As we count down the days until 2026, I'm excited to share Learner-Centered Collaborative's top resources from 2025!
Explore them now or bookmark them for later, and let us know what new ideas and questions show up for you along the way ☺️.
Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season.
With Gratitude,
BLOGS
📖 5(ish)-minute reads for those in-between moments
FEATURED ARTICLE: Rethinking Time in Schools (4-minute read)
"By prioritizing connection in small learning communities, real-world application of learning, and personalization, schools can create environments where students are engaged and empowered to lead their own learning journeys." ~Katie Martin
How Unit Design PD Brings Our Learner Profile to Life (6-minute read)
"In a Unit Design session, you’ll see and hear laughter, dialogue, markers scribbling across whiteboards, slides coming together, and the unmistakable buzz of creative energy." ~Chad Mabery
Can Regional Innovation Hubs Create a More Promising Future for K-12 Education? (6-minute read)
"Regional ecosystems offer the ideal scale for experimentation and evolution. They’re big enough to impact systems, small enough to build trust, and flexible enough to adapt to context."
Passion Projects as a Tool for Real-World Learning (5-minute read)
"School wasn’t just something he had to do; it was something he wanted to do. His passion project transformed learning from something assigned to something owned." ~Kelly Williams
AI as my Teaching Assistant: Tools, Strategies, and Lessons Learned (8-minute read)
"The world around our schools is evolving to integrate AI into many tasks and careers, and we need to help our students prepare for this new world." ~Shannon Roos
PUBLICATIONS & TOOLS
Deep dives into the why, what, and how of learner-centered practices
FEATURED PUBLICATION: A Learner-Centered Ecosystem by Katie Martin (access here)
Through thoughtful collaboration, research-informed design, and relentless focus on what learners need to thrive, the LCC team has created a model that empowers educators and communities to bring a shared vision for learning to life.
This Playbook is written for school and district leaders and innovative educators who want to reimagine what school looks like in service of a vision for learning that empowers every learner to know who they are, thrive in community, and engage in the world as their best selves.
Trained with the Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework from America Succeeds and learner-centered strategies from Learner-Centered Collaborative, this powerful tool supports you in designing learner-centered experiences in your classroom.
Case Studies Highlighting AI in Service of Learner-Centered Classrooms (access here)
AI holds promise as a tool that can support the creation of education ecosystems where learners know who they are, thrive in community, and actively engage in the world as their best selves. This publication explores specific, successful, learner-centered uses of AI in K-12 education that can be utilized as a model for schools as we enter a new era of technology.
This resource illuminates what is often a black box – how schools and districts are shifting away from traditional grading practices to ones that better align with and support learner-centered, competency-based education.
PODCAST EPISODES
Giving voice to learner-centered educators from across the country
FEATURED EPISODE: Leading Together—Co-Leadership, Trust, and Redesign (with Devin Vodicka) (listen here)
Together, Katie and Devin reflect on signals of change—from eroding public trust to the rise of AI—and share optimism about opportunities to redesign systems in more learner-centered, human-focused ways.
Rethinking High School with AI and Human Connection (with Lexi and Reese) (listen here)
Katie speaks with high school seniors Lexi and Reese from Avonworth High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Katie first met the students during a school visit and was so inspired by their research on AI and human flourishing that she invited them to share more. Their reflections offer a powerful example of what’s possible in learner-centered environments.
The Case for Learner-Centered, Universally Designed Classrooms (with Katie Novak) (listen here)
Katie is joined by Dr. Katie Novak, founder and CEO of Novak Educational Consulting and a nationally recognized expert on Universal Design for Learning (UDL), inclusive practices, and multi-tiered systems of support. Their conversation offers a dynamic blend of personal storytelling, tangible strategies, and systems-level thinking, all aimed at building more accessible, equitable, and empowering learning environments.
WEBINARS
Sharing the on-the-ground work in learner-centered communities
FEATURED WEBINAR: How Districts Are Making Big Moves to Create Learner-Centered Systems (watch here)
Dr. Jackie Removcik from Hampton Township School District (PA) and Alison Fieberg from Del Mar Union School District (CA), share how their districts are making bold, learner-centered shifts through distributed leadership, clarity of vision, and intentional system redesign. Both districts highlight how whole-learner outcomes, strategic coherence, and empowered educators are helping transform teaching, learning, and school culture.
Reimagining Education Through Innovative School Design (watch here)
Dr. Bryanna Norton, Principal of Hidden Valley Middle School, and North Broadway Elementary teachers, Gina Matthew and Katie Taylor share the transformative process of school redesign to foster learner-centered practices. The discussion highlights how strategic design choices, distributed leadership, and project-based learning can reshape educational ecosystems, emphasizing real-world engagement and student agency.
How to Leverage AI in Your Learner-Centered Classroom (watch here)
In this webinar, Cherry Moore from Escondido Union School District and Shannon Roos from Hampton Township School District share how they are leveraging AI to supercharge learner-centered classrooms. With perspectives as both a principal and district leader and a teacher/coach, they illustrate how AI can serve as a thought partner for educators and students while staying grounded in whole-learner outcomes.
