Esteemed Colleague,

In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, district leaders face the dual challenge of retaining top talent and ensuring effective leadership succession. I took on this challenge as a Curriculum Director. Hired in July and in need of putting on a multi-day professional development program in August, I managed to design one of the least learner-centered experiences of my career.

Fortunately, thanks to the grace and skill of many teachers throughout the district, we were able to right the ship and develop a well-structured internal pipeline that equipped educators with the skills and opportunities necessary to advance within. Let's look at this example and how we might cultivate homegrown talent no matter our context.

With anticipation for our shared journey,

Events & Webinars

WEBINAR: Creating Coherence and Aligning Systems Towards a Learner-Centered Vision (register here)

October 22, 2024, 12pm-1pm PT | Virtual

UCSD + LCC Research Convening (get involved)

October 24, 2024 | San Diego, CA

JOIN US AT OUR NEXT EVENT

Connections

Fall Gathering: District and Industry Visits

October 1 - 3, 2024 | Encinitas, CA

District leaders from across the country come together this week for the first in-person convening of our 2024/25 Connections Cohort. Together, we are exploring the learner-centered work happening throughout Encinitas USD, including their innovative Farm Lab, and connect these lessons with local industry by visiting STEM Aviation Academy.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CONNECTIONS

"Santa Ana USD Innovation Design Cohort came together to anchor their work in the Framework for the Future and connect personally to it through sharing their stories of self and us. This team is essential to bringing the framework and their graduate profile to life." ~Zoë Randall

"A cross-functional team met to continue redesigning D11's Summer Bridge Program. They created personas to empathize with all of the students, families, and staff they interviewed, and they went WIDE with ideation and generated some fantastic, fresh, and exciting ideas." ~Kate Weisberg

"We spent two days with Lindsay USD new teacher residents and their mentors launching our yearlong Learner-Centered Innovation Cohort. Together, we got grounded in learner-centered practices to drive their goals and choose strategies to impact learners. We can’t wait to see what they do and learn over the next month!" ~Katie Martin

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PARTNERSHIPS

The Evidence Behind Project-Based Learning

Project-based learning provides an opportunity to move from "learning for a grade" to "learning for a real-world purpose." It's a core implementation strategy for bringing authentic learning to life. Check out two robust studies below to see the impact PBL might have in your district!

Knowledge in Action: Efficacy Study Over Two Years (review the research)

"The Knowledge In Action intervention supports are course-specific, designed to align to the College Board’s course curriculum frameworks for AP U.S. Government and AP Environmental Science...Under optimal conditions of teacher support, the Year One pattern of results suggests a positive KIA impact on students’
propensity to earn qualifying scores on AP examinations and underlying continuous AP scores. At the end of the first year, we observed positive results both within each course and pooled across courses. The pattern also was positive within respective groups of students from lower- and higher-income households; in districts serving a majority of students from lower-income households; in districts serving a majority of students from higher-income households; and within each of the five participating districts. Thus, one subgroup of students did not drive overall results." ~Anna Rosefsky Saavedra, Principal Investigator

Assessing the Effect of ML-PBL Curriculum (access the study here)

"These results suggest that the ML-PBL curriculum, by making use of the principles of PBL and 3-dimensional learning, can bring about a meaningful and effective transformation in the way science is taught and learned in elementary school. All learners become equipped with scientific ideas and practices to make decisions, solve problems, and learn independently." ~The ML-PBL Team

Introduction to Project-Based Learning

This research and other real-world examples of implementation and impact from our school and district partners informed the design of our Project-Based Learning online course. This course is for educators who are interested in making learning more authentic and personalized with their learners.

Dr. Holly McClurg, Superintendent of Del Mar Union School District, is leading with vision and determination through the district’s ambitious Destination 2028 plan. As a true catalyzer for change, Dr. McClurg has focused on engaging the entire community—educators, families, and students alike—in a deeply collaborative planning and implementation process. Learn more about Dr. McClurg and Del Mar's learner-centered work.