look different from relationships in a learner-centered environment. In the learner-centered environment the deep, strong relationships are used as the foundation to co-design learning experiences. The connectons go beyond developing academc rigor; instead, the value is in the relationship itself. Buildng relationships and connections is important work.

In order to create this learnng environment BPL, does not completely abandon traditional elements of education. BPL sees the value in the concept of teachers, students spending some time in a school with peers, and some time with other experts, many of whom have more knowledge than the teacher. Teachers have to let go of control and the notion that they are the center of the room with all of the power and knowledge. Instead of transferring content, the advisors identify that each learner has a set of knowledge which the teachers do not have. The role of the teacher has shifted, and often that person may not be recognized upon immediate entry into a classroom. Voice and choice are distributed beyond the advisor to the learners.

BPL is a new form and design of a student learning experience that requires different cultures and structures in order to provide the most powerful experience. It requires a shift in mindset beyond the regularities of school. A key barrier to implementation of personalization can be a lack of resources – both human and financial. This system works across the country and around the world – 25 states in both rural and urban settings.

What competencies do leaders in this space need?  Leaders need a clear purpose for being in this work. Ideally, they are reflective practitioners with a continuous growth mindset. They care about students in very deep ways and believe in learner-centered education very deeply. How are leaders visionary? What is their vision 10-15 years ahead for their school? Leaders need to be distributive in leadership – not the keepers and holders of everything, instead sharing the leadership with others including students and staff.

What nugget of advice could you offer us and our listeners? Just do it! If you wait for conditions to be perfect, you wil be waiting forever. You will never have all the perfect technical skills. Get a group of people together and get excited! Start doing it? Make mistakes and learn. Iterate to get better. As you get into it, you will make more and more beautfiul things. Leaders need to embrace the messiness, and lean in as learners.

Connections to Practice

• We have advisory in our middle school and high school.  How can we better utilize this time?
• Change is loss, and that can be scary for our teachers and leaders. How are our teachers and leaders feeling about our vision?

Questions Based on Our Context

• How can we develop a family-like structure with our learners?
• Are our learners all deeply connected to an adult?
• On a regular basis, do we ask students where they want to be in 5, 10 or 15 years?
• Do our teachers believe they are the center of all content knowledge? If so, how can we shift that mindset?
• How would we redefine the role of the teacher? How can we best think about this question?

Next Steps for Us

• Evaluate our current advisory programs
• Talk with our learners in superintendent advisory council about whether or not they feel connected to an adult in school.
• Work with school leaders to plan with intentionality how we can support our learners to think about the world of work beyond high school.

In Episode 24, we had a wonderful conversation about learner-centered education, specifically, the World of Work initiative, with Dr. David Miyashiro, superintendent in the Cajon Valley Union School District in California, and Ed Hidalgo, Chief Innovation and Engagement Officer at Cajon Valley. World of Work is focused on designing career development awareness in K-8 schools to prepare teachers and students for the future world of work. We learn how the World of Work initiative is focused on the learner and has been one element in Cajon Valleys learning transformation.

Key Competency

Learner-centered leaders develop the resources, the people and the conditions necessary for transformation. In the case of Cajon Valley, the district developed the World of Work resources once the need for career awareness was identified. The board supported the development of the material resources with financial resources. David and Ed have developed their people in this process – helping learners and teachers uncover their own strengths, talents and values to amplify the why of how learners at all levels of the system fit into the future world of work. As leaders, they have also created the conditions that have allowed the people demonstrate their own agency and for the program to be successful. As David shared, “There are no passengers on this ship – we are all crew. We are all rowing.”

Takeaways

In a short period of time, Cajon Valley has moved from a technology desert to a digital environment under David’s leadership. This transformation was approached through a design process that engaged teachers. External partners such as TED.com and Google have helped accelerate and support the transformation.

The World of Work initiative is learner-centered as it is designed to help learners uncover their unique strengths, interests and values. What is at your core? What do you care about? What engages you? Answers to these kinds of questions lead to increased learner agency which is, and will be, highly valued in a world or work where employees are expected to manage their own careers.

Questions to ask learners: What is something you do really well? What is a strength you have on which you have recently been complimented? What do you think your work values might be?

The World of Work initiative is also highly personalized, contextualized and relevant to learners. The initiative has reinforced Cajon Valley’s greater WHY…. Happy students, building healthy relationships, on a path to financial and social well being. Every child will need some sort of job, business or career that will sustain them and a network of people that they can engage with once they leave secondary school. Career development is a whole new language for teachers, but it can be integrated into the work they do everyday. Revisiting the greater WHY has helped teachers think of the purpose of education beyond test scores in math and ELA.

The Holland RIASEC framework has been used in Cajon Valley as the foundation of the program designed for learners to find their people – to help them classify their interests. Once learners find their people, they will find their interests. In the World of Work curriculum, learners experience jobs on the RIASEC framework each year. At the end, learners use the TED talk framework to share their reflection. Putting them in this role is not only learner-centered but fosters the development of leadership.

The primary barriers to this work is time and a lack of understanding of how the economy has changed and will be changing between now and the time learners enter the world of work. The world of work has shifted since the current educational model was designed in the 19th century. The dominant paradigm of school is not designed for the success of all students. Business and industry is telling us we are not properly preparing our learners for success in the current and evolving economy and job market.

The World of Work resources are a scalable means of bridging the gap between K-12 and the world of work. Physical tools and the World of Work curriculum were developed by Cajon Valley. The board supported the development of these resources.

In terms of leading this work, leaders need a shift in mindset. Rather than thinking of themselves as principals, teachers or superintendents, a more realistic frame is as a company executive, rethinking the business model of public education. Do this by asking questions such as: What is the problem we are trying to solve? We hear about unfilled jobs, shrinking middle class, college graduates with no career in their major field. These things are the problems of K12. We may need to improve test scores, but there are larger issues included in our responsibility. And these larger issues should drive what we do.

We can blame policymakers for the shortcomings of our current system, but we need to do something from the ground up – rethinking the WHY of what we are trying to solve. We as leaders have the skills; we need to shift the mindset.

We can do this work – not more, but differently – when we collaborate with each other. Let’s let go of some of the things we think have to drive us. Refocus on the why and the level of engagement from everyone will rise. Let’s not tether ourselves to the local and state measures of the accountability movement.

Everyone has unique strengths and talents that are needed in the world. Moving to a strengths-based model from a deficit-based model will help every learner understand they have a place in the world.

Connections to Practice

• We have created a prototype for an internship program at our high school this semester. This is one way we are tapping into the strengths, interests and passions of our learners connected to their future world of work.
• Career awareness has become a component of our SPP score here in Pennsylvania.
• We have been having conversations around the greater WHY of transformation.
• Professional learning and the development of our people around the transformation has been important. 

Questions Based on Our Context

• How will we expand our internship program next year?
• How can we engage our younger learners in planning for careers and the world of work?
• How would our learners answer these question: What is something you do really well? What is a strength you have on which you have recently been complimented? What do you think your work values might be?
• How can the RIASEC framework help us to create a personalized experience to meet the college/career standard in PA?
• How can we partner with outside businesses and organizations to learn what skills and dispositions are most needed in today’s economy?
• How does thinking about the future leverage transformation?
• What is the TedX literacy curriculum?  How could our learners benefit from this tool?
• How do we engage policymakers differently in the work of transformation? What do we connect it to? Unfilled jobs? Shrinking middle class? Unfulfilled workers?
• What are we doing to uncover and release learner interests?

Next Steps for Us

• Evaluate our current internship program, planning for expansion on a larger scale.
• Work with school leaders to plan with intentionality how we can support our learners to think about the world of work beyond high school.