Education Reimagined

We’re excited to share the final two briefs in our Learning Differences Research Series. Together, these briefs explore both the approach and the impact of learner-centered education for young people with learning differences.

➡️ The Approach looks at how learner-centered environments:
– reframe foundational mindsets
– redesign structures and support systems
– realize daily practices that respond to learner variability
https://education-reimagined.org/reimagining-support-for-learning-differences-through-learner-centered-education/

➡️ The Impact looks at what happens next:
– learners rebuild identity, agency, and vision for the future
– peers and educators help create cultures of mutual support
– families and community partners experience relief, partnership, and reciprocal value
https://education-reimagined.org/the-ripple-effect-of-reimagining-support-for-learning-differences/

This work was developed with practitioner-researchers and shaped by the lived experiences of learners, families, and educators across Avalon School, LaFayette Big Picture School, and Norris School District.

In all, our study suggests that designing for learner variability strengthens education not only for young people with learning differences, but for entire learning communities.

We’re proud to share these final briefs and grateful to all who helped bring them to life. You can read the full research series here: https://education-reimagined.org/learning-differences/

What happens when we stop asking young people to fit into a mold and start listening to who they truly are? In Mukwonago, Wisconsin, Norris School District is answering that question by building a learning ecosystem where every young person is known, valued, and supported. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, this community centers the unique strengths and aspirations of each learner.

We believe every child deserves a public education that helps them discover their gifts and contribute meaningfully to the world. Communities like Norris show us how this is a tangible reality being built today.

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We’re excited to share a new research review, “The Transformative Potential of Learner-Centered Education,” which synthesizes findings from 93 studies across 22 bodies of research to explore the evidence of impact when young people are at the center of their learning journey.

Drawing on research from neuroscience, cognitive science, community development, organizational psychology, and more, Dr. Khara Schonfeld analyzes evidence aligned with five core elements of learner-centered education. The findings reveal clear, research-based links between learner-centered environments and outcomes such as increased learner agency, stronger equity, and long-term success.

We designed these resources to be practical tools for your work:
1️⃣ The Executive Summary: Quickly brief your board, partners, or prospective families on the “why” behind your learner-centered approach.
2️⃣ The Full Report: Leverage this to strengthen grant applications or policy proposals with rigorous, synthesized data.
3️⃣ The Literature Guide: Use this as an “evidence-mining” tool to pull specific peer-reviewed research for your own website, newsletters, or handbooks.

This work represents more than a year of dedicated effort and our ongoing commitment to supporting the field with evidence that is credible, accessible, and useful. If you find these tools valuable, we invite you to share them widely with others advancing this transformational work.

Explore the Findings: https://education-reimagined.org/the-transformative-potential-of-learner-centered-education/

We’re excited to share the launch of the “State Education R&D Playbook,” co-authored by Sarah Bishop-Root and Leslie Colwell, developed in partnership with Transcend, and made possible by the for Learning Innovation.

The Playbook builds on “Seizing the Opportunity for State Education R&D” and brings together insights from 100+ stakeholders to help state, local, and philanthropic leaders strengthen education R&D as a core system function.

Explore the Playbook: https://www.alicoalition.org/playbook/

At a moment when federal education R&D infrastructure is uncertain, states have an opportunity to lead by prioritizing the infrastructure and conditions that empower communities to innovate, learn, and improve experiences and outcomes for every young person.

Inside the Playbook, leaders will find:
– Recommendations and key actions for building state education R&D capacity
– Real-world examples and bright spots from across the country
– State spotlights showcasing how states are putting these recommendations into practice

For us, this work reinforces what we see in communities nationwide: learner-centered education and ecosystems can flourish when states provide the flexibility, resources, and learning infrastructure that allow local innovation to grow and spread.

We’re grateful to the state education leaders, funders, researchers, and community innovators whose insights shaped this Playbook—and to our partners at Transcend and ALI for an extraordinary collaboration.

This , we’re celebrating 10 years of our transformational Vision, together!

A decade ago, a small group imagined a future where every child is supported to thrive. Today, the impact of that vision has touched a national community of over 1,400 learner-centered leaders, 246 organizations, and 272,000 young people.

Help us fuel the decade ahead by participating in our 10 for 10 Challenge. Will you give $10 to celebrate 10 years of transformation?

https://donate.education-reimagined.org/campaign/746374/donate

We’re excited to share “Known, Supported, Connected,” a new paper by our Senior Partner for Ecosystem Advancement and Growth, Bobbi Macdonald, supported by a Moonshot Grant from Remake Learning.

The report explores a core question: What does it mean to be an educator in a learner-centered ecosystem?

Drawing on insights from educators and caring adults in emerging ecosystems across the country—from Brooklyn’s Runway Green to Columbus’s PAST Foundation to Ojai’s Rock Tree Sky—the paper surfaces an evolving picture of the educator competencies and roles that help every young person be known, supported, and connected.

This work invites all of us to imagine the many ways adults across a community can contribute to learning—expanding who is seen as an educator and widening our sense of accountability for young people’s growth.

This report offers communities a practical starting point for building the human infrastructure that thriving ecosystems require. Read the report here: https://education-reimagined.org/known-supported-connected/

Learning differences are a natural and vital part of human diversity. Yet too often, conventional education systems aren’t designed to meet the needs or reveal the brilliance of young people who learn differently.

Our new Learning Differences Research Series explores how learner-centered education can transform outcomes for young people by starting with their strengths, needs, and interests.

Through a collaborative multi-case study, we partnered with practitioner-researchers and three learner-centered environments—Avalon School (MN), LaFayette Big Picture School (NY), and Norris School District (WI)—to uncover how inclusion, responsiveness, and alignment can make a difference for every learner.

Explore the Learning Differences Research Series: https://education-reimagined.org/learning-differences/

The first phase of our series features the following three publications:
1️⃣ Research Overview: A Collaborative Multi-Case Study of Learner-Centered Education and Learning Differences
2️⃣ Addressing Specific Learning Differences Through Learner-Centered Education
3️⃣ Navigating Policies and Conditions: Supporting Youth with Learning Differences in Learner-Centered Environments

Stay tuned—more research findings from this work are coming in early 2026!

Introducing “Seeds of Possibility: Connecting Policy to Practice Across Learning Ecosystems” by Sarah Bishop-Root and Emily Liebtag.

Communities across the country are reimagining education by building robust learning ecosystems that go beyond conventional classroom walls. This new brief, created in partnership with Remake Learning, shows how concrete policies can enable learning ecosystems to take root and flourish.

It profiles how eight ecosystems in communities spanning the United States are leveraging policy opportunities in creative ways to:
–Enable learner agency
–Expanding opportunities and providing credit for learning outside the classroom
–Broaden definitions of who can be an educator

You’ll see how these examples informed key insights that can support the field:
–Ecosystems thrive when policy is integrated across systems, not siloed
–Co-creation with communities leads to more responsive solutions
–Interoperability across K–12, higher ed, workforce, and community partners is essential

Read the brief and share it with anyone committed to creating the conditions for ecosystems to take root and thrive in their communities: https://education-reimagined.org/seeds-of-possibility/

In learner-centered environments, the role of the educator is reimagined. No longer just deliverers of knowledge, educators become mentors, designers, and co-learners. They build trust, create belonging, and guide learners to discover ideas and solutions for themselves. They embody radical curiosity, embrace the unknown with courage, and co-design learning journeys with young people that honor each child’s gifts and identity. This short film captures the joy, freedom, and fulfillment that educators find in this work, and the deep connections they forge with young people along the way. Once they’ve experienced it, they can’t imagine going back to traditional models of teaching.

Educators in Learner-Centered Environments: The Role Reimagined In learner-centered environments, the role of the educator is reimagined. No longer just deliverers of knowledge, educators become mentors, designers, and co...

The first episode of “Needs to Strengths,” a four-part podcast series from the Educating All Learners Alliance, dives into how learner-centered communities build trust and relationships as a foundation to truly understand and support young people with learning differences. Join host Aurora Dreger in conversation with Lindsy Ogawa of Education Reimagined and Kim Carter of the QED Foundation as they share what the immersive inquiry team discovered at sites across the country—from the power of deep listening to the transformative impact of co-creating support with young people. https://educatingalllearners.org/podcast/