High Tech High Graduate School of Education

Two days of learning, reflection, and connection. 💛

This week, our team came together for annual Improvement Reviews and our Graduate School of Education staff retreat—a chance to pause, celebrate, and learn from one another.

From digging into data and examining our impact to sharing celebrations of learning across teams, these moments remind us that continuous improvement is a collective effort. We left inspired by the work happening across the GSE and energized for the year ahead.

Grateful for a team that embraces feedback, asks hard questions, and never stops learning. ✨

We said we couldn't wait to witness what they'd built. We weren't ready.

At YellowHAB's first-ever school-wide exhibition, the range of student work stopped us in our tracks: chemistry experiments, hovercraft designs, original music, fashion lines, Afrofuturistic narratives, dance recitals, and poetry that turned hallways into galleries.

One piece has stayed with me. A student named Ariel took an anchor text by Audre Lorde and wrote her own reflection poetic piece on place, identity, belonging, and liberation — in her own words, in her own voice. Not an assignment. Hers.

This line, among others, was doing real work: “For I have in me a new found freedom, a renewed life." 🔥

Afterward, teachers kept coming back to the same things. The shift in the school environment cultivating creativity and possibility thinking. How students pushed each other's work to the next level of craftsmanship–they were constantly “calling each other higher.” And, how the work itself "showed their learning and showed who owned the learning."

The principal put it simply: "I think we as a society underestimate our young people. They show up when people doubt them, and when we do this right, their natural creativity flows."

YellowHAB hasn't arrived. But they're doing the work — the right way — centered on the voices of their students and the needs of their community. And, their young people were glowing. Lights on with a spark in their eyes.

Let’s go.

🔗 shareyourlearning.org/exhibition

We’re revisiting this powerful 2025 story from the National Attendance & Engagement Meta Network exploring how student-led crew structures can strengthen belonging, connection, and engagement across school communities.

At a time when so many schools are working to address chronic absenteeism, this article is an important reminder that students are more likely to show up when they feel known, valued, and connected to their community.

Still such a meaningful reflection on the power of student voice and relationship-centered schools.

Read more here:
https://bit.ly/3RT0MT3

Joy. Pride. Community. 🎓💛✨

This past weekend, we celebrated the graduates of our Master of Education programs in Educational Leadership and Teaching & Learning.

Throughout their time at HTH GSE, these educators and leaders challenged assumptions, examined their practice, learned alongside one another, and worked to create more equitable, humanizing learning experiences for the young people and communities they serve.

While graduation marks the end of one chapter, it's also the beginning of what's next. 🌟 We can't wait to see how this incredible group continues to lead, teach, and transform education in classrooms, schools, and communities around the world.

Congratulations, Class of 2026—we're so proud of you! 🎉🎓

¿Quieres postular una Inmersión o un Taller para Deeper Learning LATAM 2026?

🔗 Consulta las bases de la convocatoria y postúlate aquí: https://bit.ly/43urcx4

📅 Convocatoria abierta hasta el 25 de junio de 2026.

Nos vemos en Medellín para seguir construyendo nuevos horizontes para la educación en América Latina. 🌎

We’re excited to announce Dr. Michelle Sadrena Pledger as our 2026 Commencement Speaker! 🎓✨

As our Director of Liberation, Michelle has inspired educators and leaders across both our teacher preparation and educational leadership programs through her commitment to equity, justice, and humanizing learning.

For many of this year’s graduates, Michelle has been a teacher, mentor, thought partner, and champion throughout their journey. Her work continues to challenge us to imagine what education can be when every learner is seen, valued, and empowered to thrive.

We’re honored to have Michelle help celebrate the Class of 2026 as they take their next steps in classrooms, schools, and communities around the world.

Join us in congratulating our graduates and celebrating this special milestone! 💛

Sometimes the most important learning comes from stepping back long enough to recognize how far you’ve come.

Karriem Muhammad from Chicago Public Schools reflected on how the National Attendance & Engagement Meta Network creates space not only for learning and collaboration, but also for reflection and recalibration amidst the day-to-day work of improving attendance and engagement.

That balance—between action and reflection—is what makes this network so meaningful.

We’re grateful for leaders like Karriem who continue to push the work forward while helping others do the same. Onward! 🚀

✨ NEW in Unboxed: your future self is begging you to save that student work before summer starts.

At the end of every school year, educators face the same tension: the exhaustion of the present versus the wisdom of the future. And while “future you” may feel far away right now, this issue is a reminder that the work you curate today can shape the learning culture of next year’s classroom.

Inside this week’s issue:
🖼️ How to create a meaningful “Tribute Wall” with student work
💡 A powerful story about what happened when one student’s work was left out of a school exhibition
📸 A photo essay showcasing curation across High Tech High classrooms and hallways

Because when students see that their work matters, they start believing that they matter too.

➡️ Read the latest issue + subscribe here: bit.ly/gsenewssub