October 1, 2026

Dear Educator,

One of the hardest things about leading meaningful change is that we don’t get to stop running the current system while we build a better one.

Students still show up tomorrow. Teachers still need support. Buses have to run, schedules have to work, families need communication, and learning needs to happen. We have a responsibility to maintain and continually improve the system learners depend on today.

And at the same time, we know that maintaining the current system isn’t enough.

The world is changing. What young people need is changing. Our understanding of learning is changing. If all of our energy goes toward making the existing system run more efficiently, we may get better at operating a model that no longer produces the outcomes we want.

So leaders have to do both: maintain the present while building the future. Learn more in my latest blog on Why School Systems Need Embedded R&D to Evolve.

With Gratitude,

Embedded R&D at Escondido USD

We are seeing this come to life in Escondido Union School District (see the full case study), where school redesign is happening through an embedded R&D approach.

Rather than attempting to redesign every school at once, EUSD began with an initial cohort of schools that had the space to explore what learner-centered education could look like in their own contexts.

At North Broadway Elementary (hear from their leaders), declining enrollment became an opportunity to rethink the identity and experience of the school. The community built on one of its greatest assets—its outdoor environment, known as “The Ranch”—and began testing new structures.

They created multi-grade “Round Ups,” where students build relationships with the same advisor and peers across multiple years. They launched monthly “Ranch Days,” giving learners choice-based opportunities to explore interests and resulting in 50 new learning experiences in the first year. And they developed six strategic teams so educators could share ownership for continuing to design and improve the school.

They didn’t have to wait for the entire district to change before trying something different.

And the district didn’t have to disrupt every school simultaneously to begin building something new.

Instead, they created an on-ramp for innovation: a place to test ideas in a real school, learn alongside educators and learners, gather evidence, and use those lessons to inform what comes next. As the work continues, additional cohorts of schools are entering the redesign process, while communities of practice help learning travel across the district.

That is the power of system-embedded R&D.

Building the future doesn’t require abandoning the present. It requires creating intentional spaces within our systems where the future can be designed, tested, and strengthened—and then using what we learn to evolve the system itself.

The goal isn’t innovation for innovation’s sake. It is building the capacity of our public education systems to continually learn and evolve so they can better serve every learner—today and tomorrow.

Interested in creating a system where you can manage the present while building the future? Learn how Learner-Centered Collaborative might support your school or district in doing just that by connecting with our team here.

Meaningful change is rarely the work of one person. Whether you’re redesigning a school, launching a new program, building a Portrait of a Learner, or setting a strategic direction, the people at the table shape what’s possible.

Our free interactive Design Team Tool helps you put together a team that reflects your whole community, from leaders, educators, and learners to families, staff, and community partners. Together, they’ll serve as vision-shapers, co-designers, testers, and trust-builders throughout the process. In a few minutes, you’ll have a draft team and a roadmap for your planning process.

Resources to advance your learner-centered practice

📖 Why School Systems Need Embedded R&D to Evolve. "System-embedded R&D gives us the structure, discipline, and shared learning we need to make learner-centered possibilities real within our public school system." Start evolving.

📖 Connecting Research, Development, and Evaluation in District Systems. "If we are serious about redesigning education to better serve all learners, we must be willing to engage in thoughtful, evidence-informed development and to evaluate our efforts with a focus on learning and improvement, not judgment." See how it all connects.

🎙️ What Makes a Great Principal (with George Couros). "George Couros, an innovative teaching, learning, and leadership expert, shares his insights on what makes a great principal. The discussion revolves around the five key pillars outlined in his book What Makes a Great Principal, co-authored with Allyson Apsey." Listen to this episode.