Bright Spots Newsletter

Bright Spots is a weekly newsletter from Katie Martin featuring learner-centered inspiration and examples from the field. Each week, subscribers can expect to receive:

A bright spot. Change can be challenging, but it gets easier when we look to one another to see what’s working and what’s possible. Each week, Katie shares a proven practice or example from the field in an effort to make learner-centered practices both visible and actionable.
A resource roundup. Katie features a small selection of articles, blog posts, and other resources that have inspired her and pushed her thinking about learner-centered education, in the hopes that they do the same for you!

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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. …

Blog

From Kickflips to Critical Thinking: Designing Learning That Sticks

Learning is hard. As a middle school English teacher, I would often tell students that learning is the space between knowing and not knowing. At any age, but especially in middle school, that liminal space is a challenging place to be. Inevitably, there would come a point where we were all stuck, and no…

Tools

Mindsets Reflection Tool

As we work to create learner-centered environments, examining our own water—our culture, assumptions, and beliefs—is key to cultivating the mindset shifts needed to change the water we’re swimming in. We can do this by visiting other schools implementing learner-centered practices or stepping out of our field and doing analogous experiences. The next time you…

Blog

Why Stepping Outside Your School Could Be Key to Learner-Centered Change

Culture is the foundation of any learner-centered ecosystem. The big blue outer circle, illustrated in Learner-Centered Collaborative’s Ecosystem model, is representative of a big blue body of water we are all swimming in—in our classrooms, schools, and districts. Culture is something we always feel but might not always recognize while we’re in it. We…

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Podcasts

Episode 42: Effective Techniques to be a Learner-Centered Leader

By loading this video, you agree to the privacy policy of Youtube.Always load Youtube videos on this site.Load VideoListen on SpotifyListen on Apple PodcastsWatch on YouTube Episode Summary: Four members of the Learner-Centered Collaborative team came together in February 2025 to talk shop about what it takes to be a learner-centered leader during one…

Blog

Purpose, Participation, and Feedback: What it Takes to be a Learner-Centered Leader

Too often, leadership is viewed as a position rather than a practice—something tied to a title rather than a way of engaging with others to drive meaningful change. In today’s rapidly shifting educational landscape, that perspective is proving insufficient. With rising rates of superintendent and principal turnover, teacher burnout, and declining enrollment, it’s clear…

Blog

Harnessing the Power of AI to Co-Create New Knowledge With Learners

I look forward to Super Bowl Sunday each year. While my family would say they enjoy watching the actual game, for me it’s all about the advertisements. They often push the boundaries of creativity and cause me to laugh, cry, and sometimes even create lessons for my students. Last year’s Despicable Me 4 Trailer…