Extraordinary Learning for All

Proven methods, hard-won lessons, and practical tools to create a better future of education Extraordinary Learning for All: How Communities Design Schools Where Everyone Thrives delivers a hopeful, humane, realistic, and compelling portrait for how we must reinvent schooling for a new century, drawing on the voices and experiences of real school communities who are on that journey and illuminating the specific actions that school and system leaders can take to spark these journeys in their communities. The frameworks, concepts, and stories in this book, emanating from direct, in-the-trenches partnerships with innovators on the ground, show, in genuine detail, what makes this work hard—but also what makes it possible. Written by the co-founders and Chief Learning Officer of Transcend, a leading nonprofit in school innovation, this book provides solutions to the major problems we face in education, including approaches that: Reverse declining enrollment rates and chronic truancy, especially in large urban districts, through better student engagement Mitigate our national mental health crisis through school designs that address higher-than-ever-rates of boredom, stress, and chronic anxiety Engage and collaborate with parents and communities to improve local schools Uplift the voices and expertise of teachers, 300,000 of whom left the profession between 2020-2022 For educational leaders in communities of all shapes and sizes, Extraordinary Learning for All: How Communities Design Schools Where Everyone Thrives is your blueprint to break free from the traditional model of schooling and build a better future for all.

About the Authors xv Acknowledgments xvii Authors’ Note xxi Foreword xxiii Introduction 1 Two Schools, Two Districts, Two Possible Futures 1 Our Case for Change 2 School and Its Industrial-Era Design 4 How to Read This Book 7 Who Is This Book For? 8 About Us 9 Part I Extraordinary Learning for All Chapter 1 Extraordinary Experiences and Outcomes 13 Extraordinary Outcomes for All 14 Extraordinary Experiences for All 16 Chapter 2 Community-Based Design 33 The Basics of Community-Based Design 35 Part II Stories from Four Community Design Journeys Chapter 3 DC Public Schools’ Van Ness Elementary | Washington, DC 55 Community and Leadership Context 59 The Blueprint: Overview of the Whole Child Model Learning Environment Design 60 The Blueprint: Goals and Guiding Concepts 62 The Blueprint: Student Experience 69 The Blueprint: School and System Elements 75 Chapter 4 Northern Cass | Hunter, North Dakota 81 Community and Leadership Context 84 Early Innovations Toward Competency-Based Learning: Pursuing Greater Learner Customization 85 How the Design Cycle Guided and Supported Northern Cass’s Design Journey 92 Chapter 5 Brooklyn STEAM Center | Brooklyn, New York 103 Community and Leadership Context 106 The Blueprint: Overview of Brooklyn STEAM’s Learning Environment Design 108 The Blueprint: Goals and Guiding Concepts 109 The Blueprint: Student Experience 115 Chapter 6 Intrinsic Public Schools | Chicago, Illinois 127 Community and Leadership Context 129 The Academic Model: How Community-Based Design Strengthened Learning 132 Part III How to Embark on a Community-based Design Journey Chapter 7 Launching Your Design Journey 143 “Gear Up”: Lay the Foundation for Your Community Design Journey 145 “Map It”: Craft a High-Level Vision for the Entire School or System 150 Chapter 8 Deepening Your Design Journey 167 “Zoom In”: Craft a Detailed Vision for a Specific Aspect of the Student Experience 168 “Test-Drive”: Test and Refine the Student Experience 177 “Look Ahead”: Prepare to Continue the Journey 185 Chapter 9 Advancing and Sustaining Your Design Journey 189 Shift from “Test-Drive to Full Speed”: Advance a Component of the Student Experience from Testing to Multiple Cycles of Implementation 191 “Zoom In Again”: Design Additional Components of the Student Experience 199 “Map It Again”: Continue to Refine the High-Level Vision for the Entire School or System 202 “Perform Routine Maintenance”: Maintain the Process and Leadership Over the Long Haul 207 Part IV How to Turbocharge Your Community Design Journey Chapter 10 Your Leadership Matters 213 A Special Kind of Leadership for a Special Kind of Challenge 215 What Do Learner-Centered Leaders Do? 215 How Do Learner-Centered Leaders Have Impact on Conditions? 220 The Source of This Framework 223 Be a Learner-Centered Leader 225 Chapter 11 The Policy Environment Around You Matters 229 Policy Impact 230 Assessment and Accountability Systems 231 Seat Time and Graduation Requirements 236 Funding for Innovation 238 Navigating Your Policy Environment 241 Conclusion 245 Conclusion: You Are Not Alone 247 Explore New Models that Make the Leaps 247 Find a Design Partner 248 Where Do I Find Design Partners? 250 Build Your Own Capacity 251 Join a Growing Network 252 Extraordinary Learning for All 252 Endnotes 255 Index 271