Esteemed Colleague,

I've written a few pieces recently on the need for local, district-owned research and development. What I have failed to mention in those pieces, however, is the need for evaluation to be intertwined with R&D. If these two things remain separated, we will fall short of the learner-centered visions we have for our communities. This month, I aim to clearly spell out the role each of these three pieces plays at the district level and what happens when they are connected. Check it out here.

Together in Collaboration,

During the last week of April, I had the pleasure of attending two incredible events for our regional School Redesign cohorts. The first was a Community of Practice call that explored assessment onramps, featuring a special panel with leaders from SEEQS, Bostonia Global, and Chico Country Day School (more on that work here).

The second was an in-person Pitch Day for the Southern California Microschool Network. This event was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when educators are given the space to design with purpose, and when schools are given district-level support to imagine new possibilities for how learning takes shape in their communities.

Six school teams across five districts pitched their microschool frameworks on April 30th, 2026 (click here to enlarge the photo)

Both workstreams are a reminder of what becomes possible when school communities co-create a clear identity and work on Big Moves within the five School Design structures—structures we have identified from visiting and working with more than 100 diverse schools across the country.

For a deep-dive look at how the School Redesign journey might take shape, we'll be releasing a rich story from our multi-year work with Escondido Union School District. In it, you'll hear from administrators, building leaders, classroom teachers, and parents. Sign up here to receive the story as soon as it goes live.

In the meantime, as the academic year winds down, if you are ready to begin your School Redesign journey, let's set up a time to connect!

Webinar: See Learning Come Alive

May 19, 12-1pm PT

Exhibitions of learning are one of the most powerful ways to witness student growth, but they can be hard to imagine until you see one for yourself. In this unique one-hour webinar, you’ll experience a student exhibition of learning firsthand, featuring learners from across the Learner-Centered Collaborative national partner network. Students will share authentic learning stories that illuminate their local Portrait of a Learner outcomes—from self-direction and collaboration to curiosity and critical thinking.

"The Mesa Linda Middle School Redesign Team in Adelanto, CA, exemplified collaboration and distributed leadership as they identified the four Big Moves they are aiming to achieve over the next 3-5 years. Teams worked together to identify the ideal week in the life of a student, the experiences and small learning communities for learners and educators that will be part of that vision, and they began planning the incremental steps to get there, beginning with getting more feedback from the Mesa Linda community on their latest planning." ~Danny Scuderi

"Educators and leaders at Wiseburn Unified met for day two of our teacher evaluation redesign team. They integrated their research and learning into a new version of the growth and evaluation philosophy and key milestones. They also began to craft a shared vision for teaching and learning, anchored in the CSTP standards but driven by their own passions and experiences!" ~Kate Weisberg

"The Guiding Coalition in Bellflower had another strong session! The group was engaged and made major progress, including bringing the mission, vision, and values to life; advancing the Portrait of a Learner and Learning Model; and developing a draft of the Blueprint for Success. Grounded in Turning to One Another by Margaret Wheatley, we continued pushing toward what’s possible together as a community." ~Kelly Williams

LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW WE SUPPORT SCHOOL & DISTRICT PARTNERS

This month, we are honored to recognize Maggie Mabery, Executive Director of Educational Services at Wiseburn Unified, as our Catalyzer of the Month!  Maggie Mabery is the driving force behind Wiseburn’s bold shift toward competency-based teaching, learning, and assessment practices. Empowering educators to take ownership of this transformation, she is cultivating a culture where educators feel confident, supported, and invested in reimagining what growth looks like and how it is measured.

Learn more about Maggie's impact and leadership here.