Learning Design

This topic covers topics from school and system design to the science of learning.

EdTech

Beyond the Classroom Walls: What Research Says About Virtual Field Trips

Guest Author

Jul 28, 2026

Ed Policy

When Scale Gets Ahead of Learning

Rebecca Midles

Jul 6, 2026

Learner-Centered

A Hopeful Vision For Better-Designed Schools

Guest Author

Apr 23, 2026

Ed Policy

America is Updating Teaching Standards Without a Clear Picture of the Future Educator

Guest Author

Apr 23, 2026

Career & Technical Ed

In Kansas City, Real World Learning Finds Champions on Both Sides of the State Line

Guest Author

Apr 21, 2026

Jennifer Light smiling outdoors with a city skyline and river in the background, featured in a conversation graphic.

Leadership

Democracy in Miniature: Youth Agency and Junior Republics | A Conversation with Jennifer Light

Mason Pashia, Guest Author

Mar 16, 2026

Subscribe to Our Podcast

This podcast highlights developing trends in K-12 education, postsecondary and lifelong learning. Each week, Getting Smart team members interview students, leading authors, experts and practitioners in research, tech, entrepreneurship and leadership to bring listeners innovative and actionable strategies in education leadership.

View Series

Find us on:

apple spotify stitcher

Three students taking notes on clipboards while closely examining a wooden mechanical model at a STEM exhibit.

Learning Design

Why the Best STEM Lessons Start with Struggle

Guest Author

Mar 9, 2026

Productive struggle boosts STEM engagement—start with a challenge, normalize failure, and coach students through iteration.

Woman in navy blazer walking purposefully across open white space, casting a long shadow beside her

Leadership

The Cost of Innovation: Why True Transformation Requires A Season of Grief

Guest Author

Mar 3, 2026

Innovation in education requires grief work—letting go of old models and identity to lead real transformation.

Flower diagram showing "The CHOICE: Critically Human Skills" with Integrity, Compassion, and Agency at center, surrounded by six overlapping circles.

Learning Design

The CHOICE We Make: The Critically Human Skills That Define Our Future

Nate McClennen, Guest Author

Feb 5, 2026

Explore the CHOICE framework for critically human skills and redefine education to foster agency, compassion, and integrity in an AI-driven world.

Classroom ceiling tiles printed with a forest canopy photo, creating a nature-immersive learning environment

Learning Design

What If You Could Bring the Restorative Benefits of Nature Indoors?

Guest Author

Jan 30, 2026

By: Ernesto Rodriguez Imagine walking into a classroom where the ceiling stretches into a forest canopy—sunlight filtering through leaves, branches arching overhead, the entire room calm. Students relax. Teachers feel the space working with them. This is the everyday reality for schools implementing Nature In The Classroom, a biophilic…

	Beginning	Piloting	Implementing
From Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery	BeginningFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Beginning	PilotingFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Piloting	ImplementingFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Implementing
From One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning	BeginningFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Beginning	PilotingFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Piloting	ImplementingFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Implementing
From Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry	BeginningFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Beginning	PilotingFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Piloting	ImplementingFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Implementing
From Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning	BeginningFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Beginning	PilotingFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Piloting	ImplementingFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Implementing
From Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities	BeginningFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Beginning	PilotingFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Piloting	ImplementingFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Implementing
From Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment	BeginningFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Beginning	PilotingFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Piloting	ImplementingFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Implementing
From Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets	BeginningFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Beginning	PilotingFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Piloting	ImplementingFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Implementing

Advocacy

Advisory

Topics

Recent Releases

Learning Design

Subscribe to Our Podcast

Find us on: