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See Me, Know Me, Grow Me: Personalizing Learning for Learner Agency and Success
Education is in a constant state of evolution, striving to meet the diverse needs of students in an ever-changing world. However, between 25% and 54% of students feel disengaged in school, with less than half feeling positively challenged or aligned with their strengths (Hrynowski, 2024). These statistics highlight the urgency of adopting a more…
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Scaling Learner-Centered Innovation: It Takes a Community (of Practice)
The benefits of a Community of Practice last well past the collaborative time together. LeShae Daniel makes the case for why you should say “Yes!” to interactive, collaborative learning with colleagues.
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Homegrown Talent: The Strategic Importance of Internal Growth Pipelines in Education
In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, district leaders face the dual challenge of retaining top talent and ensuring effective leadership succession. Developing robust internal growth pipelines is not just a strategy for retention but a crucial aspect of fostering a culture of continuous professional development and career advancement. A well-structured internal pipeline equips educators…
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Webinar Recording: Competency-Based Assessment: From Measuring Seat Time to Demonstrating Learning
In this webinar, Bostonia Global’s Nerel Winter and School Foundry’s Jeff Petty share innovative ways to assess student learning through real-world demonstrations and exhibitions. We delve into the importance of performance assessments, where students not only showcase their knowledge but also their ability to apply it in practical, meaningful ways. Questions explored include: How…
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Not All Rubrics Are Created Equal: How Competency-Based Progressions Are The Way to Go
For decades, rubrics have been both championed and criticized. This blog explores two distinct types of rubrics: traditional product-based rubrics and the emerging competency-based rubrics. Traditional rubrics, as we typically conceptualize them, are product-based. They define success criteria for specific assignments, describing gradations of quality for meeting expectations. These rubrics are assignment-specific and outline…
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Measuring What Matters: Our Journey with Logan County Schools
Contributions from Katie Martin, Learner-Centered Collaborative At Learner-Centered Collaborative, we believe that meaningful change in education begins with a clear vision and community engagement. Our partnership with Logan County Schools exemplifies this approach, as we’ve work together to redefine success for their students and empower the entire learning community. Serving over 3,400 students across…
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Report Card Redesign in Encinitas Union School District
Is redesigning a report card a technical or adaptive change? To answer this, we can turn to the model of technical and adaptive challenges developed by Ronald A. Heifetz (Heifetz & Laurie, 1997; Heifetz & Linsky, 2002). This framework provides valuable insights into the nature of change in education and other fields (Network for…
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Unraveling Mixed Messages: The Impact of Misaligned Systems in Education
Coherence across state, district, school, and classroom levels is critical for delivering clear and consistent messages to our learners. However, systemic misalignments often lead to mixed messages that can undermine our educational objectives and the experiences of our students. The Complexity of Educational Systems In simple terms, a system consists of two or more…
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Prioritizing Educator Belonging for Successful Learner-Centered Instruction
By Dr. Jennifer Karnopp, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership, San Diego State University, and Dr. Peter Bjorklund Jr., Lecturer and Research Assistant, UC San Diego Within the education landscape, it is widely agreed upon that supporting student growth and well-being is at the heart of learner-centered instruction, yet we often overlook the well-being of…
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Slow Down to Go Fast: 6 Pillars to Prioritizing Community and Relationships
As educators, we understand that a classroom is more than just a place for academic instruction; it’s a vibrant community where every learner should feel valued and connected. The first weeks of school are essential for establishing this classroom culture, helping to smooth the transition back to school for both students and teachers. Embracing…
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Why Mindset Matters in Cultivating Learner-Centered Change
Photo courtesy of Embark Education When we introduce new structures or practices in education, we often focus solely on implementing them correctly. However, this approach misses a crucial element: the mindset behind these changes. Our underlying intentions powerfully shape how others experience our designs. The way we think about school, learning, and learners (both…
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12 Ways to Breathe Life into Your Portrait of a Learner
As the world evolves, the skills needed to thrive must go beyond narrow standards. Portraits of a Learner (also known as Portraits of a Graduate or Learner Profiles) are gaining popularity as they can help to expand the collective idea of success and elevate the essential competencies, along with foundational knowledge and content, for…
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3 Key Elements for Cultivating a Learner-Centered Culture
In our pursuit of transforming education and centering learners by design, we must get the culture right. But, where do we begin? In our work with learning communities across the nation, the Learner-Centered Collaborative team has found three key elements that must be addressed, no matter the context, for a learner-centered culture to thrive:…
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What Happens When You Let Learners Lead? Embark Learners Share Their Insights
This work is a collaborative effort by Learner-Centered Collaborative in partnership with Eli Yoon, 6th grade learner; Tahliiya Harris, 6th grade learner; Vida Mennell, 7th grade learner; and Carissa Solomon, Senior Lead Educator at Embark Education in Denver, CO. Two learners work to organize the contents of the Essential Manual they wrote to support…
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5 Powerful Practices to Develop Learner-Centered School Leaders
On a sunny January “winter” day in Santa Ana, California, a group of Assistant Principals huddle around a case study that chronicles a common scenario in their (and many) school districts: a new teacher is struggling with reading instruction and classroom management, and her students report feeling bored and disengaged. The school leaders collaborate…
BlogWebinars
Webinar Recording: Personalized Professional Development with Lamont Elementary School District
Explore personalized professional development with Lamont Elementary School District in our latest webinar. LCC Partner Catina Hancock and Superintendent Lori Gonzalez share strategies for implementing personalized PD initiatives. Learn about: Lamont ESD’s three-tiered approach to personalized PD Increasing educator self-reflection by 30% in 4 months Combining quality resources with collaboration time Impact of leadership…
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Listen, Learn, Lead: Start with Community Engagement
You’re a leader ready to embark on a change initiative in your district. What’s your first step? A common first instinct is to create a plan and put it into practice. But before you do, we recommend you start by engaging with learners, educators, and the community to gather insights about their current experience,…
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4 Practical Tips for Creating Coherence Within Your District
In any educational setting, clarity of vision, a well-understood mission, and a core set of operational values can fundamentally transform how initiatives are executed and objectives are met. I have come to understand this deeply through my experiences as an educational leader. The privilege of working with school and district leaders from a diversity…