January 30, 2025

Dear Educator,

The Learner-Centered Collaborative team meets in person twice a year to connect, learn, and, of course, have fun! I always look forward to these opportunities together and am beyond grateful for the opportunity to work with such a talented and passionate group of people.

The LCC Team and learners from Halau Ku Mana Public Charter School

A core experience we embed in our team retreats is school visits. This helps us understand what’s possible and refine our frameworks to support our partners in achieving their learner-centered visions. My Bright Spot this week highlights the inspiring Halau Ku Mana Public Charter School model and how each element is designed to achieve its vision.

With Gratitude,

Learner-Centered School Design in Action

From visits to over 100 diverse schools – ranging from micro-schools in island communities to rural schools that serve sprawling communities to large urban schools – we’ve identified six key school structures that enable learner-centered practices to move from vision to reality.

Our visit to Halau Ku Mana illuminated the impact of these intentionally designed structures. Specifically, how they support their vision and commitment to “fostering lifelong learners who think, feel, and act in ways that are not only pono in the context of the world around them but are also nourishing in the context of their naʻau—their inner well-being and passions.”

Learn more about the six elements of school design and how they fit inside a broader learner-centered ecosystem framework here.

As a small school, students are cohorted in small learning communities by grade with teachers who collaborate to support them in their personal goals, academic subjects, and their aina (or field-based learning).

Once a week, students are engaged in real-world learning in a full day of place-based projects to build their sense of identity and responsibility as native practitioners to care for the land.

As students learn about their context and the world around them, as well as their passions through projects, they have performance assessment structures to document their learning in portfolios and share what they know and can do through Ho’ike, a celebration to show or exhibit their learning.

Additionally, time for teacher collaboration is built into the schedule for teachers to collaborate on their projects and support learner needs.

The schedule also provides opportunities for distributed leadership where teachers and school administrators work together on committees, which are essential in ensuring decision-making responsibilities are shared across the entire learning community.

Which of these elements are present in your school design? I’d love to hear about your model and how it supports your vision. Share your story by replying directly to this email :)

How schedules impact learning

As Annie Dillard highlights, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” Our schedules show what we value and prioritize, and they can profoundly impact the depth, quality, and relevance of student learning experiences. Let's explore how we can rethink time for more meaningful learning. Dive in here.

Resources to advance your learner-centered practice

🎙️ Aligning Your District’s Initiatives: How to Achieve Coherence and Impact with Dr. Rebekah Kim. "We see diversity in all different forms—socioeconomic, gender, language—as being assets and richness to seeing the whole child." Tune in to this amazing podcast episode from Season 5.

🎥 WEBINAR: Leadership Matters: Effective Techniques to be a Learner-Centered Leader. "This session will focus on effective approaches for developing strong leaders who can drive positive change and foster a collaborative culture. Whether you're a seasoned leader or aspiring to take on a leadership role, this webinar will provide valuable insights and tools to help you succeed." Register here.

👩‍💻 Promote Anytime/Anywhere Learning. "Explore ways to bring the real world into the classroom and make learning that happens outside of the classroom relevant." Start learning here.