Archive

component:what.learner-portraits

Three students collaborating outdoors on a map project, representing innovative learner-centered microschool education.

Planning | Understanding State and School System Conditions

Mason Pashia

Apr 25, 2025

Launching a microschool within a public school system requires a clear understanding of state and system policy conditions and the flexibilities or barriers they create.

Students working independently at a shared table covered with open textbooks and worksheets in a classroom setting.

Schools Worth Visiting

Customizing Innovative Practices at Pinnacles Prep

Rebecca Midles

Feb 14, 2025

Discover how Pinnacles Prep fosters personalized learning through innovative strategies and inclusive environments.

Glowing "2024" numerals silhouetted against a dramatic sunset with radiant light beams over a reflective landscape

Future of Learning

Getting Smart’s Best of 2024

Mason Pashia

Dec 20, 2024

As the sun sets on 2024, we take a look at our most popular content from the year.

Student painting a cardboard box with dark red and yellow colors in an art classroom workshop setting.

Leadership

Getting Started with a Learner-Driven Classroom: A Guide for Educators

Guest Author

Dec 13, 2024

Explore learner-driven classrooms in Ohio focusing on student agency, engagement, goal setting, and personalized learning strategies.

Diverse community members collaborating—farming, sharing food, cycling, and handshaking—symbolizing interconnected civic partnership

Ed Policy

To Fully Realize Horizon Three, We Need New Accountability Systems

Guest Author

Nov 26, 2024

Redesigning education requires new accountability systems that promote equity, innovation, and local involvement, emphasizing reciprocal accountability.

Vibrant split illustration showing community members collaborating at a table and innovators brainstorming beneath a glowing lightbulb

Future of Learning

One Goal, Two Journeys: The Role of Community and Workforce in Defining Graduate

Guest Author

Nov 7, 2024

America’s education system was a groundbreaking effort to help a growing nation thrive in the 19th century. Now, 200 years later, the world has changed; the horizon looks drastically different. Collectively, we need to redesign our education system to enable all of our children — and, by extension, our…

Three diverse students laughing and collaborating on a hands-on tech project at a SparkNC learning space.

Competency-Based Education

First-Year Insights into Building a Truly Learner-Centered Approach with SparkNC

Guest Author

Oct 25, 2024

SparkNC offers a learner-centered, competency-based education in high-tech fields across North Carolina, empowering students with flexible, industry-relevant learning experiences.

Comic-style triptych of diverse students engaged in technology, focused study, and outdoor learning

Future of Learning

Igniting the Flame: How Motivation Catalyzes Student Potential in Horizon 3 Education

Guest Author

Oct 24, 2024

Leadership

Nevada’s State Portrait of a Learner

Victoria Andrews

Oct 9, 2024

Nevada's Portrait of a Learner uses shared values to prepare youth for the future, emphasizing community, autonomy, and essential life skills.

Diverse teens collaborating on an architectural blueprint outdoors, sketching and reviewing plans together

Learning Design

Centering Learners by Design: Shaping the Future of Education

Katie Martin, Devin Vodicka

Oct 3, 2024

Discover how innovative, learner-centered designs are transforming education to better prepare students for the future.

	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