April 24, 2025

Dear Educator,

As many of you know, Hawai’i holds a special place in my heart. It's where I started my teaching career and learned so much working with educators across the K-12 and university levels.

Over the past three years, I’ve had the privilege of partnering with inspiring charter school leaders across the islands in a powerful effort to measure what truly matters. Together, we’ve moved beyond conventional metrics to elevate a broader, richer picture of success—one that aligns with each school’s unique vision, mission, and values.

This week, I want to highlight some of that work and welcome any questions or wonderings that show up for you (reply directly to this email if you feel called to do so)!

With Gratitude,

Telling a Deeper Story of Impact

Traditional success measures often fail to reflect the full development of young learners, leading to a narrowing of curriculum and experience. This partnership with Hawaiian charter schools flipped that script.

By anchoring on whole learner outcomes (including knowledge, skills, and mindsets), cultural identity, well-being, and growth, we helped schools design and use clear success metrics and evidence that honor their vision for learners and their learning communities.

Here’s the powerful result: not only did schools see growth in these learner-centered domains, they also saw increases in math and reading achievement. Focusing on the whole child does not mean sacrificing academic growth—in fact, it amplifies it.

Through a multi-year process and a supportive community of practice, leaders developed the tools and confidence to tell a deeper story of impact. This story didn’t pit academics against soft skills or well-being—it put them on the same field. It showed how schools are developing learners who know who they are, thrive in community, and engage with the world as their best selves.

As we celebrated and reflected on the work, leaders described the experience as transformative. Here’s what they shared:

• Alignment Drives Impact: When academic outcomes are aligned with a school’s vision, mission, and meaningful performance assessments, deeper learning and student growth follow.
• Local Measures Matter: Developing school-specific metrics is not only possible—it’s powerful.
• Reclaiming What We Value: Many schools realized they weren’t measuring what they cared about most. This process helped redefine success and led to clearer, more authentic communication—internally and externally.
• Clarity for Educators: Engaging in this work deepened teachers’ understanding of why the work matters, increasing buy-in and motivation.
• Momentum + Readiness: The time is now. With momentum building, this work can inform and shape the future of local accountability

This work has shown what’s possible when you give schools the space, tools, and community to define and track what matters most.

How are you telling your story of impact? I’d love to hear what you’re learning and seeing in your community. Send a note my way by replying directly to this email!

A core part of our work in Hawai'i was developing Learner-Centered Scorecards that measure and communicate educational progress beyond traditional metrics. You can get started on this work in your community by exploring this comprehensive guide, which provides a four-step process for creating, implementing, and leveraging Scorecards to drive improvement, engage stakeholders, and showcase your school or district’s unique success story. Download the guide here.

Resources to advance your learner-centered practice

📖 NEW BLOG: From the Classroom to the Cosmos: Passion Projects as a Tool for Real-World Learning. "Owen's passion project wasn’t about memorizing facts from a textbook; it was about following his curiosity, uncovering new knowledge, and seeing himself as an astronaut in the making." Read more.

🛠️ CLASSROOM STRATEGY: Passion Projects. "Gain inspiration from authentic examples of how teachers like you are using Passion Projects with their learners." Explore these ideas.

👩‍💻 Use Assessment as a Tool for Learning Online Course. "Rethink the purpose of assessment and learn how to leverage a variety of formative assessment methods, including quantitative and qualitative data, to modify a student’s path, pace, or product and co-design personalized paths with learners." Start learning here.