ARISE’s founders and staff believe that all children deserve a quality education that doesn’t replicate inequitable and oppressive institutions. As a result, they’ve developed a rigorous, high engagement, authentic learning experience for all students. In order for every student to meet the high expectations that ARISE holds, a thorough system of support is critical. While the entire school is designed to make the educational experience highly personalized, attentive, and responsive, Adelante Student Services, in particular, provides intensive support to help  students move forward. 

Adelante is a Spanish adverb that means movement and commonly expresses two ideas: “salir adelante” and “sacar adelante” (in English, ”get ahead”). These two sayings encourage the development of self and the overcoming of obstacles. They are often used to push a person’s development. 

Adelante Student Services works within the whole school community to create the conditions, procedures, and resources to support struggling students academically and socio-emotionally.The Response to Intervention system includes the following structures: Academic Mentorship, Advisory, and Restorative Justice Praxis. ARISE offers site visits, coaching, and professional development to support implementation of their model.

Roots ConnectED addresses systems of oppression at the root. Their Anti-Bias Education model uses curriculum, classroom practices, and deep Community Building with all stakeholders to identify and dismantle the thinking and ideology that contributes to bias and discrimination before it gives way to harmful acts of oppression. The Anti-Bias Education model is centered on identity and inclusion, and acts as a means for transforming communities to be more just, equitable, and connected. The framework and its tools are holistic and intended for longterm integration throughout the curriculum and environment.

While it is too early to measure outcomes from Roots ConnectED’s 22 coaching partnerships, satisfaction data is promising. They offer one-on-one coaching and consulting, professional development, cohort learning communities, and school visits to schools interested in implementing the model.

Big Picture Learning (BPL) was established to challenge traditional approaches to teaching and learning. Big Picture’s focus on student-interest-driven, real-world learning reflects the knowledge that students often learn best when school is relevant to their lives, builds relationships with adult mentors and peers who share their interests, and entails genuinely authentic and rigorous work that is situated in the community and workplace. 

The BPL school design is based on three core principles: 1) relationships – schools are designed to support student-centered experiences, one learner at a time; 2) relevance – student interests and real-world learning experiences shape the curriculum; and 3) rigor – assessment criteria for exhibitions of learning are aligned to professional standards. More broadly, 10 Distinguishers serve as BPL’s signature in the world of deeper learning and work-based learning. 10 Distinguishers Relationship Indicators Relevance Indicators Rigor Indicators

BPL works directly with schools to activate the potential of its students. It does not govern or operate schools but instead collaborates to transform existing schools or to establish new schools as a part of the BPL Network. Through collaboration with families and communities, each BPL school seeks to produce learning environments that are unique to local contexts. To support this, BPL offers deep partnerships, stand-alone professional development, and customized support. Today, there are over 80 Big Picture network schools in the United States and more than 100 schools around the world that utilize BPL’s design. 

The Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) integrates high school, college, and career into a single seamless community where students can explore pathways while working with professionals on real-world projects. Students fast-forward into their future and are fully immersed in a professional culture by solving real-world problems, using industry standard tools, and being mentored by actual employers, all while receiving high school and college credit. CAPS is an example of how business, community, and public education can partner to produce personalized learning experiences that educate the workforce of tomorrow, especially in high-skill, high-demand jobs. CAPS creates rich and meaningful experiences for students as well as industry and postsecondary partners.

The CAPS model is grounded in its five core values:

• Profession-Based Learning (Pro-BL): Real-world, project-based learning through collaboration with community and business partners. 
• Professional Skills Development: Students cultivate transformative professional skills such as understanding expectations and time management.
• Self-Discovery and Exploration: Students realize their strengths and passions by exploring and experiencing potential professions. 
• Entrepreneurial Mindset: An environment where creative thinking and problem-solving is encouraged. 
• Responsiveness: Ongoing innovation in curriculum development, programs, and services based on local business and community needs. 

The model began in 2009 with the creation of Blue Valley School District’s CAPS in Overland Park, Kansas. CAPS now reaches 160 school districts in 23 states and four countries. Where Students Lead Trailer CAPS Network Storyboard  

Through identity exploration, social-emotional learning, and community building, nXu catalyzes students and educators to develop their purpose, invest in their future, and live thriving lives. According to nXu, purpose is a fundamental human motive at the root of major markers of success throughout one’s life. Youth with a strong sense of purpose experience greater life satisfaction and physical, mental, and emotional well-being; perform better in school; and have higher rates of college retention. Adults with a strong sense of purpose also experience greater life satisfaction, financial and professional success, resiliency, and longevity. 

nXu’s CASEL-aligned Purpose & SEL model—specifically, its curriculum—is currently being implemented in a growing number of middle and high schools across the country, where students experience significant growth in their sense of purpose and associated social-emotional constructs. nXu offers cohort learning opportunities, professional development, direct model implementation, and more to schools interested in implementing its model.

The Brooklyn STEAM Center is located within the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a robust industry ecosystem with over 400 businesses that span manufacturing, technology, food, fashion, and media. At the STEAM Center, 11th and 12th grade scholars engage in high-quality professional work, develop robust and real industry networks, and explore tangible pathways to economic opportunity within industries such as Construction Technology, Culinary Arts & Hospitality Management, Cybersecurity, Design & Engineering, Film & Media, and Full-Stack Development.

The STEAM Center’s mission is to create a diverse, skilled pipeline for careers within the creative, technology, and manufacturing industries, with a focus on economically stable career pathways. Scholars at STEAM come from a diverse range of demographic and academic backgrounds, including race, socioeconomic status, gender, abilities, and academic performance, to name a few. Participating scholars graduate with technical, professional, career, and financial skills that they can use to create their own futures. The Brooklyn STEAM Center serves 325 high school scholars across 8 schools in Brooklyn, New York.

The Compass model goes beyond academics to develop students in mind, heart, body, and spirit. Compass ensures that all members of the community (young and adult) are engaging in deep, holistic, and adaptive development work.

The Compass model is implemented in 64 schools and is helping over 30,000 students experience more social acceptance, social concern, and social reciprocity as well as less emotional exhaustion. Valor offers cohort learning communities, one-on-one coaching and consulting, resource toolkits, and school visits to others interested in implementing the model. 

Building 21’s competency-based education (CBE) model is an equitable, student-centered approach to learning that allows students to earn credit at their own pace and across contexts through authentic, performance-based assessments. CBE takes traditional structures of the factory design model (e.g., age and grade-based groupings; credits based on seat-time) and replaces them with structures that privilege feedback, growth, and multiple opportunities to demonstrate learning. In this model, students engage with problem- and project-based learning in Studios that allow them to pursue their interests and passions, while progressing at their own pace along a competency-based learning continuum.

Building 21 currently partners with 36 schools and programs across 12 states to support them in their journey toward creating a personalized and competency-based model that meets the needs of their unique learners and local context. Over the past 8 years, thousands of users have accessed their free resources. They also offer week-long design institutes and personalized coaching. Getting Started with Competency-based Education

The Core 3 model can act as an invaluable training playbook for schools looking to strengthen adult practices around three core areas: classroom culture, academic rigor, and data use. In this model, leaders are coached through a two-year implementation journey to transform their teachers’ academic practices to strengthen students’ sense of belonging in the classroom, improve their academic outcomes and engagement, and provide more personalized learning through the use and analysis of real-time data. Core 3 occurs through replicable training modules that can be integrated into almost any learning environment. 

Currently, the Core 3 model reaches about 2,800 students across two Navigator schools and nine partner schools. Navigator Learning offers coaching and implementation support for leaders seeking to improve their school’s Core 3 priorities. The model also offers regular workshops and videoconferencing to build academic leadership capacity in these three areas. 

The Da Vinci RISE High model was designed to provide an equitable education for students traditionally left out of the larger educational narrative—those navigating foster care, housing instability, probation, and/or other circumstances that have interrupted their academic journeys. RISE believes that if we build with the needs of the most at-promise youth in mind, we will not only create an empowering school for them, but we will create a school that is well equipped to serve students with a vast array of skillsets and needs. The RISE model takes a responsive and holistic approach to education, acknowledging and adapting learning to accommodate the additional responsibilities and priorities students have in their lives outside of school. To do this, each RISE student co-creates and regularly updates a Personalized Learning Plan outlining their unique pathway to graduation. Plans leverage flexible scheduling, blended learning, mastery-based grading, and holistic wraparound support to ensure students meet their academic goals while managing their personal needs.

Da Vinci currently operates three RISE High schools serving 250 students in Los Angeles, California. Da Vinci Institute provides workshops to share model best practices. Da Vinci RISE: Student Profile Da Vinci RISE Brochure

EL Education’s comprehensive improvement model transforms schools into hubs of opportunity where all students are able to reach their unique potential. The model redefines student achievement to align with what is most celebrated in adulthood—mastery of knowledge and skills, high-quality work, and character—and outlines a set of Core Practices that help bring these to life. Grounded in the belief that greater engagement leads to achievement, EL Education’s Core Practices support students in becoming self-directed learners as they grapple with complex, real-world issues like professionals. The model positions students as active and collaborative learners alongside their teachers, or as part of a crew rather than just as passengers.

The full EL Education model requires intensive in-person training and coaching over multiple years, and 152 schools spanning 35 states currently employ the full model. EL Education also has an open-source K-8 Language Arts Curriculum and a menu of professional development opportunities to support its implementation. 

Embark Education serves as a launchpad for adolescents’ inherent intellectual curiosity, prepares them for high school, and supports them to understand who they are and how they fit into the world. The model achieves its goals by creating a learning experience that is learner-centered, integrated, and embedded. Learning at Embark’s flagship school is embedded into two North Denver businesses, which grounds students’ academics in real-world situations. Learners benefit from a truly integrated curriculum in which math, English, science, and history are artfully woven together so that no content or skill is learned in isolation. At Embark, learners are at the center and, therefore, are able to capitalize on their strengths while also receiving the guidance needed to meet their academic, social, and emotional needs.

Embark is committed to sharing their unique model as well as learner-centered education more broadly. They offer site visits and 1:1 coaching to schools interested in their model. Additionally, they offer signature Iterative programming to adults seeking to implement learner-centered practices at their schools and organizations. 

The EPIC model prepares students for postsecondary success and motivates them to be change agents by focusing on areas of learning beyond academics. The model consists of five integrated components designed to support students in building critical postsecondary habits and skills: advisory, Choice Day (C Day), postsecondary seminar & counseling, exploration experiences, and student-led conferences (SLCs). 

EPIC is implemented in Intrinsic’s two Chicago campuses serving 1800+ students, where they outperform district and state peers in college readiness as measured by early college coursework, postsecondary enrollment, and graduation rate. Intrinsic offers school visits and a resource toolkit to other schools interested in implementing the EPIC model.

The GO Foundation has built a high-dosage tutoring program that can flexibly complement math and ELA instructional needs in grades 3-12 and across different learning environments. Trained AmeriCorps tutors — called Fellows — provide frequent, individualized tutoring instruction during the school day that advances the model’s three central aims: instruct for mastery and acceleration, mentor students to promote a learning mindset and positive self-identity, and contribute to the needs of the school community. The GO Foundation ensures its tutoring sessions deliver personalized, rigorous content and are offered to entire cohorts in a school, not to only a select few. This model supports a dual mission of equitable access and outcomes for all students and of inspiring a diverse pipeline of effective classroom teachers and lifelong advocates for educational justice. 

In its twelve years in operation, the GO Foundation’s high-dosage tutoring model has reached over 10,000 students at schools in Hartford, CT; Bridgeport, CT; New York, NY; Newark, NJ; Wilmington, DE; and Baltimore, MD. The Foundation offers implementation and management services through a direct partnership and standalone advisory services for schools or districts seeking to launch a high-dosage tutoring program.

Greenfield Dream Teams serve two purposes: In the short term they provide students with a network of support to fuel their academic growth and personal motivation, and in the long term they help students develop the self-awareness and confidence necessary to establish a similar support network in the future. Dream Teams are composed of peers, immediate family, a school-based “Goal Coach,” and other key influencers from a student’s life such as friends, mentors, or religious leaders. These teams convene three times each year to reflect on progress toward academic and personal goals and plan ways to achieve them during the upcoming trimester. Ultimately, Dream Teams ensure that every child has a network of support rallying around them as they pursue their goals and dreams.

Greenfield Dream Teams are implemented across several Achievement First schools. An extensive toolkit is available to support schools who wish to adopt the practice.

Greenfield Expeditions have the power to transform students’ life trajectories by exposing them to career pathways and passions that influence their future choices. These immersive, project-based mini-courses guide students to choose pathways in high school and college that align to genuine interests grounded in lived experience, and they equip students to enter college with deep self-knowledge and purpose, ultimately boosting their confidence and persistence. During Expeditions, students conduct research, participate in field visits, and collaborate with experts to learn deeply about a specific discipline such as marine biology, neuroscience, architecture, or engineering. Each Expedition culminates in a school-wide, interactive showcase where students present or perform what they have learned to their families and school community. 

Greenfield Expeditions are implemented across several Achievement First schools. An extensive toolkit is available to support schools who wish to adopt the practice. 

The Greenfield Goal Team structure aims to accelerate student success and development by bringing teams of 8–12 students together regularly—often daily—to set and reflect on academic goals or work on developing life habits. Similar to an advisory or crew, the Goal Team helps students develop a sense of purpose and build deep, meaningful relationships both with their teammates and with at least one trusted adult in the school—their Goal Coach. In addition to leading a Goal Team, the Goal Coach serves as the main connector between students and families, ensuring ongoing partnership and two-way dialogue between school and home. In the comprehensive Greenfield School Design, Goal Teams involve an added layer of support called “running partners,” where pairs of students offer one another support throughout the day between Goal Team meetings. Ultimately, this structure provides students with a powerful set of habits that are essential to their future success. 

Greenfield Goal Teams are implemented across several Achievement First schools, often in conjunction with Greenfield Dream Teams. An extensive toolkit is available to support schools who wish to adopt the practice. 

Saga’s mission is to help states and districts to strengthen student confidence and achievement in math—a leading cause of high school dropout. Saga Direct’s model for high-dosage tutoring prioritizes the academic and socioemotional needs of students in under-resourced schools by ensuring all students feel a sense of belonging and achievement. This model personalizes math intervention or acceleration through rigorous tutoring sessions scheduled during the school day. Highly trained tutors, called Fellows, act as mentors and work closely with teachers and families to support student growth within and beyond the classroom. 

Saga Direct’s high-dosage tutoring model is provided to 6,000+ students, built within the school day. Saga’s Widespread Impact division also provides comprehensive services to schools and districts: a standards-aligned math curriculum, a specialized platform for remote tutoring, as well as support for implementation, fidelity, training of supervisors and tutors, onsite inspections, and program management. With Saga, students can receive up to 150 hours of personalized instruction as part of their school day—and that tutoring time yields up to up to two-and-a-half years of academic gain in just one academic year.

For more than 50 years, the IB has equipped students with the skills, confidence and lifelong learning they need to thrive and make a difference in an ever-changing world. Through a powerful continuum of four student-centric programmes developed for learners aged 3-19, IB programmes can be implemented independently or in combination. IB Continuum They are underpinned by shared values and a shared emphasis on developing students who are lifelong learners and who are able to not only make sense of, but to make a positive impact on, our complex and interconnected world. Central to all four of its programmes are: What is an IB education?

1. International-mindedness
2. The IB learner profile
3. A broad, balanced, conceptual, and connected curriculum
4. An approach to teaching and learning centered on inquiry and positive agency

The CP provides learners with an excellent foundation to support their further studies while also ensuring preparedness for success at university and in the workforce. Designed for learners aged 16 -19, the CP works in tandem with the Diploma Programme (DP) for students aged 16-19. It layers the CP core and real-world career engagement on top of rigorous DP coursework.

In order to implement any IB programme, schools must undergo an authorization process. The IB also offers a variety of professional development, certifications, and resources for its school community. Free resources are available for schools interested in learning more.

For more than 50 years, the IB has equipped students with the skills, confidence and lifelong learning they need to thrive and make a difference in an ever-changing world. Through a powerful continuum of four student-centric programmes developed for learners aged 3-19, IB programmes can be implemented independently or in combination. IB Continuum They are underpinned by shared values and a shared emphasis on developing students who are lifelong learners and who are able to not only make sense of, but to make a positive impact on, our complex and interconnected world. Central to all four of its programmes are: What is an IB Education?

1. International-mindedness
2. The IB learner profile 
3. A broad, balanced, conceptual, and connected curriculum 
4. An approach to teaching and learning centered on inquiry and positive agency 

The DP is an academically challenging and balanced programme of education that prepares students, aged 16 to 19, for success at university and life beyond. It has been designed to address the intellectual, social, emotional, and physical well-being of students through subject teaching and the DP core. The DP has gained recognition and respect from the world’s leading universities. 

 In order to implement any IB programme, schools must undergo an authorization process. The IB also offers a variety of professional development, certifications, and resources for its school community. Free resources are available for schools interested in learning more.

For more than 50 years, the IB has equipped students with the skills, confidence and lifelong learning they need to thrive and make a difference in an ever-changing world. Through a powerful continuum of four student-centric programs developed for learners aged 3-19, IB programmes can be implemented independently or in combination. IB Continuum They are underpinned by shared values and a shared emphasis on developing students who are lifelong learners and who are able to not only make sense of, but to make a positive impact on, our complex and interconnected world. Central to all four of its programmes are: What is an IB Education?

1. International-mindedness 
2. The IB learner profile 
3. A broad, balanced, conceptual, and connected curriculum 
4. An approach to teaching and learning centered on inquiry and positive agency 

The MYP is unique in that it caters to the developmental needs of learners aged 11-16. It provides a framework of learning that emphasizes intellectual challenge and encourages connections between traditional subjects and the real world. The MYP focuses on “learning how to learn” through the systematic development of skills. An interdisciplinary approach addresses the developmental needs of students and prepares them for further academic study and life in an increasingly interconnected world. The MYP uses concepts and contexts as starting points for meaningful integration and transfer of knowledge across eight subject groups. 

 In order to implement any IB programme, schools must undergo an authorization process. The IB also offers a variety of professional development, certifications, and resources for its school community. Free resources are available for schools interested in learning more.

For more than 50 years, the IB has equipped students with the skills, confidence and lifelong learning they need to thrive and make a difference in an ever-changing world. IB Continuum  Through a powerful continuum of four student-centric programmes developed for learners aged 3-19, IB programmes can be implemented independently or in combination. They are underpinned by shared values and a shared emphasis on developing students who are lifelong learners and who are able to not only make sense of, but to make a positive impact on, our complex and interconnected world. Central to all four of its programmes are: What is an IB Education?

1. International-mindedness 
2. The IB learner profile
3. A broad, balanced, conceptual, and connected curriculum 
4. An approach to teaching and learning centered on inquiry and positive agency 

The PYP is unique in that it caters to the developmental needs of learners aged 3-12. It focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. It is a framework guided by six transdisciplinary themes of global significance, explored using knowledge and skills derived from six subject areas, as well as transdisciplinary skills, with a powerful emphasis on inquiry. 

 In order to implement any IB programme, schools must undergo an authorization process. The IB offers a variety of professional development, certifications, and resources for its school community. Free resources are available for schools interested in learning more.

AIM’s Integrated Literacy Model (ILM) was designed to ensure that all students experience learning opportunities optimal for developing literacy skills. Recognizing that no single “off the shelf” program sufficiently addresses the continuum of skills necessary to develop proficient readers and writers, the ILM brings together evidence-based programs and initiatives aligned to six core instructional components. Additionally, the ILM leverages implementation science to give teachers the strategies they need to translate evidence-based literacy programs into practice within their classrooms faithfully and sustainably. 

The Integrated Literacy Model was developed within AIM Academy, a research-to-practice school serving students with language-based learning differences. Currently, only AIM Academy implements the comprehensive model, while more than 14,000 teachers participate in AIM Institute’s Pathway Courses to learn select literacy practices that comprise the model. AIM Integrated Literacy Model Summary The AIM Pathways™ Difference

Inspired by the technical term “beta testing,” which describes the process of piloting and improving a product through continuous iteration, Living in Beta means that no one is ever finished growing, learning, or adding to themselves. Through a four-phase program, students design experiences that bring relevance and meaning to their learning and lives. Activities include scaffolded activities that help them understand and navigate their interests, goals, and futures; real-world experiences; and supportive mentorship from a certified adult. These transformative experiences empower students to develop a greater sense of identity, belonging, purpose, and direction as they test and iterate on their passions, explore their personal values, and discover their purpose, or “why.” 

The Living in Beta model has been implemented in 25 organizations in 15 states and 5 countries, in addition to the flagship, One Stone. Learners in those schools have reported increases in classroom engagement, passion for learning, relevance, and connectedness. They also felt more prepared for life outside of high school. Through its certification program, school visits, and professional development opportunities, One Stone supports school communities looking to implement the Living in Beta model.

Math for the Long-View immerses learners in a knowledge-building community, freeing them to think critically, creatively, and independently, while also developing their communication and collaboration skills. Learners construct durable and deep knowledge structures by working collaboratively to reason their way to new understandings. They make conjectures, create algorithms, write proofs, and communicate their findings to the scrutiny of their peers. 

Math for the Long-View is implemented at Long-View Micro School in Austin, TX, which also operates as a lab for other schools and teachers working to implement the model. In addition to the 75 students at Long-View Micro School, the model has reached over 1,000 educators and their students across the country through myriad offerings. Long-View offers professional development, school visits, and resources, including a subscription-based website, to those interested in implementing the model. The Long-View Math Experience

Navigator Learning created a student grouping model that supports the development of leadership, interpersonal relationships, and collaborative problem-solving. Its mission is rooted in a belief that if students are to be successful in college, the workplace, and beyond, they need so much more than traditional, teacher-led instruction. The aim of Navi Squads is for students to master their own learning through student-centered group work. In small, structured groups, students rotate through distinct roles. Some students act as leaders and some as facilitators, and others offer operational and logistical support. Squad members learn together by navigating work that’s challenging and engaging. 

Navi Squads is being piloted in three Navigator Schools in California and three partner schools. This model reaches 630 students across two states. Navigator Learning hosts learning communities and workshops dedicated to sharing learnings and improving on Navi Squads. For a more comprehensive collaboration, it also offers partnerships or consultations to those interested in implementing this or other Navigator Learning models.

The New Tech Network (NTN) Model is guided by four Focus Areas. NTN developed the focus areas to align the work of whole school transformation and to help school communities understand the overarching goals that impact the work through all phases of our school development process.

• College & Career Ready Outcomes: Prepare each student for postsecondary success with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets to be ready for college and career.
• Supportive & Inclusive Culture: Foster a school-wide culture of belonging, care, community, and growth for adults and students. 
• Meaningful & Equitable Instruction: Center the instructional approach on authentic, complex thinking, and problem-solving through high-quality, relevant project-based learning (PBL).
• Purposeful Assessment: Cultivate shared, school-wide understandings of equitable, purposeful assessment and grading practices that inform teacher instruction, emphasize individual student growth, and demonstrate progress towards college and career readiness.

The NTN Model has been implemented in over 200 schools and has reached more than 80,000 students. NTN students consistently outperform non-NTN students on standardized assessments and make significant gains in critical thinking skills. NTN offers one-on-one coaching and consultation, professional development, resource toolkits, and more to schools interested in implementing the model.

Public Impact’s Opportunity Culture initiative aims to provide more students with consistently excellent teaching by extending the reach of high-quality teachers. The model takes existing school staff and redistributes roles and responsibilities to leverage talent in ways that boost student learning and educator satisfaction. Multi-classroom leaders are excellent teachers who lead a team of about six teachers. With additional support and more specialized staff, teachers collaborate on instructional planning, share best practices around rigorous and personalized learning, and participate in just-right professional development sessions. This model ensures that teachers have access to more effective learning strategies and students receive consistently high-quality instruction.

Public Impact partners with K–12 schools and districts to support the restructuring of school design and operations to make this model work. Currently implemented across more than 10 states and 50 districts nationwide, Opportunity Culture has shown to provide approximately one-half year of extra learning in reading and math.

P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools) was designed to provide youth in under-resourced systems with an innovative education opportunity that is a direct pathway to college attainment and career readiness. It was developed through a public-private partnership with IBM to enable students to earn both a high school diploma and a no-cost, two-year postsecondary degree in a STEM field.

Spanning grades 9-14, P-TECH provides a holistic approach to education and workforce development. Working at their own pace, students complete a combination of high school and college-level coursework to earn both a high school diploma and associate degree. They also participate in a range of workplace experiences such as mentorships, worksite visits, and paid internships. P-TECH’s ultimate goal is to prepare youth for the estimated 16 million “new collar” jobs that will be created in the US economy by 2024. These jobs will require postsecondary degrees, but not necessarily a four-year college degree.

P-TECH has grown to more than 300 schools worldwide with more than 600 large and small companies serving as partners across a range of sectors, including health IT, advanced manufacturing, and energy technology. P-TECH shares extensive information about its model on its website. P-TECH also supports its model with the digital platform IBM SkillsBuild for Students and Educators (formerly Open P-TECH).

Place-based education (PBE) is anytime, anywhere learning that leverages the power of place and connects learners to communities and the world around them. Teton Science Schools’ Place Network defines “place” as the ecological, cultural, and economic aspects that make up a community. Research in PBE indicates that a student’s sense of self, motivation to learn, and community engagement are enhanced through meaningful interactions with immediate physical and cultural environments. This is because students learn best when they are able to situate their learning in a relevant context. The Place Network brings Teton Science Schools’ innovative teaching practices, enduring relationships, integrated curriculum, and global awareness to students and teachers anywhere in the world. 

The PBE model reaches over 600 students and 100 educators in 18 schools in rural communities across the country and worldwide, in such places as Bhutan, where students experience greater engagement, academic outcomes, and sense of belonging. The Place Network offers a variety of resources and supports, including cohort learning communities, one-on-one coaching and consulting, professional development, and resource toolkits to schools interested in implementing the PBE model.

Pod is an enhanced advisory model developed by City Neighbors High School (CNHS). Often considered the heart of the school, Pod is frequently described by students and advisors as a “second family.” All students belong to a Pod with no more than 17 others, and each Pod sticks together with its advisor through all four years of high school. A Pod is also a reserved meeting, working, and living space for students. Pod becomes a place where students feel at “home away from home” in school, and it strives to ensure that every student is “known, loved, and inspired.”

The Pod model entails some common activities while also leaving ample space for teacher autonomy and student voice. Activity blocks, special programming, and Individual Learning Plans are important parts of the Pod experience. City Neighbors offers site visits and a resource toolkit to support schools in implementing Pod.

Recognizing that every student is different, Intrinsic designed PODs to flexibly leverage time, space, staff, and technology to meet students where they are and encourage independence. PODs involve big, flexible classrooms that allow teachers and students to make class exactly what it needs to be every day. Each POD has three teachers and upwards of 60 students, who rotate among teacher-led instruction, independent learning time, small-group work, and project-based learning – all based on the individual needs of each student. Instruction in PODs is coupled with self-reflection and goal-setting to support students as they build a solid academic foundation and engage in work that closely mirrors postsecondary expectations, while fostering independence and agency. 

PODs are implemented in Intrinsic’s two Chicago campuses serving 1800+ students. There, they strive to accelerate growth among all learners, as measured on NWEA MAP and the P/SAT Suite of Assessments. Intrinsic offers school visits and a resource toolkit to other schools interested in implementing the PODs model.

The Robertson Center at Success Academy is where educational thinkers and changemakers come together to advance learning for all children. Through programming and content, they aim to amplify what’s working in Success Academy’s K–12 schools, share lessons learned about creating strong education communities, and create space to learn with external peers. Project-based learning (PBL) is a critical component of Success Academy’s elementary school literacy curriculum and supports the development of reading, writing, and verbal communication. Through projects, scholars engage with learning in ways that connect academic skills and knowledge to the real world.

Success Academy’s PBL units are designed for scholars to immerse themselves in one topic from a cross-disciplinary perspective. During PBL lessons, scholars read rigorous shared texts, conduct their own research, and explore topics in their local community. At the end of each project, scholars present their creations and learnings to friends and families. 

The Robertson Center has published 10 of Success Academy’s PBL units, and more than 30 elementary schools are currently implementing these lessons as part of their literacy curriculum. The Robertson Center currently offers services around direct implementation as well as professional development webinars to support leaders and teachers.

The Self-Directed Learning model was designed to give young people agency over their learning, guiding them to flourish and find a calling that will transform our world. The model embraces highly personalized, hands-on learning with real-world work in service of supporting young people to become curious, independent thinkers with a lifelong love of learning. Learners develop a wide range of skills that underpin self-direction—learning to learn, learning to be, learning to do, and learning to live together. The model centers around five key experiences, which are largely learner-led. Under the model, learners engage in Socratic discussions, challenge their peers to set rigorous daily goals, work on traditional academic disciplines at their own pace, practice self-governance, and tackle real problems through Quests. 

Five schools have adopted the Self-Directed Learning model, and over 80 partners have gone through The Forest School and the Self-Directed Learning Institute’s workshops or trainings to design and build their own models. The Forest School and the Self-Directed Learning Institute offer 1:1 coaching and consulting, professional development, cohort learning communities, and resource toolkits to schools interested in implementing their approach. 

St. Benedict’s model supports students to fulfill their potential as emotionally mature, morally responsible, and well-educated citizens. To do this, they create meaningful student leadership opportunities, social-emotional support systems, and community-building structures. The success of the model hinges on the idea that students are responsible for their own development as well as that of their peers. While the model was developed explicitly to serve students of color and students from low-income backgrounds, it has the potential to support students from all racial, religious, and socioeconomic groups.

The St. Benedict’s Prep model is implemented at the flagship site in Newark, NJ, serving 950 students, of which 85% identify as students of color and 80% receive financial aid. St. Benedict’s students far outpace Newark in graduation rate and college enrollment and persistence. The Father Mark Payne Institute offers site visits, professional development, implementation workshops, and ongoing support for schools interested in implementing the model.

The centerpiece of the NuVu model is the studio. Inspired by the MIT Media Lab, the NuVu studio is an immersive, interdisciplinary learning experience built around four pillars: innovation, empathy, design, and impact. Each studio is structured by hands-on, real-world projects in a 6:1 student-to-coach ratio that ensures support for students as they work on open-ended problems. To create voice and purpose for students, studio topics always include relevant social issues. 

NuVu students work on a single multidisciplinary studio for 3 to 4 weeks rather than attending multiple courses each day. Projects help students deepen their critical thinking skills, express their creativity, learn to collaborate, and develop deep technical skills. All learning in the NuVu model is hands-on, so students spend a lot of time in “the shop,” a multi-faceted fabrication space where students have access to a variety of materials, resources, and tools, both digital and analog. Students also have access to experts who serve as guest coaches and bring rigor to the learning process by providing feedback, provoking new ways of thinking, and encouraging iteration.

NuVu graduates have proven to be prepared to thrive in engineering, art, and design programs at highly selective colleges. As NuVu continues to empower its students with the technical skills to become designers, entrepreneurs, makers and inventors, it has developed NuVuX, an initiative that brings design, creativity and innovation to K-12 schools and organizations around the world. NuVu serves as the epicenter of the growing global NuVuX Partner Network. NuVu Brochure A Day in NuVu

Created in Chicago and implemented nationwide, Success Bound guides middle school students through the process of developing and refining a unique vision for the future while building awareness of the ways that their daily choices contribute to realizing that vision. In weekly lessons, students learn new skills to take ownership of their learning, seek help from others, and respond to adversity. 

The Success Bound model has been implemented in 200 schools and is helping over 25,000 students prepare for high school, identify pathways to postsecondary success, and take ownership of their education. Success Bound offers resource toolkits and one-on-one coaching and consulting to others interested in implementing the model

Summit Learning is a comprehensive program offered by educator-led nonprofit Gradient Learning. In Summit Learning classrooms, teachers deliver dynamic lessons to the whole class, small groups, or one-on-one. Recognizing that each child is unique, educators teach in ways that ensure each student gains knowledge and develops lifelong learning skills on the timeline and in the ways that they learn best, from small group support, to group projects, to mentoring. This comprehensive model includes a platform through which students can access hands-on, real-world tasks and activities, take assessments, monitor feedback, and track their learning progress. The model is grounded in learning science and is adaptable for grades 4 through 12 across all core disciplines. 

Summit Learning is implemented in 400 schools reaching 85,000 students where they experience an increase in academic scores, cognitive skills, and relevance in learning, as well as positive personal and interpersonal skills. Gradient Learning offers resource toolkits, professional development, and one-on-one coaching and consulting to schools interested in implementing the model.

Teach to One 360 integrates the best of instruction and adaptive technology to deliver personalized math classes to every learner. The model leverages a robust curriculum with thousands of high-quality lessons from multiple providers that can replace or supplement any core math content for grades 5 through Algebra 1. Its unique online platform assesses students’ math skills and designs learning schedules to best fit their needs. In a Teach to One 360 class, students get to experience the beauty of math discovery through collaboration within various learning modalities: teacher-led instruction, peer-to-peer learning, or independent online learning—all customized just for them.

Teach to One 360 has so far reached more than 100 classrooms across 22 states. For schools seeking to adopt this program, New Classrooms offers a direct partnership that comes with comprehensive implementation support. Additional standalone digital tools are also available for schools seeking to diagnose and accelerate students’ math content knowledge and skills.

The Learning Challenge was designed to give young people access to rich learning opportunities, putting them in the driver’s seat. Through the Challenge, young people define what they want to learn and how, and what success is to them, which ignites their passion for learning and reinforces their capacity and desire to enact their agency in intentional ways. Over the course of 10 weeks, GripTape supports young people in pursuit of a learning endeavor driven by their interests, by providing them with full decision-making authority, financial resources, and an adult Champion to encourage them along the way. When young people engage in this empowering program, they experience lasting shifts in their mindsets, skills, and behaviors, which, in turn, further equip them to enact their agency now and in the future. 

Over 2,000 young people across 48 states and two territories have completed the Learning Challenge. GripTape offers the Learning Challenge opportunity directly to young people and also supports schools, districts, and organizations that wish to adopt or adapt the program for their communities, through one-on-one coaching and consulting, professional development, and resource toolkits. Learning Challenge Overview

The Modern Classrooms Project empowers educators with their innovative instructional model to ensure all students are appropriately challenged and supported every day. The instructional model has three components: blended instruction, self-pacing, and mastery-based learning. Implementation of the model fosters strong student–teacher relationships, builds critical learning strategies that underpin self-direction, increases confidence and love of learning, and increases content mastery. The model also leverages technology and is best implemented in contexts where educators have support to innovate and reimagine instruction. 

The Modern Classrooms Project has reached over 53,000 educators in 169 countries. In order to support implementation, they offer resource toolkits, professional development, one-on-one coaching and consulting, and cohort learning communities, to equip educators with the skills, resources, and community required to sustain and improve upon this customized instructional approach.

The Parent Program impacts two generations —parent and child—through a coaching approach. It is parent-centered, relationship-based wellness programming that connects families to concrete supports, increases social connections, and elevates self-efficacy. The program’s approach aims to increase parent agency and mitigate the impacts of toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences on parents and their children in the long term. This is done by meeting parents where they are, both on their well-being journey and where their capacity is to support their children’s health and education. The program is a partnership with parents to strengthen protective factors for children and families as a whole. These protective factors include parental resilience, social connections, concrete supports in times of need, knowledge of parenting and child development, and social and emotional competence of children. The Parent Program achieves this by assigning a dedicated Parent Wellness Coach to each family. The Parent Wellness Coach is trained to apply two coaching frameworks in individual and group settings. 

The Primary School implements the Parent Program at its East Palo Alto and East Bay sites. East Palo Alto East Bay While the Parent Program can be run from birth until middle school, they are currently piloting iterations of the program from grade 3 onward. The Primary School is looking to support other schools and community settings interested in piloting the Parent Program.

The Whole Child Model makes students’ socio-emotional growth foundational to everything a school does. It is a trauma-informed, social-emotional learning model rooted in an understanding that children’s academic success is inextricably linked to their overall well-being, and in the belief that we can—and must—attend to the development of the whole child. The model helps students build the intra- and inter-personal skills they need to regulate their emotions, manage stress, and handle conflicts productively. It does this through a multi-tier system of supports that together develop a safe and warm school environment for everyone—including students and their families. 

In addition to the flagship site, the Whole Child Model is currently being piloted in over 20 schools across Washington D.C., Texas, and Tennessee. Students in pilot classes demonstrated significant growth in various social-emotional factors such as perseverance, social awareness, and self-efficacy. Free resource toolkits, as well as some Cohort Learning Communities, are available to schools interested in implementing the Whole Child Model.

The Whole-Bodied Education Model by Girls Athletic Leadership Schools (GALS) aims to support young women to become powerful advocates for themselves and leaders for their communities. It reflects GALS’ belief that academic growth is strengthened through social, emotional, and physical health support. All students are challenged, take risks, learn from failure, and leverage their individual strengths through rigorous, standards-based academic programming. 

Specifically, Movement Modules and active pedagogy ensure students experience the connection between pushing themselves physically and thriving academically. In addition, they learn to be self-aware, to set goals, and to become advocates in their learning and growth through the GALS Series, a homegrown SEL curriculum that focuses on female adolescent development and empowerment. The single-gendered context is embraced as a strength, while difference and individuality within what it means to be female is celebrated as part of the distinct community that makes up the school. 

There are three GALS schools operating in Denver and Los Angeles and serving 512 students, and two GALS-inspired schools exist in Guatemala and Israel. Students of GALS express confidence in their ability to be successful. GALS offers school visits, professional development, 1:1 coaching, and its GALS Series curriculum for schools interested in implementing the Whole-Bodied Model.