Posts by Guest Author
Exploring Policy From the Ground Up: Illuminations from the Da Vinci Network
What does it look like when a school is genuinely designed around the lives learners are living, not the regulations they must comply with? In this new piece from Sarah Bishop-Root and Lindsy Ogawa, the Da Vinci Schools network in California shows how policy can be a tool for possibility and a source of fragility at the same time. Through the story of Da Vinci RISE and its students, this piece offers education leaders a grounded, human-centered lens for understanding the gap between what our best schools are trying to do and what our systems are designed to support.
The Microschool Mindset: Why Small Thinking Is the Biggest Shift in Education
What if the most transformative idea in education right now has nothing to do with how big your school is? In this piece, George Philhower, superintendent at Eastern Hancock Schools and co-founder of the Indiana Microschool Collaborative, makes the case that the microschool mindset is a philosophy any school can adopt. From grading practices to flexible pathways to joy as a design principle, this is a grounded, visionary read for every leader asking what school could look like if we built it around learners instead of legacy systems.
How the PAST Foundation Turned Real-World Problems Into a Learning Ecosystem
What does it look like when a foundation built by a field scientist becomes the connective tissue of an entire regional learning ecosystem? The PAST Foundation's story, told through 25 years of timeline milestones and student voices, offers education leaders a concrete model for weaving together schools, industry, community, and out-of-school time into something greater than any single program. From portable STEM labs to microschool pathways co-launched with universities and industry partners, PAST demonstrates how systemic change begins with a commitment to learning that is rooted in real work and real relationships. This is essential reading for leaders ready to move from coordination to transformation.
Beyond the Classroom Walls: What Research Says About Virtual Field Trips
Field trips have always been more than a day away from desks. They are the moments students remember, the experiences that build empathy and ignite curiosity. A new Getting Smart post examines what the research says about virtual field trips and offers a classroom-ready framework that helps educators design experiences worthy of that same legacy. For leaders looking to expand access and deepen engagement without waiting for a bus, this is a practical and visionary read.
How Student Feedback Shaped New Features for English Language Learners in Math
What happens when you build EdTech features by actually listening to students? Kyron Learning partnered with the AIMS Collaboratory and the Gates Foundation to study motivation and engagement among English language learners in middle school math, and the findings drove real product changes. This piece traces how closed captioning, highlighted transcripts, and clickable definitions emerged from classroom observation rather than assumption, offering a model for what participant-driven, learner-centered product development can look like at its best.
Steward Stories: Spotlight on Providence After School Alliance
What does it look like when a city becomes a learning campus? The Providence After School Alliance spent two decades answering that question, aligning schools, city agencies, and community organizations so young people could access high-quality learning far beyond the school day. This Steward Story traces PASA's evolution from a bold response to a local crisis into a nationally recognized model for ecosystem building, credit-bearing out-of-school learning, and the kind of coordination that outlasts leadership transitions. For education leaders navigating fragmented systems, PASA's journey is both a blueprint and a call to action.
Steward Stories: How Heart of Oregon Corps Turns Service into Careers
What does it look like when three community believers spend 25 years refusing to give up on young people? Heart of Oregon Corps has built a tri-county workforce and learning ecosystem that connects youth facing the greatest barriers to paid work, credentials, and real careers. This Steward Stories spotlight examines the trust, time, and relentless community-braiding that make HOC a model for ecosystem intermediaries everywhere. Education leaders will find transferable lessons in partnership design, sustainable funding, and what it means to build pathways that dignify rather than sort.
He Showed Me What One Person Could Do: A Tribute to Jon Ketler
When Jon Ketler, founder of the Tacoma School of the Arts, passed away recently, Getting Smart contributor Chris Unger sat down to capture what made him extraordinary. This tribute is more than a remembrance. It is a masterclass in what visionary school design actually looks like when one person decides to stop waiting for permission and start building. Education leaders who have ever wondered whether a single individual can change a system will find both proof and inspiration here.
What Ecosystem Stewards Know That System Leaders Don’t — Yet
What does it actually take to steward a learning ecosystem, and how is that different from leading a system? Karen Pittman and Merita Irby spent a year inside four community intermediaries, including CommunityShare, the PAST Foundation, and Heart of Oregon Corps, and surfaced three prerequisites that change everything: trust, time, and idea translation. This post is essential reading for any leader working to connect education, youth development, and workforce systems into something greater than the sum of their parts.
Great Partnerships Are Like Gumbo, Not Fast Food
What does sustainable school improvement actually look like in a large, high-need district? In this piece, researchers and practitioners from East Baton Rouge Parish Schools share how a three-year research-practice partnership, built on shared values, rigorous evidence, and relational trust, moved the needle on math learning for more than 38,000 students. It is a model worth studying for any district leader tired of one-and-done professional development and ready to build something that lasts.