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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…
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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…
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Family Partnerships: A Key Strategy for Supporting Whole-Learner Outcomes
The Mindset That Makes Family Partnerships Possible If we view school as a one-dimensional institution with a narrow purpose—primarily focused on delivering content and measuring student proficiency aligned to narrow metrics—then the idea of partnering with families may seem like an unnecessary distraction. But if we believe learning happens within a larger ecosystem, where…
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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…
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3 Leadership Building Blocks for Meaningful Change in Education
Schools have operated like factories for too long, with top-down control and rigid structures. Real change happens when leaders embrace relationships, shared purpose, and deep collaboration, creating schools that function as dynamic, interconnected communities. When educators work together, trust each other, and share responsibility, small actions can lead to big, lasting improvements. If we…
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…
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Rethinking Time in Schools: From Rigid Blocks to Meaningful Learning
I recently visited two different schools on back-to-back days, and I was struck by the stark contrast in the schedules and the impact on the learning environment. In the first school, the day was broken up into short blocks of reading, math, intervention, recess, lunch, and science. This type of schedule is often…
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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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6 School Design Elements That Will Bring Your Learner-Centered Vision to Life
The school you walked into today does not have to be the school you walk into tomorrow. If we allow ourselves to believe this idea, so much becomes possible. We can begin imagining places of learning that adapt, evolve, and respond to the advancements of the modern world and the unique needs and aspirations…
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Reflecting on 2024: A Year of Partnership, Progress, and Possibility
As 2024 draws to a close, we find ourselves reflecting on a year defined by collaboration, growth, and meaningful impact. At Learner-Centered Collaborative, our vision is to create education ecosystems where all learners know who they are, thrive in community, and actively engage in the world as their best selves. Together with our growing…
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Distributed Leadership in Schools: Students as Ambassadors
Written by Dr. Leighangela Brady, Superintendent, National School District. Dr. Brady is also a member of the Learner-Centered Collaborative Advisory Council. Distributed leadership offers a way to harness the collective strengths of all members of an educational ecosystem, including school staff, parents, community partners, and most importantly, students. While adults often take center stage…
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In a Learner-Centered Community, We Are All Communicators
Creating a learner-centered community requires clear, transparent communication that puts students at the center. Through transparency, feedback loops, and storytelling, we can amplify student voice and build shared vision. Through Muhlenberg’s digital spaces, Mentor’s Guiding Coalition meetings, and Hampton’s multimedia storytelling, we see how intentional communication creates environments where everyone—learners, educators, administrators, and families—contributes…
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Operationalizing the Vision in Escondido Union School District
See how Escondido USD is turning ideas into actions with student forums, a guiding coalition, and a Framework for the Future.
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The Listening Leader: Striking the Balance Between Receptive and Expressive Communication
There is power in sharing your transformational story as your school or district’s learner-centered journey unfolds, and I will always emphasize the importance of communication in fostering a learner-centered culture. However, it’s common to solely equate communication with expression—the outward sharing of messages and information. This limited view can create unexpected resistance as we…
BlogWebinars
Webinar Recording: The Power of Storytelling in Building Engaged Learning Communities
In this webinar, Learner-Centered Collaborative’s Marlon Styles hosts a conversation with Craig Heath, Superintendent of Mentor Public Schools, and Juliette Funes, Communications Officer for Lynwood Unified School District. Together, they explore the power of storytelling in fostering engaged learning communities. They discuss innovative strategies to amplify student voices, align strategic themes with impactful communications,…
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Building Relational Trust: Our Journey with Lamont Elementary School District
Contributions from Catina Hancock, Learner-Centered Collaborative and Dr. Lori González, Lamont Elementary School District In California’s Central Valley, Lamont Elementary School District is redefining what’s possible in education. Serving over 3,000 students, many from low-income backgrounds and a high percentage of English Language Learners, Lamont faced unique challenges. But under Superintendent Dr. Lori Gonzalez’s…
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Building Community Partnerships: A Strategy for Sustaining Learner-Centered Education
Written by Danielle Delrosario Danielle DelRosario is a Community Schools/MTSS Specialist in Escondido Union School District and member of our inaugural LC Innovator cohort, where learner-centered educators come together to share bright spots and ideas around innovative practices The current research on community partnerships in education indicates tremendous benefits for students, namely: enhanced…
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A Spotlight on the First UCSD + LCC Research Convening of the 24-25 School Year
In July of 2023, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the Learner-Centered Collaborative (LCC) announced a groundbreaking partnership to unite researchers, practitioners from LCC, and regional districts in advancing learner-centered practices. A group of Southern California districts kicked off this school year with the new name SoCal Link. In the spirit of sharing and…