We envision education ecosystems where all learners know who they are, thrive in community and actively engage in the world as their best selves.
“Learner-Centered Collaborative has created a learning environment for site leaders and their teams to plan with intent, focus keenly on how improvement efforts align and support instructional areas of focus, and find common points of interest with other sites to ensure quality collaboration.”
“Having a clear and aligned Framework for the Future has been so positive for our district—and the true payoff is walking through classes and seeing our learning model in action with students and teachers as we reimagine learning.”
“I used to think I had to design all of the instruction, but if it’s learner centered, there’s no reason why students cannot be part of that process as well.”
“Learner-Centered Collaborative has been instrumental in the transformative journey that we are on in Santa Ana Unified School District….We’ve taken a multi-pronged approach to the work, with Learner-Centered Collaborative serving as thought partners for district leadership, supporting and facilitating principals meetings as well as instructional learning walks at school sites across the district.”
“Materials provided were very engaging and relevant, and there were plenty of opportunities given to engage in meaningful ways, both alone and in small groups, to brainstorm and explore how they can be used in our own classroom environments.”
“I am really enjoying our sessions! You do a nice job of breaking things up so it moves quickly enough to keep everyone’s attention. You seem to be genuinely excited about the work, which is infectious.”
District teams will be admitted on a rolling basis. Join this unique opportunity.
Learner-centered is taking hold across the country. See who’s leading the way and how they’re doing it.
From whole-learner outcomes to the learning experiences that support them to the enabling conditions for success.
Our 5-minute diagnostic will help you choose the next chapter that’s right for your education journey.
Last month, California educators joined Learner-Centered Collaborative and Scaling Student Success for a tour of Encinitas Union School District`s schools and their Farm Lab to learn about their Portrait of a Graduate.
EUSD`s Farm Lab is a unique,10-acre property that houses multiple components and supports health, wellness, enviro-literacy, and elements of the EUSD Portrait of a Graduate for students and the community.
It was amazing to see the Encinitas team shine and feel pride in their work. They shared the highs and lows of their journey and helped the other participants really reflect on what it means to move from Portrait to practice.
While visiting the elementary schools in EUSD, we saw lots of happy kids, happy teachers, and authentic, meaningful learning. Kudos to Julie Burton, the Farm Lab`s site administrator, and the rest of the Encinitas team for a meaningful and inspirational learner-centered day!
Evolving education isn’t just about adopting new strategies or tools—it’s about creating the conditions for learning to flourish at every level of the system. That means building Professional Learning ecosystems where educators feel seen, supported, and empowered to grow.
Our newest blog by Katie Martin outlines the key shifts school leaders can implement to evolve the way their educators learn, and build a collaborative, growth-based culture.
💡Full blog available at the link in our bio.
🛠️ NEW TOOL FOR EDUCATION LEADERS: Forming a Strong School (Re)Design Team - find it at the link in our bio.
Every successful school redesign starts with the right team. This tool helps leaders intentionally build a group that represents the full school community, from leaders, educators, and learners, to families, and staff, who will guide the redesign process together.
We recommend using this tool as a supplementary resource with our School Redesign Playbook linked in bio.
Use this tool to:
➡️ Identify who will serve on your Design Team.
➡️ Develop messaging that clearly communicates the purpose of redesign to educators, students, and families.
➡️ Plan for collaboration, engagement, and shared ownership across the team.
Last week was a busy week for learner-centered work in action! Communities of Practice, spaces where educators, leaders, and other stakeholders come together to exchange ideas, solve problems, and build knowledge through shared experiences, took center stage. These communities create a safe, collaborative environment to tackle the challenges that arise when shifting towards learner-centered models, and we`ve found them to be supportive and effective elements of education evolutions.
1️⃣ The Mesa Linda Design Team began their Redesign journey by looking at data and feedback from their community. Taking inspiration from other schools and design elements in our new Redesign Playbook, the team of students, faculty, staff, and administrators began ideating on what the future can look like. Check out the Redesign Playbook referenced: https://learnercentered.org/publications/school-redesign-playbook/
2️⃣ Educators at The Innovative School of Temple Beth Sholom gathered for their first virtual Competency-Based Deep Dive Community of Practice. The team reflected on their learner-centered orientation, created stories of their collective "why" for their adopted assessment philosophy, and wrote individual intentions for how they want to grow their competencies.
3️⃣ CTE educators from across Arkansas virtually came together to celebrate ways they`re bringing Durable Skills to life with their learners with the help of AI as a learning experience co-designer through our Learning-Experience Accelerator app. "I used to think I gave my students enough guided practice, but now I think I need more--it would help me avoid re-answering questions," said one participant. You can use the app too: https://learnercentered.org/tools/durable-skills-lea-app/
4️⃣ During the second Scorecard Community of Practice offered in partnership with Scaling Student Success, teams collaborated across districts to identify outcomes and success metrics to track implementation of their graduate profiles and district strategic plans.
💻 Webinar Announcement! 📣
Join us for an engaging one-hour webinar as we explore how systems can embrace meaningful change grounded in agency and real-world learning. This session will:
👉 Introduce the concept of “Big Moves” and how they catalyze sustained, learner-centered change throughout an entire district.
👉 Feature real examples of Big Moves districts are making across the country and the measurable impact it is having on their learners.
👉 Examine the enabling conditions and change management frameworks that are critical for sustainable change
If you`re a superintendent, system leader, or change agent inside a district, this webinar will offer a blueprint for initiating or accelerating Big Moves in your context.
Register at the link in our bio.
💡 Jeremy Utley of @StanforddSchool inspires us to think about how creativity isn’t just what we produce — it’s what we feed our thinking with. When we nurture curiosity, collaboration, and diverse perspectives, innovation follows naturally.
How are you shaping the inputs in your learning community?
As a panelist on The Human Intelligence Movement`s webinar, Durable Skills for the Intelligence Age, LCC Co-CEO Devin Vodicka shared about our Learning Experience Accelerator app that we created with America Succeeds to help educators implement Durable Skills into their curriculum.
Access the webinar and the Learning Experience Accelerator App at the link in our bio.
Day 2 of our Learner-Centered Connections Cohort in Hunter, ND brought 26 educators from Texas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, and California together for an inspiring site visit with our industry partner, @BobcatCompany.
The day began with a powerful panel discussion at Bobcat, where educators explored how learner-centered approaches align with the evolving needs of today’s workforce. Teams then spent time reflecting and collaborating to turn insights into actionable next steps for their schools.
When educators come together with purpose, incredible things happen. Every conversation and connection moves us closer to creating ecosystems where all learners know who they are, thrive in community, and engage in the world as their best selves. 🌍
The LCC networks are thriving! We had a blast at the @FullScaleLearning Symposium in New Orleans last weekend.
👉 We started off with our pre-conference session where teams from Colorado, Wisconsin, Hawaii, Missouri, Montana, California, and more gathered to reimagine assessment through a learner-centered lens.
Participants embraced joy and engaged in reflection, collaboration, and creation, developing their own learner-centered assessment philosophies that honor the whole learner and promote agency, growth, and context.
👉 During the conference, we hosted a total of five sessions on various elements of learner-centered education. We were so excited to see such great energy and engagement at all of them!
We`re so grateful to everyone who joined us for your energy, curiosity, and commitment to reimagining what’s possible for learners.
Last week, district leaders and educators engaged in powerful site visits, exploring how learner-centered design is creating meaningful pathways, stronger communities, and deeper engagement for students.
⭐️A team from Salinas Union High School District engaged in a 2-day Inspiration Visit to four schools in Oakland USD: Latitude High School, Fremont High School, Life Academy, and MetWest. Student-led tours, classroom visits, and conversations with students and educators all revolved around the importance of small learning communities, collaboration, community partnerships, and real-world learning. The team left with actionable insights to continue bringing their Framework for the Future and Portrait of a Graduate to life this year and beyond.
⭐️ The North County Superintendent Network visited Vista High School for showcases of student leadership, career certifications, and high levels of engagement and connectedness for learners. It was inspiring to see a high school focused on learner-led pathways and real-world challenges!
We’ve visited hundreds of learner-centered schools and interviewed many of their leaders to create LCC’s School Redesign Playbook – and it just launched today! 🥳 Check it out at the link in our bio!
Wherever you are in the school redesign process, this comprehensive resource offers tangible examples, inspiration, and tools to build a school ecosystem where all learners know who they are, thrive in community, and actively engage in the world as their best selves.
We’d also like to give a HUGE shoutout and thank you to the many folks who contributed to the final product:
· Dr. Andy Johnsen, @SanMarcosUSD
· Benjie Walker, @VistaAcademyVUSD
· Dr. Bryanna Norton, @HiddenValley_EUSD
· Carmen Sanders, @AlexCityTitans
· Damon Patterson, @VIDAsharks
· Ellen Crews, @VIDAsharks
· Dr. Eric Chagala, @VistaUnified / VistaUnifiedSD
· Jeremy Walden, @MVHStimerwolves
· Kelly Eveleth, @Design39Collaborative
· Kristi Desuacido, @HalauKuManaPCS
· Dr. Laura Philyaw, National School District
· Michael Anderson, West Campus
· Krystle Miller, Conway Academy
· Tyler Thigpen, Forest School/Institute for Self-Directed Learning
Alamogordo Public Schools made this video to document the thought, intentionality, and months of work that have gone into creating their Framework for the Future with guidance from the Learner-Centered Collaborative team.
#FrameworkfortheFuture #GuidingCoalition #Learner-Centered
Our 3rd-annual Learner-Centered Connections cohort kicked off on Monday with 26 educators from Texas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, and California visiting @NorthernCassSchool for an inspiring and educational look at standards-based assessment, student agency, and many more learner-centered elements in this community!
🤔 What happens when educators align on what learning really means?
At @wiseburnusd and The Innovative School of Temple Beth Sholom, teams are rethinking assessment, not as a grading task, but as a shared language for growth.
Through calibration, educators are building trust, clarity, and confidence in how learning is measured and communicated. The result? Assessment becomes a promise: one that truly reflects what learners know and can do.
Our newest blog by Holly Stipe explores how schools are aligning purpose, process, and practice to make learning more meaningful. Check it out: https://learnercentered.org/blog/assessment-philosophies-calibration
It’s been a busy and inspiring week for our team! Here’s a quick recap of the on-the-ground work we’ve been doing to support learner-centered change:
📚Leaders from across the Hawai`i Public Charter School Network came together this week for the Scorecard Institute, part of the Accountability Plus initiative. The session focused on aligning school goals, metrics, and measures of impact to authentically reflect each community’s vision for learning.
📚Working groups in Salinas Union High School District met to begin crafting the district`s Portrait of a Graduate Progressions and Instructional Model. Both groups began by making personal connections to Portrait Outcomes and engaging learning experiences and then ideating on how to apply those tenets to their group`s work this year.
📚Adelanto Elementary School District educators took an exciting step toward bringing their Framework for the Future to life during the first of three Project-Based Learning workshop days. Throughout the workshop, teachers will explore key elements of PBL, brainstorm authentic projects, and collaborate to craft learner-centered experiences.
📚Templeton educators came together for a powerful day of learning and collaboration. They spent time deepening their shared understanding of the Portrait of a Learner, gathering another round of thoughtful feedback on the competencies, and exploring practical strategies to bring the Portrait to life across classrooms, schools, and roles.
📚This week, we kicked off the Measuring What Matters Community of Practice hosted in partnership with Scaling Student Success. Teams from 6 districts across California met for the first of 6 virtual sessions to begin to create their district-wide Scorecards to measure implementation of their Graduate Profiles.
📚 Lamont leadership reflected on the district-wide instructional focus cycles. The teacher artifacts of learning help shine a bright light on the impact of personalized professional development and a coherent instructional approach.
In order to improve our work and expand our impact, we use surveys to measure what matters.
This new blog discusses all things surveys in education, using real-life examples from LCC partner districts: National School District & Colorado Springs District 11.
Read it at the link in our bio.
