Blog
Can Regional Innovation Hubs Create a More Promising Future for K-12 Education?
Written in collaboration with leaders from AERDF, ALI, InnovateEDU, Leanlab Education, and Learner-Centered Collaborative Throughout history, moments have invited us to rethink how learning happens, who it serves, and what it could become. And yet, many of these opportunities have come and gone without the lasting change they promised. The COVID-19 pandemic is one…
BlogWebinars
Webinar Recording: Learner-Centered Bright Spots: Making Learning Public and Closing the Year Strong
In this webinar, three members of the Learner-Centered Collaborative team—Katie Martin, Kate Weisberg, and Danny Scuderi—highlight practical strategies for closing the school year by celebrating learning and cultivating learner-centered mindsets. Drawing from their work in classrooms and systems nationwide, they offer tangible examples of how schools and educators can use reflection, celebration, and community-building…
Press
Learner-Centered Collaborative Announces Co-CEO Leadership Structure
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAY 1, 2025 Contact: Devin Vodicka, Co-CEO Learner-Centered Collaborative press@learnercentered.org Learner-Centered Collaborative Announces Appointment of Co-CEO Leadership Structure to Drive Next Phase of Impact SAN DIEGO, CA — Learner-Centered Collaborative (LCC), a leading national nonprofit committed to creating learner-centered education ecosystems, today announced the formalization of its Co-CEO leadership structure. Co-founders…
Big Moves
Physical Space Design
Overview Physical spaces, when designed with intention, can enable the Learning Model to be fully embraced by a school, shaping the learning environment to align with the Portrait of a Learner. The guiding principle is that form drives function and that both influence and reflect a school’s culture. Thoughtful care for physical space demonstrates…
Big Moves
Professional Learning Plan
Overview A truly learner-centered school models the same principles for all learners, including educators. Developing a professional learning calendar and plan aligned with the Learning Model ensures that educators experience the agency, collaboration and authentic application they are fostering in their classrooms. By incorporating educator voice, practice-based professional learning and ongoing cycles of reflection,…
Big Moves
AI Principles
Overview AI tools are increasingly accessible to learners and are more ubiquitous in the world and workforce outside of schools. In order to meet learners where they are and to best prepare them for a future that is already integrating AI into the workforce, it is important to establish thoughtful guidelines to ensure that…
Big Moves
Capstone Projects
Overview A capstone project is a culminating project, usually done in a learner’s final year at a school or in a program, that allows them to apply the knowledge and skills they’ve gained throughout a course, program, or educational experience. Typically, it is comprehensive, often interdisciplinary, and requires learners to engage in critical thinking,…
Big Moves
Master Schedule Redesign
Overview School-centered schedules often focus on compliance and efficiency over learning. Students move through the instructional day, most often dictated by bells, learning content in isolation. In a learner-centered system, time is prioritized to ensure that a school day provides opportunities for learners to engage deeply in meaningful work that supports their progress toward…
Big Moves
Developing Community Partnerships for Internships, Mentorships and Community Projects
Overview Developing a community partnership strategy for internships, mentorships, and community projects is a valuable initiative for schools and districts, as it lays the groundwork for meaningful authentic learning experiences that support learners in developing their school or district’s key outcomes as outlined in their Portrait of a Learner. Through these community-connected experiences, learners…
Big Moves
Redesign Educator Growth Plans & Evaluations
Once a system has clarity and coherence on leader and educator roles in service of their learner-centered vision, other structures require rethinking. Evaluation models in a school-centered paradigm focus on compliance and accountability. As we shift our focus to empowering learners, we must also empower educators and leaders by focusing on feedback and development. …
Big Moves
Family Engagement Strategy
Overview Families are an integral part of a successful learner-centered ecosystem; partnering with educators to ensure positive outcomes for their child/dren. In today’s modern world, family engagement goes beyond asking for room parents, volunteers on a field trip, or the number of responses on a family survey. Although those are important metrics, engagement looks…
BlogWebinars
Webinar Recording: Leadership Matters: Effective Techniques to be a Learner-Centered Leader
In this webinar, four members of the Learner-Centered Collaborative team discuss the importance of leadership in driving effective, learner-centered transformation. With 75+ years of education experience spanning the classroom to district administration, this all-star group highlights the practices and strategies they used to lead school and district systems. They also showcase learner-centered leaders and…
Blog
How One District is Leading a Bold School (Re)Design Effort
As Escondido Unified School District began developing a Blueprint, or a Strategic Plan, to enact the vision they set out in their Framework for the Future, they realized significant work would need to be done at each school site. Specifically, they needed to reimagine what school looks like to focus on the whole-learner outcomes…
BlogWebinars
Webinar Recording: Reimagining Education Through Innovative School Design
In this webinar, Learner-Centered Collaborative’s Jesse Ross hosts a conversation with three educators from Escondido Union School District—Dr. Bryanna Norton, Principal of Hidden Valley Middle School, and North Broadway Elementary teachers, Gina Matthew and Katie Taylor. They share the transformative process of school redesign to foster learner-centered practices. The discussion highlights how strategic design…
