New Pathways
Helping learners experience success in what’s next.
The #NewPathways campaign is a road map for American schools, where every learner, regardless of zip code, is on a pathway to productive citizenship, high wage employment, economic mobility, and a purpose-driven life. It will also explore and guide leaders on the big advances of this decade — how access is expanded and personalized, how learning can be guided and supported, and how new capabilities are captured and communicated. When well implemented, these advances will unlock opportunities for all and narrow the equity gap.
You can engage with this ongoing campaign using #NewPathways or submit contributions to Editor using the writing submission form.
New Pathways Handbook
Over the last few years, we’ve shared hundreds of pathways stories through our blog, podcast, and various publications. To synthesize these key learnings, we compiled the New Pathways Handbook, a great jumping-off point to our numerous resources and launchpad for getting started with pathways.
Pathways Resources
A New Education Architecture: New Goals, Learning Experiences and Signals
This paper describes a policy opportunity in three interlocking areas:
- New goals for learners,
- New learning experiences aligned with those goals, and
- New signals that track progress and mastery of those goals
State-Level Guidance for Unbundled Learning
Type: Publication
Every learner deserves an unlimited number of unbundled opportunities to explore, engage, and define experiences that advance their progress along a co-designed educational pathway. Each pathway provides equitable and personalized access to stacked learning experiences leading to post-secondary credentials and secure family-sustaining employment. This vision is only enabled by an unbundled learning ecosystem.
Expanding Access, Value and Experiences Through Credentialing
Type: Publication
In an era where skills and competencies are at the forefront of educational success, the transition from traditional transcripts to Learning and Employment Records (LERs) is pivotal. This analysis provides key insights and practical frameworks to help educational institutions and organizations implement equitable and transparent credentialing systems.
New Pathways Handbook
Type: Publication
Over the last few years, we’ve shared hundreds of pathways stories through our blog, podcast, and various publications. To synthesize these key learnings, we compiled the New Pathways Handbook, a great jumping-off point to our numerous resources and launchpad for getting started with pathways.
The Portrait Model
A “Portrait” framework helps leaders implement a new collective re-design vision. This publication highlights the “how” and the “why” of five interconnected and dynamic portraits: the Portrait of a Learner, the Portrait of a System, the Portrait of a Leader, the Portrait of an Educator and a Self-Portrait.
Unbundled Learning
Type: Publication
Every learner deserves an unlimited number of unbundled opportunities to explore, engage, and define experiences that advance their progress along a co-designed educational pathway. Each pathway provides equitable and personalized access to stacked learning experiences leading to post-secondary credentials and secure family-sustaining employment. This vision is only enabled by an unbundled learning ecosystem.
Support & Guidance
Type: Publication
With Support and Guidance, strong advisory systems build purpose, help learners explore careers, build their social capital and skyrockets their potential. Strong Support and Guidance systems are critical for learners to increase their agency and sense of belonging. This publication highlights models and exemplars of robust advisory.
Green Pathways
Type: Publication
Climate change and massive funding support has created new demand for rapid infrastructure building and greening our economy. This publication focuses on identifying the many opportunities for developing a purpose-driven and skillful workforce via Green Pathways.
The goal of Green Pathways is to generate quality jobs, which will happen through the introduction and nurturing of green skills.
Credentialing for All
Type: Publication
This publication answers the “how,” “what,” “why,” and “who” of credentialing learning experiences. Through video, diagrams and countless examples, we explore what an education system that empowers learners with transparent, portable learner records could look like and addresses the many benefits of a credentialed approach.
Experiencing Success In What’s Next: The Six Pillars
On this Getting Smart Town Hall, we covered the six pillars of New Pathways, overviewing what they mean, why they are important and invited our friends at ASA to contribute their thoughts on the subject.
New Pathways: Personalized Journeys for All Learners
On this Getting Smart Town Hall, we highlighted some exceptional examples of Pathways work and invited some guests on to share some of their successes in advisory, pathways curriculum and more.
New Learning Models
How might we combine accelerated skill development with project-based and work-based learning?
Support & Guidance
How might we create safe places that equip learners to fully express themselves with confidence?
Policies & Systems
How might pathway options be supported by systems to create a strong foundation for equitable learning models?
Design Principles
Intentional
Every learner has a right to an intentional journey and pathway.
Equitable
Every learner has the right to access powerful learning experiences that work for them.
Curation
Every learner has the right to curate their own learning experience through design, authorship and ownership.
Purpose
Every learner has a right to find purpose and impact in their learning journey.
Equity & Access
Don Haddad on Creating a Responsive School System
New Pathways
Town Hall: Public Microschools
New Pathways
Jamie Merisotis on Human Work in the Age of AI
New Pathways
