May 29, 2025

Dear Educator,

As the school year winds down, emotions run high and understandably so. It’s a season of endings, transitions, and well-earned exhaustion. Amid the hustle, I was reminded last week just how powerful it is to pause, reflect, and celebrate the growth we’ve experienced. Recognizing achievements not only boosts our confidence and motivation but also uplifts us as educators by making the hard work visible and meaningful.

With Gratitude,

Building community with San Diego superintendents

Over the past year, Devin Vodicka and I, alongside Michael Fullan and his team, have had the privilege of facilitating a network of superintendents across North County San Diego. Together, we’ve gathered in schools to build community, visit classrooms, and engage in honest, forward-thinking conversations about teaching, learning, and how we measure what truly matters.

In our final convening of the year—hosted at Pacific Sky Elementary School in Del Mar—we engaged in a powerful consultancy focused on each district’s journey to align around a shared vision, develop strategic plans, and use tools to effectively measure and manage change. It was inspiring to see leaders open up about what’s working, where they’re facing challenges, and to offer and receive feedback from trusted colleagues.

During our closing reflection, many leaders shared the momentum they’ve gained through this shared learning community and the excitement they feel about what’s possible as they look ahead. Making time to pause, reflect, and think strategically about next steps is critical to evolve our practice.

How are you closing the year to celebrate what you have accomplished and plan for what’s next? Share your stories by replying directly to this email :)

We are already gearing up for the Aurora Institute Symposium in New Orleans this October. Registration for the event, including our Pre-Conference session on "Breaking Up With Grades," is officially open. Early bird rates are good until July 31st. If joining experts in conversations on all things competency-based learning is your idea of a good time, then we hope you'll join us! Register for our Saturday Pre-Conference session and the full Symposium here.

Resources to advance your learner-centered practice

🎥 WEBINAR RECORDING: Building Systems to Transform Student Learning. "This is about collaborating with the stakeholders who matter to us—our teachers, our classified staff, our families, our students...When we are brave enough to open ourselves up to that, we can become something really magnificent." Watch here.

📖 STUDENT VOICE: Designing Space and Time to Explore Our Passions "That afternoon, Spooner Lake was the classroom and Rick was our teacher; that’s what made it so memorable. Everything we were taught was tied directly to what we were doing at that moment. All of this knowledge that he was passing to us originated from other experts and his own experience." Read more about Clark Street Community School's "Project Block."

📖 FEATURED IN THE 74: Microschools Are Not Just a Trend, They’re a Turning Point "Public microschools offer a focused, actionable path forward in this era of uncertainty and opportunity. These small, purpose-built learning environments give public schools and their communities the power to design experiences that are deeply personalized, flexible, and malleable without waiting for entire systems to shift. They can serve students, empower educators, and address community needs." Read more about the public microschool movement.

👩‍💻 Project-Based Learning Introductory Course. "In this course, participants will take on a learning challenge and reflect on their own learning experience. You will also dive into the elements that make a great project-based learning experience and distinguish them from traditional projects. Participants will be guided through the process to design a project-based learning experience with the goal of making learning more authentic, personalized, and competency-based." Start learning today.