January 9, 2025

Dear Educator,

I hope this finds you safe from fire, ice, or whatever crazy weather is in your neighborhood this week. As we come back to school and dive into the new year, it’s a great time to recommit to your aspirations and focus on your goals. Many of you likely have a Portrait of a Learner or Graduate that defines the desired outcome for learners, and this week I want to share a practice that is easily replicable and can have a large impact.

With Gratitude,

Celebrating Portrait of a Learner Champions

Leading change can be challenging and school-level leadership plays a critical role in building learner-centered systems. Recently, Celeste Migliaccio from the Santa Ana USD team used a principal meeting to highlight five outstanding Portrait of a Graduate Champions, emphasizing the vital role principals play in driving transformative change. These leaders have been instrumental in helping their school communities embrace a shared vision for student success, aligning practices and initiatives to achieve meaningful outcomes.

During the presentation, Celeste celebrated specific bright spots from each leader, showcasing their impactful work and bringing visibility to their efforts. It was inspiring to see these educators recognized for their visionary leadership in uniting educators, students, and families to bring the Portrait of a Graduate to life and prepare learners for a thriving future.

Building on this momentum, these champions are now tasked with celebrating another leader at the next meeting. This practice not only honors school leaders but also encourages them to recognize and elevate effective practices among their peers—helping scale what works across the system.

In what ways does your learning community celebrate the daily bright spots that showcase how learner-centered practices are improving and evolving? Let us know by replying directly to this email :)

Measure what matters and tell a powerful story in your school or district

Our Scorecard Guide introduces a powerful tool for measuring and communicating educational progress beyond traditional metrics, aligned with whole-learner outcomes in a learner-centered paradigm. This guide provides a comprehensive framework for designing, implementing, and leveraging Scorecards to drive continuous improvement, engage stakeholders, and tell your school or district's unique story of success.

Resources to advance your learner-centered practice

📖 Reflecting on 2024: A Year of Partnership, Progress, and Possibility. "Together with our growing network of educators, schools, districts, and organizations, we have made remarkable strides toward learner-centered education and laid a strong foundation for the work ahead." Read more from Devin and Katie.

🎯 2024 Impact Report. "Our shared efforts have yielded powerful outcomes, with unmistakable impact evident in districts, schools, virtual environments, and research settings nationwide." Learn about our 2024 impact.

🎥 WEBINAR: Reimagining Education Through Innovative School Design. "We will meet leaders from Escondido Union School District who have been in the messy middle of design and will share their journey, lessons learned, and how they are leveraging Learner-Centered Collaborative’s School Design Elements to design the best schools for their community." Register here.

👩‍💻 Learner-Centered Foundations for Educators. "An introduction to learner-centered education, this course explores the evolving role of the educator and the mindsets and beliefs they need to create a learner-centered environment. It explores what a learner-centered environment looks like and how to take your next step in implementing learner-centered learning experiences." Start your journey here.