Blog
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…
Podcasts
Episode 32: Bridging Technology and Curriculum: Unlocking the Power of Aligned Learning Throughout a District with Dr. Lilia Náñez
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 YouTubeEpisode Summary: Dr. Lilia Náñez, Associate Superintendent of Ector County ISD in Odessa, Texas, shares her passion for equity and learner-centered leadership, drawing from her personal experience growing up…
Big Moves
Design Competency-Based Professional Learning Structures
Overview To create learning experiences that meet the needs of all learners in the modern world, it’s essential to establish clear expectations for learning and teaching based on a shared vision. This involves creating educator competencies that determine what teachers need to know and do to create desired learning experiences. Teachers should be supported…
Blog
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…
Blog
Leadership Coaching: A Mechanism for Supporting Organizational Culture and Enabling Conditions
As a school or district leader, your calendar is likely packed with meetings, decisions to make, and fires to put out. With so many demands on your time, it’s easy to push personal development to the back burner. However, making time for leadership coaching isn’t just another task on your to-do list—it’s a critical…
Blog
Reflect, Rest, and Rejuvenate This Summer
Image taken at Duquesne City School District The end of the school year is an exciting time filled with ceremonies, field trips, field days, exhibitions, plays, and performances celebrating the hard work of every educator and learner. However, it can also be a stressful and emotional period. Grades are due, everyone is tired from…
Blog
Bringing Student Wonders to Life: An Interview from an Innovation Cohort
Learner-Centered Collaborative has partnered with South Allegheny and Duquesne City School Districts in Pennsylvania to host an Innovation Cohort in 2023-2024. Each cohort evolves with the needs and interests of the participants, but typically includes: Self-paced, online courses that forward and strengthen learner-centered practices Virtual Communities of Practice sessions In-person sessions to discuss learnings,…
BlogWebinars
Webinar Recording: Supercharge Passion: Evolving Educator Capacity
An insightful discussion with Royd Darrington, a visionary educator from Juab School District in Utah, as he shares his philosophies and approaches for cultivating meaningful professional development experiences for teachers. Juab School District has been a leader in implementing personalized learning strategies and empowering educators to become facilitators of learning. This webinar explored Juab…
Blog
Education is Everyone’s Business: Bridging the Gap Between School and Learning for Success in Life
Logan Country Schools Exhibition of Learning Every educator I have ever met wants their students to be successful. The challenge, however, is that we don’t all share the same definition of success. Some educators narrow it to their specific standards, their class, or their personal view of what it means to be successful. Others…
Blog
How might we create learner-centered teacher credentials?
Teachers and aspiring teachers, in no uncertain terms, are telling us we need to reimagine how they are being prepared and supported to do their jobs well. A recent report by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education delivers a concerning message: “Between 2008 and 2019, the number of students completing traditional teacher…
Blog
These Pennsylvania Educators are Ready to Make Change Happen
Co-authored by Brittany Griffin and Jesse Ross Collaborative, learner-centered innovation has taken off in Western Pennsylvania. Throughout the 2023-24 school year, 23 educators from four Western Pennsylvania school districts—Hampton Township, Shaler Area, Deer Lakes, and Avonworth—are participating in a Learner-Centered Collaborative Innovation Cohort. Get an inside view into the experience in this 3-part series…
Blog
Get “Outside” With Us: Exploring Innovative Schools Nationwide
In today’s rapidly changing educational landscape, school district leaders face exciting possibilities when it comes to providing the best learning experiences for students. To accelerate the adoption of these learner-centered models, leaders have the opportunity to learn with and from colleagues nationwide who have done and are doing the work and to build upon…
Tools
Goal-Setting and Reflection Template
Goal-setting and reflecting is a part of a learner-centered practice and it can and should take place with our youngest of learners all the way through to our most senior administrators. This tool is intended to support educators and leaders to set meaningful and relevant goals that will support a growth mindset and continuous…
Blog
Growth Through Connections
By: Dr. Leighangela Brady, Superintendent, National School District (CA) Dr. Brady shares a first-hand perspective from the Fall 2023 Learner-Centered Connections in-person convening in San Diego, CA where the cohort visited four innovative public schools and Illumina, a biotech company. Hearing directly from a student ambassador panel at Bostonia Global High School in the…
Blog
Changing how students learn, starts with changing how educators learn
As educators, we are socialized into the profession in various ways. These may include observations of our previous teachers (known as the apprenticeship of observation), our preparation programs, and especially our first on-the-job experiences. In short, our beliefs and expectations are shaped by our experiences including professional learning, which is why I often…
Blog
Designing Units with Student Choice, Real-World Problem Solving, and Technology Integration
By: Vince Fabella, Math Teacher & Technology Lead at Laguna Beach Unified School District Student engagement and technology integration are crucial components of effective teaching and learning, helping to promote interactive, dynamic, and creative problem-solving approaches that empower learners. Although the use of educational technology has increased significantly in recent years, there may be…
Blog
Reclaiming Joy at the End of the School Year
At VIDA middle school in Vista Unified School District, students in an English class give each other affirmations and gratitudes throughout the year. “Joy is the ultimate goal of teaching and learning, not test prep or graduation.” – Gholdy Muhammad, author, Unearthing Joy The end of the school year is in plain sight. Maybe…