Italy's Slow Food Movement started as a local reaction to the country's first McDonald's and ballooned into a global phenomenon over the ensuing decades. The story of this work offers a unique contrast to our tendency toward education programs and initiatives that prioritize "faster learning." In my latest blog post, I explore the Slow Food Movement and how School Redesign might be the equivalent countermovement we need now more than ever in education. Check out the full blog here and let me know what you think!
Together in Collaboration,
SAYING NO TO THE STATUS QUO
When Escondido Union School District returned to in-person learning in October 2020, Superintendent Dr. Luis Ibarra asked his team whether they were headed back to the same status quo, or whether this was their chance to build something better. Once he actually said it out loud, the answer was obvious. It was time for something different.
That collective agreement set a multi-year School Redesign journey in motion across all 23 of the district's schools, impacting more than 1,200 staff, and over 14,000 learners. As partners in this redesign work, Learner-Centered Collaborative watched EUSD build this with intention using a phased, cohort-based approach that let school leaders bring their teams along at a pace that actually built buy-in instead of compliance.
That patience is showing up in the numbers. On a recent culture and climate survey, EUSD's redesign middle schools outperformed their non-redesign peers across five measures, including connectedness and academic motivation, both leading indicators of achievement. The work has also caught attention well beyond Escondido. The California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) selected EUSD's Hidden Valley Middle School as a demonstration site for its Secondary School Redesign Pilot Program, which is now heading into its second year.
Earlier this summer, we published the full Escondido story, from Dr. Ibarra's catalyzing question all the way through what it's meant for teachers, students, and parents across the district. Read it here. And if your district is ready to embark on a similar redesign journey, let's find a time to connect.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Our Mission: Redesign the Future of Public Education
July 20th was the Learner-Centered Collaborative's five-year anniversary. With it has come many reflections on the deep partnerships we've engaged in, the cross-cutting networks we've woven together, and resources we've developed for the learner-centered field.
Through it all, we've remain committed to our founding vision to see education ecosystems where every learner knows who they are, thrives in community, and actively engages in the world as their best selves. As we grow and evolve, we've refined our day-to-day mission. Learn more about that shift here!
MAKING AN IMPACT
Monthly highlights from our partner leads
"The Team at Kanuikapono Public Charter School kicked off their back-to-school PD with two days focused on integrating their Portrait of a Learner and learning model into their teaching, learning, and assessment. This K-12 team planned to integrate their first shared outcome for the year (Effective Communicator), engaged in protocols to build their collaborative practice, and used a customized AI tool to design projects based in Hawaiian language, culture, and values." ~Meg Parry
"Educators at Santa Paula USD came together to learn, collaborate, and design meaningful project-based learning experiences grounded in community connections and learner outcomes. Through authentic PBL experiences, deep reflection, and the use of learner-centered tools and strategies, participants strengthened their understanding of high-quality PBL and left with projects ready to carry forward into their learning communities." ~Holly Stipe
"Educators from Maple High School in Lompoc Unified School District came together for Day 1 of their Innovation Cohort. The group experienced and reflected on learner-centered strategies and elements of project-based learning. They then applied that learning individually and in teaching teams to leverage Inkwire in their PBL planning for the 26-27 school year." ~Danny Scuderi
Celebrating learner-centered leaders doing transformational work
This month, we are honored to recognize Dr. David Moore, Superintendent of Coalinga-Huron Unified School District, as our Catalyzer of the Month! By forming and empowering a nearly 100-person Guiding Coalition (including learners, teachers, parents, and even the mayor) to co-create the CHUSD Framework for the Future, Dr. Moore is ensuring that those closest to the work are contributing their experiences, hopes, and talents to a bold strategic plan.
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