20 years ago, a small, rural K-8 school district in Central California was told to build a high school or be dissolved. That was the impetus that the Chawanakee Unified School District board and...

If my tombstone ever gets a subtitle, it will read: ‘Loving husband. Devoted father. PBL fanatic.’ It’s been the story of my 30+ years in education, which extends from 12 years as a classroom...

All photos by Sam Chaltain In these final weeks of August, as summer’s meandering pace winds down, a new school year across the country is gradually getting underway. How should those 180 days best...

By: Kurt Wismer “The highest-priority skills for the future aren’t technical. They’re human.” — World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs Report 2025 What if we measured student success not by their GPA or seat...

By: Tami Hill-Washington and Brent Maddin Across the country, educational nonprofits are seeking new paths toward long-term sustainability. At the same time, institutions of higher education (IHEs) are grappling with how to remain relevant,...

By: Tim Breen and Bridget Collins Energy filled the air in Studio 2. Science educators and student members of the science department gathered in a circle seminar-style to discuss course design for the 2025-26...

By: Rachel Albright, Lacey Eckels, and Carmen Coleman  Never mistake activity for achievement. John Wooden Across the country, educators are working harder than ever—yet the results don’t always match the effort. We’ve defined what...

By: Charles Pimentel Meaningful and purposeful technology classes, connected to real-world issues, are a key element of learning at Graded – The American School of São Paulo, Brazil. As a teacher in the Upper...

When my wife and I watch The Masked Singer we sit on the couch, a large glass of water at the ready so we can take big gulps every time one of the judges...

By: Kendra Eboigbodin, M.Ed. The Role of Assessments in Driving Learning During our academic success consultations and tours, most parents with children in grades 3-5 ask, “Does my child have to take the test?”...

 By: Scott Cheney, CEO, Credential Engine One of the biggest potential challenges facing higher education is being ignored. Amid the myriad of external crises impacting higher education — from the unknown impacts of changes...

In the cultural and commercial hub that is Dallas, Texas — home of the NFL’s Cowboys, site of JFK’s assassination, and land of the Big Oil VIPs — one out of every four residents...

By: Bobbi Macdonald and Alin Bennett All photos in this post were taken by Joanna Zhang. What new shapes might education need to assume if we wish to properly equip young people for their...

The ability to innovate and solve problems creatively is no longer a niche skill – it’s a fundamental necessity for individuals and societies to thrive in a complex world. Recognizing this imperative, the Inqui-Lab...

By: Wesley Davis Rising from the Storm: A Regional Call to Redesign It’s a clear spring morning in 2025, and Tucker Waldron, science teacher, is watching a group of high schoolers from the School...

By: Mason Pashia and Beth Ardner These days, Learner Employment Records (LERs) are everywhere, if you know where to look. From new state-level legislation in California to radical workforce partnerships like the Alabama Talent...

By: Alisa Morse The conversation across today’s education landscape is filled with phrases like career-connected learning, work-based learning and real-world learning. There is one phrase that encompasses and expands upon these: Profession Based Learning...

By: Nick Lundberg Our district has a rich history of delivering meaningful professional development for teachers and we continue to seek innovative ways to meet the diverse needs of all teachers. Instructional coaches have...

In the final blog of this series, I’ll share how we are embedding this work into our district’s DNA—so it doesn’t live in programs, but in policy, leadership, communication, and community expectations. Because when...

In Tucson, Arizona, a groundbreaking initiative is reshaping the future of STEM education—and who gets to be part of it. By combining geospatial technology, intergenerational mentorship, and real-world community engagement, a program is helping...

Public education leaders face unprecedented challenges in today’s political climate, with every decision under scrutiny and public trust in schools declining. This environment has led to high superintendent turnover, as politics tops the list...

Lexington Senior High School, thirty miles south of Winston-Salem, is the proud home of the Yellow Jackets.  Built in 1953, it’s surrounded by small neighborhood houses with well-kept yards. An armada of yellow school...

The writer Annie Dillard is often attributed with the quote: “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” For Dillard, the beauty is in the details, and so is...

Behind the scenes, this framework isn’t just theory. It’s motion. It is the heartbeat of projects like: Maritime|253 Skills Center (Launching Fall 2026) Tacoma Flex Jobs 253 And the integration of Social Capital and...

By: Wes Kriesel In education, we often lose the magic of the moment. A great student idea spoken aloud, an inspiring thought shared during a partner turn-and-talk, or a powerful insight in a staff...

Across the country, school and system leaders are grappling with how to make learning more personalized, more flexible, and more relevant to students’ lives and futures. Public microschools are emerging as a powerful way...

By Adam Kulaas We’re in the middle of a readiness crisis. Not a standardized test score crisis, not a graduation rate crisis. We are in the midst of a relevance crisis, where too many...

The ISTE+ASCD Transformational Learning Principles are a set of evidence-based practices that highlight the most essential elements of effective learning. Organized in three categories—Nurture, Empower and Guide—the Principles are aligned with Getting Smart Design...

By: Mason Pashia and Stacy Whitehouse As the demands of the workforce evolve, so too must the ways we prepare learners. Today’s careers are increasingly complex, multidimensional, and interdisciplinary; however, our pathways remain static...

Last year, we did a deep dive on education in the age of AI with Charles Fadel, unpacking a beautiful framework that highlights a set of skills, character traits, and meta-learning, applying a modern...

One of the dirty little secrets of being an “expert” in a field such as classroom use of AI is that you develop much of your expertise by facilitating workshops and speaking at conferences,...

By Sarah Bishop-Root & Leslie Colwell What if a State Board of Education established a grant program to fund personalized, competency-based learning—from planning through expansion? Or a state agency joined forces with a public...

I recently had the chance to chat with a small group about why an abundance mindset is key to driving education innovation. In this conversation, we looked at ESAs as a radical lever in...

The landscape of Southeast Wisconsin feels like it belongs to another era.  Wavy prairies and sentinel rows of Maple and Oak trees fill its ample spaces, providing a sense of solitude amid modernity’s encroachment....

By: Kara Stern, Ph.D I recently spoke with a middle school principal in the lower Hudson Valley who challenged her team to a simple exercise: reading down the entire school roster, could someone in...

What if, instead of asking what technology can do, we started by asking who we want to become? In an age where “junk tech” floods our lives—designed to extract attention rather than deepen connection—it’s...

As education leaders, we’re not just preparing students for today; we’re preparing them for a future we can barely imagine. Yet, our current system, obsessed with transcripts and test scores, is failing them. We...

By: Colleen Keating-Crawford, Michelle Jia, and Goutham Marimuthu School leaders, organizations and governments are sounding the alarm about chronically absent young people, typically defined as those who miss 10% or more of the school year whether due to excused or...

What do you get when you put a lot of district-level technology professionals and edtech providers in a room? A guarantee that someone has the necessary dongle… and you get CoSN, a gathering of...

It is the top of the second inning in the age of AI, and I think in the last few weeks we passed a new threshold of access to expertise. The information age, where...

By Alan Cheng, High School Superintendent, NYC Public Schools Having spent​​ two decades in New York City Public Schools, including six years leading 50 high schools in the Consortium, Internationals, NYC Outward Bound Schools...

A few nights ago I spent 90 minutes online with the staff of an elite public school in Shenzhen, China. I gave an hour-long talk about generative AI and its uses in education then...

If you arrive in Newport, Rhode Island via the long bridges from the mainland that stretch across Narragansett Bay, you are immediately faced with a choice: Head south, and you’ll find the legendary mansions...

By: Michael Ham and Beth Holland The current administration has prioritized expanding school choice, reflecting a growing demand for flexible learning options. At the same time, advances in AI—and the emergence of “AI-powered schools”—are...

In a recent design session with a partner, we debated the merits of the grain size of reporting and learning experience design. Most secondary schools (and higher education) across the United States report out...

By Dr. Tyler Thigpen, Dr. Caleb Collier, and Trey Lackey “How do they learn math?” That might be the most common question we get asked at The Forest School: An Acton Academy and The...

Humans default to a scarcity mindset — think early days of the pandemic when tens of thousands of people hoarded all of the toilet paper for fear of supply running out. While not only...

Article By: Gregg Behr “Tending soil.” That’s how Fred Rogers described Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, his beloved television program that aired from 1968 to 2001. Grounded in principles gleaned from top learning scientists, the Neighborhood offered a model...

At 1EdTech’s 2025 Digital Credentials Summit in Phoenix, Arizona it was data, flow chart and taxonomy galore. For me, a few numbers from the opening keynote set the stage for the week:  65% of...

School and system redesign is not new. Throughout the history of formalized education, educators and leaders have challenged the “one-size-fits-all” factory model, striving for more effective learning approaches. While this model increased access to...

The future of education is deeper learning, and it’s powered by artificial intelligence. The branding is possibility. The vision (in Anaheim UHSD) is to “create a better world through Unlimited You.” That was the...

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...

New Pathways has been a framework for us to unpack different school and community levers that can better set young people up for success in what’s next. It’s an urgent mission, made more difficult...

I am so old that when I was an undergraduate student I used to visit the library to rifle through card catalogs before heading to the stacks to doggedly search for books and journals...

Career Clusters are often narrowly associated with Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. While CTE programs are undeniably crucial in providing hands-on training and career exploration, the power of Career Clusters extends far beyond...

By: Athena Kan Ever since kids were little, they’ve been asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a tough question, right? And it only gets harder as they move...

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...

The Southland College Preparatory Charter High School (SCPHS; also known as Southland College Prep, Southland College Prep High School, or simply Southland) is a College Preparatory Charter High School in Richton Park, Illinois. The school serves the communities of Richton Park, Country...

We’ve been thinking a lot about whether or not schools are paying enough attention to teaching about media—what’s online, its purpose, and the impact. Part of this is driven by emerging technology and some...

By: Anna Rita Pergolizzi-Wentworth School choice has become increasingly competitive. With so many schools to choose from, traditional factors such as location, course offerings, and extracurricular activities no longer set a school apart. Parents...

There are an estimated two million open healthcare industry jobs and an additional two million are expected by 2031. According to SHRM, by 2034 the United States will have 134,000 fewer physicians than it...

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...

One of the most frequent questions I get during the generative AI professional development workshops I facilitate in the U.S. and China is pretty basic: “How do I use gen AI with PBL?” The...

By: Rae Lymer and Beth Holland Diving into the Evidence: Virtual and Hybrid Models as High-Quality School Choice Options The White House recently issued an executive order making “school choice” a top education priority...

The journey of transformation in educational settings often remains invisible as it unfolds. Originating stories are typically revisited only years later, refined and polished, sometimes devoid of the rich, albeit chaotic, development moments. I...

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...

“The current crisis…is not just a crisis of individuals, governments, or social institutions; it is a transition of planetary dimensions. As individuals, as a society, as a civilization, and as a planetary ecosystem, we...

High school electives are often dismissed as “just for fun”—a break from core subjects, a chance to explore personal interests. But what if these classes could be more than just a pleasant diversion? Imagine...

This image is a work of a United States Department of Justice employee, taken or made as part of that person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain (17...

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...

“Libraries have long supported small businesses. The Seattle Public Library is one of the two oldest business-supporting organizations (alongside the Chamber of Commerce) in the city,” said Jay Lyman, Librarian with the Community Engagement...

Like many terms in education, Alternative Education has been used to define any number of learning environments. For some, it’s about a student-centered educational model that provides specialized instruction designed to meet the needs...

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...

 By: Nicole Assisi When traveling for work and pleasure, I often share insights from the schools I visit, such as in Luxembourg and Alaska. As I continued my journey exploring place-based learning, my winter...

By Valerie Grison-Alsop We are facing a mental health crisis in the U.S., especially among young people. According to a 2024 report by Mental Health America, 20% of youth aged 12-17 report suffering from...

Representation matters, especially in storytelling. It shapes our aspirations, influences the choices we make, and even alters how we perceive and value education. Many parents echo a common sentiment: “My child preferred the conventional...

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...

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have recently seen an increase in enrollment, which contrasts with the overall reduction seen at other post-secondary institutions. According to new data from the National Center for Education...

As we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on this day, we are reminded of his profound words: “The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically....

By: Margo Roen With any presidential transition, there are shifts–new hires and resignations, policy changes, and funding changes to align with a new agenda. However, with the impending president’s stated commitment to get rid...

Transforming Teaching in Ohio’s Largest School District 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...

In 2017 I was fortunate to be invited to the World Innovation Summit in Education by the Qatar Foundation International. This remarkable conference, held every two years in Doha, opened my eyes to the...

By: Carissa Solomon I have always hated getting things wrong. As a student, I aimed to get everything correct on the first try—after all, that was how school had trained me to think. It...

By: Bonnie Nieves In 2015, the United Nations established the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a framework of 17 objectives designed to address global challenges like inequality, climate change, and peace by 2030. Yet, significant...

Stanford’s Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence initiative recently released its Global AI Power Rankings. I doubt anyone is surprised that the U.S., China, and the UK topped the overall rankings.  I’ve spent the last two years...

By: Miranda Canniff This past summer was the 10th iteration of Nalukai Academy’s Summer Startup Camp for Hawai’i high school students. Every year since its inception, the camp has evolved––driven by feedback from Nalukai...

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...

2025 will be a year of hyperchange and navigating in the gray. New technology boasts more opportunity and more risk than ever before. Education leaders are called to create environments alive with possibility and...

By Andy Schmitz and Bill DeBaun The most recent nationally representative survey data of school leaders offers a valuable look into how students receive postsecondary advising supports, who provides them, and how (and whether)...

Learning approaches are full of acronyms, and PBL holds the most comprehensive ownership over multiple approaches, representing personalized, place-based, project-based, profession-based, purpose-based, and phenomena-based. With the increasing emphasis on real-world learning to develop the...

By: Dr. Jacqueline Zweig and Dr. Kathryn Kennedy As dedicated K-12 education researchers, we spent the past two years immersed in the educational landscapes of schools across Ohio, observing the implementation of personalized learning...

These days, it seems like nearly every topic finds its way back to AI, somehow. Because of the rapid rate of progress, it’s difficult to keep up and this learning edge is a place...

On a recent episode of The Ezra Klein Show, Vivek Ramaswamy made the argument that all high school students should have to pass a citizenship test, as well as hopeful immigrants to America. He...

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...

Imagine stepping into two classrooms, both aiming to grow young writers. Both are led by expert teachers with strong curricula and supportive technology, yet each room feels worlds apart. In the first classroom, the...

One thing is for certain: On Inauguration Day, January 20, a new administration will be sworn in, ushering in a fresh set of policies, priorities, and uncertainties about the future of education in the...

By: Sam Chaltain Of all the sciences, archaeology is the most destructive — and the most vital to the humanities.  That’s why Annalies Corbin fell in love with it. As a child growing up...

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...

Our team is incredibly fortunate to participate in and attend dozens of conferences around the world. These events offer opportunities to connect with educators, innovators, and thought leaders shaping the future of education. Whether...

In August, we shared design principles that we believe are essential for every learner to thrive. In this blog, we explain why purposeful learning is so important, emphasizing that all students deserve experiences connected...

Engaging students in impact-driven projects is one of the most effective ways to cultivate valuable skills while developing what Charles Fadel refers to as the key Drivers of learning: Motivation, Identity, Agency, and Purpose....

A study tour of two innovative schools in New England has led me to rethink my understanding of how AI will reshape the role of the teacher in the modern classroom. On this tour,...

In August, we published the following design principles, which we believe are core for every learner to thrive. In this blog, we present our rationale for elevating authentic learning – that all students deserve...

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...

By: Jonathan Lee Lancaster Education is about students. We should be striving to make our classrooms as student-centered as possible, which means offering students the chance to have autonomous discussions about ideas, topics, and...

By: Roots ConnectED In the same way that race and class make up parts of who we are, how we learn and think is a part of our identity. Othering any part of ourselves...

In August, we published the following design principles, which we believe are core for every learner to thrive. In this blog, we present our rationale for elevating personalized learning – that all students deserve...

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...

By: Clare Bertrand & Josh Wright High school students across the country share a common struggle — navigating how to prepare for a future career. An increasing number of high-quality non-degree pathways adds to...

As the 2024 election season nears its end, it’s clear that education is one of the most essential issues on the ballot. National debates may seem distant, but local involvement in our children’s schools...

By: Jorge Arteaga In a time when 1 in 5 students face bullying, equipping young people with the skills to stand up against these injustices is more crucial than ever.  While traditional approaches like...

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...

The New York Times ran a guest column last month by an English teacher calling for high school students to “do less so they can do better.” Student responses from three schools (two suburban...

In the 1990s the folks at the National Science Foundation began bouncing around the acronym SMET to describe the related disciplines of science, math, engineering, and technology. It did not catch on. In 2001,...

By: Dana Brinson SparkNC is a whole new way to do school, offering learner-centered, industry-relevant, and competency-based learning in high-tech fields–like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and game and software development–across our interdistrict network of 17...

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...

By: Dr. Amy Galloway Swann As educators, we’ve been through countless waves of innovation, but none compare to the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). While many focus on how AI can personalize instruction...

30 miles east of Indianapolis sits the charming little town of Greenfield—a few hundred buildings at the intersection of Highway 40 and State Route 9 including a grain silo converted into a popular local...

By: Michael Thomas Duffy A few years ago, as the world was grappling with COVID-19 and its aftermath, two developments in teaching and learning occurred that, in retrospect, were not only revolutionary but interconnected....

By: Kathleen Osta, LaShawn Routé Chatmon, Tom Malarkey What kind of leadership is needed to design and sustain new approaches to public education that are personalized, purposeful, joyful, authentic and challenging – and consistently...

Over the last five years, significant efforts emerged around the importance of durable or transferable skills. These durable skills (also called transferable skills or competencies) balance out the skills triangle (with core skills –...

By: Luanna Huang and Ezra Rottman Young people are the voice of our next generation,  and their role in shaping the world cannot be overstated. Among these critical voices is the Student Voice in...

In September, the inaugural GSVxPenn State: The Global Impact Forum brought together over 500 students and global changemakers from education, entrepreneurship, investment, and AI/ed-tech for more than 100 dynamic sessions at the Pennsylvania Convention...

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...

“Welcome to Garden City School, perhaps an unsuspecting place for a radical leap forward in what school can be.” By: Nathan Strenge In the heart of Cranston, Rhode Island, Garden City School is redefining...

For the last 20 months, generative AI has forced a redo of how educators approach curriculum design, assessment, and instructional support. Textbooks, your time has come.  Beginning this spring, the world’s first large-scale AI-powered...

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...

Experiential leadership programs encourage participants to make decisions, take initiative, establish relationships, and be accountable. They provide a foundation of abilities and experiences that may be utilized and modified for real-world events and difficulties...

By Cameron Paterson Our education system faces significant challenges. Young people are signaling their discontent through declining attendance, increasing disruptive behavior, and concerning levels of mental health issues – tangible expressions of the desire...

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...

In August, we published the following design principles, which we believe are core for every learner to thrive. In this blog, we present our rationale for elevating accessibility – that all students deserve access...

By: Joe & Kristin Merrill, LaKeshia Brooks, Dominique’ Harbour, Erika Sandstrom Another school year is in full swing and one of the most discussed topics in education is the integration of artificial intelligence in...

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...

A couple of days ago I sent my wife a text that included a link to this TikTok video, which gave some pointed advice about healthy oat milk brands. Her response, as expected, was...

At Getting Smart, we believe that education is a powerful tool for honoring the diversity and rich history that has shaped the world we live in today. Hispanic Heritage Month (celebrated annually from September...

By: Sujata Bhatt 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,...

By: Lizette Valles & Victoria Andrews The inaugural VELA Con 2024, hosted by The VELA Founder Network, and held from June 13-15 in Washington, D.C., gathered educators and edupreneurs from across the country to share...

What is the purpose of school? In recent years, there’s been a resurgence of possibility in answering this question with different timelines, school models, and rationale. With the access and rapid development of AI...

By Jessica K. Jackson, Jeffrey Starr, Ed.D, and D’Andre Weaver, Ph.D For more than a decade, Digital Promise has been at the forefront of conversations and efforts to close the Digital Learning Gap—caused by...

In December 2023, the Educating All Learners Alliance (EALA) hosted a Community of Action with the intent to fund at least one project that could provide a solution to an identified challenge in the...

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...

By Alyssa Faubion Before I became a teacher or an instructional coach, I was told my success would be measured in a nice, neat box known as an assessment. Multiple-choice questions were not where...

In an era where education is constantly evolving, microschools have emerged as catalysts for innovation, providing personalized and community-centered learning experiences. At Getting Smart, we see microschools not as a threat to public education...

By: Kara Bobroff (Dine’/Lakota) Our Present: From Schools to Networks You start with a single school – like a small garden designed to speak to the hopes, needs, and vision of the community –...

By Shannon King, Ph.D. Accountability is crucial in education. As educational leaders, we must ensure students meet high learning standards. However, our single-minded focus on standardized testing is extinguishing the joy of learning for...

By Josh Schachter and Melinda Englert When 80 middle school students from Billy L. Lauffer Middle School, a Title I school in southeast Tucson, hopped off the bus at the University of Arizona, it...

Recently I received an invitation to speak at an upcoming global education summit in Beijing. The organizers asked me to give a presentation on the two topics that have dominated my work for the...

I recently visited the National Museum of African-American History and Culture In Washington, D.C. As I walked through the Afrofuturism exhibit, it was inspiring to see how out-of-this-world thinking has allowed Black visionaries to...

By: Shannon Murtagh  In 2021, deep in the midst of COVID, we surveyed Chief Innovation Officers (CIOs) working in public school districts across the country about the skills, core work, and mindsets that were...

By: Dr. Tyler Thigpen A buddy of mine, Paul, works for a major airline headquartered in Atlanta. The airline deploys him to examine new technologies. He assesses whether integrating them will improve plane flights...

After a two-year investigation including hundreds of interviews, Kim Smith and Jen Holleran published a landscape of innovation in US K-12 education. What they found was a lot of confusion because there is not...

At Getting Smart, we partner with organizations that help collectively reach our mission of actively building the future of learning by designing, accelerating and amplifying equitable innovations that empower all people to thrive and...

By: History Co:Lab “What would a map of every opportunity in Pittsburgh where young people feel powerful and seen look like?” On June 25th, at the Civic Learning Ecosystem’s Youth Design Day, youth leaders,...

At Getting Smart, we are passionate about driving innovation in education. This year, we’ve submitted three exciting session proposals for SXSW 2025, and we need your support to bring these important conversations to the...

By: Alice Waldron As educators, it can feel like a new AI tool is introduced daily and there is pressure to use new tools just to keep up with the times. What if, instead,...

Why do we award grades? Do they really improve learning? Research shows that in the short term, grades do indeed improve learning outcomes…on standardized tests. But when it comes to retaining information, thinking critically,...

Summer is waning. Have you yet had the luxury to truly and entirely dedicate yourself to any one thing? If so, did you have the space to do so for eight consecutive days? I...

Over the last few years, we’ve been covering New Pathways, which we think of as a framework for school leaders and community members to create supports and systems that set students up for success...

By: Ayana Verdi Before the COVID pandemic magnified the vast inequities that exist within our education system and spurred an education renaissance that rapidly spread across the country, the quest to reimagine what school...

By: Timothy Jones I’ve been blessed with many opportunities to speak as an educator and an innovator. I want to take this opportunity to speak as an educator but from the lens of a...

By: Dan Coleman, Ph.D. By now, most educators are used to thinking of the school building as a “third teacher:” the term coined by Loris Malaguzzi in the 70’s to describe the role played...

By: Nicole Assisi Stumbling upon place-based learning has become a recreational hazard during my summer travels. Two years ago, I found myself learning about internships on the Alaskan railroad. But this summer, I found...

Teacher preparation is undergoing a significant transformation, offering new pathways for aspiring educators to enter the profession. As the education sector faces challenges such as teacher shortages and the need for more diverse and...