February 27, 2025

Dear Educator,

Last week, I shared about the power of school visits to see new and different practices. This week, I want to dive deeper into one of the core practices we experienced that created student ownership and buy-in at an elementary school.

Sitting next to students from 5 to 12 years old who can articulate their strengths, where they are in their learning, and what their goals are is a game changer and my Bright Spot this week.

With Gratitude,

Student-Led Conferences at Conway Elementary

At Conway Elementary School, student-led conferences are redefining family engagement by placing students at the center of conversations about their learning. Instead of the traditional parent-teacher conference format, students take the lead in discussing their progress, strengths, and areas for growth.

During these conferences, students present their work, reflect on their learning, and set goals for the future. Teachers provide guidance and structure, but the responsibility for sharing and explaining their progress rests with the students. This approach fosters a sense of ownership and encourages self-reflection.

We had the opportunity to sit with students as they shared their portfolios and talked about what they were learning. The team was amazed at how well students could communicate and engage in meaningful conversation. I got to talk to Gio, a kindergartner who shared all the shapes and sounds he knew. He was so proud of his growth! Others commented on the depth of understanding and ownership they observed as well.

These conferences create meaningful opportunities for students to articulate their achievements and challenges, strengthening the connection between school and home. By prioritizing student agency, Conway Elementary is reinforcing key skills like self-awareness, confidence, and accountability.

Through this approach, Conway Elementary is demonstrating the impact of learner-centered education—empowering students to actively engage in and lead their own learning.

How are learners empowered to lead their learning in your community? I’d love to hear your story!

Activating the School Design process is a natural next step after a district establishes its Framework for the Future. In Escondido Union School District, they have created School Design Teams at each site to bring their district's learner-centered vision to life. Each school starts by establishing a Clear Identity and then explores how they can embed Small Learning Communities, Real-World Learning, Performance Assessment of Whole Learner Outcomes, Distributed Leadership, and Teacher Collaboration in their everyday systems and structures. Discover how each of these elements is showing up at their pilot schools.

Resources to advance your learner-centered practice

🎙️ Innovative Paths: Redefining School and Community Collaboration with Dr. Justin Terry. "Dr. Justin Terry, Superintendent of Forney ISD, joins Katie Martin to discuss the power of learner-centered education, innovative leadership, and the transformation of public schools into community-driven hubs of learning." Tune-in.

👩‍💻 Learner-Centered AI. "Artificial Intelligence can support your transition to providing learner-centered experiences students. That's why we created a course to 1) increase your knowledge and understanding of AI and 2) spark inspiration and show real-world application of how AI is changing the game for learner-centered educators across the country." Begin your AI journey here.

🛠️ When to Leverage AI Cheatsheet. "This tool guides education practitioners and leaders to evaluate which tasks can best harness the power of AI, which are best left to be done by humans, and everything in between." Access the tool.