Building Community
How Does Student-Centered Learning Grow?
When educators design and create new schools, and live personalized learning themselves, they take the lead in growing student-centered learning across the nation. Other educators don’t simply follow and adopt; equitable, student-centered learning depends on personal and community agency—the will to own the change, fueled by the desire to learn from and with others. Networks and policy play important roles in enabling grassroots approaches to change.
How might student-centered learning become THE kind of learning that all students experience in school? This is a daunting challenge, no doubt. Because one of LEAP Innovation’s guiding principles is that educators should lead the transformation, engaging their local community in the process, we know this challenge won’t be solved through top-down mandates. It must emerge from the local story, drawing on the expertise of the people in each school and the community assets surrounding them.
The challenge of Building Community for student-centered learning hints at its own solution: educators connecting with other educators, creating local momentum that spreads quickly and widely through networks.
Since our founding, members of our community have told us that the greatest benefit of LEAP is each other. Through our networks and coalitions, they find inspirational mentors, creative problem-solvers, passionate learners, and supportive colleagues who make it possible to continue the hard work of creating and recreating a student-centered learning experience for their students.
Innovative educators are Building Community by opening their schools to visitors. They share their curriculum and tools as open resources. They create tech platforms and AI solutions to support their learning model and invite other schools to use the platform too. They actively contribute to improve learning for every student, everywhere.
Networks for Learning
In partnership with Curtis Ogden, FSG, Getting Smart, and Remake Learning, we launched Networks for Learning to generate a new, collective understanding about creating healthy, equitable connections for Building Community. Become inspired by the ideas and principles of network design in and outside of education, dive into curated resources from leaders of adult learning networks, read stories from your peers, and add your voice to this collective effort.
Take the LEAP: Get Involved
There are many ways to Build Your Community with LEAP and we can’t wait to connect with you!
Join the LEAP Innovations Accelerator, a cohort-based program to turn your school improvement plan and instructional priorities into meaningful change and scalable solutions.
Join a Coalition for Human-Centered AI in Education near you, work with us to bring one to your region, or sign up for our monthly AI in Education newsletter.
Attend a virtual or in-person event to connect with colleagues around a student-centered learning priority that matters to you.
Join our mailing list for updates, opportunities, stories of innovative practices, and more.
Contact us to learn about our offerings or engage our services.