REIMAGINE LEARNING Brought to you by…
THE DIFFICULT WE DO RIGHT AWAY, THE IMPOSSIBLE WILL TAKE A LITTLE LONGER Productions
DO YOU THINK WE NEED TO FIX OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM?
Mend a few flat tires on the bus? Give it a nice new paint job? Smooth out a dented bumper or two? Make it a better ride?
SCHOOL BUS
S
THE THING IS:
WE DON’T JUST NEED TO FIX OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM...
We need to... FUNDAMENTALLY
REIMAGINE LEARNING
IT’S A different KIND OF PROBLEM. SO IT REQUIRES A DIFFERENT KIND OF solution.
Because there’s no single mechanic in the world who can “fix the system”— no matter how well-equipped the garage.
THE REAL FIX IS THE GROUP.
Say what?
Not just any group. Let us explain...
The frontier of social change is where people and organizations are mobilizing into smart, agile groups to drive change together.
We call this...
And to reimagine learning, we are aligning the action of a diverse group* of… SOCIAL INNOVATORS NONPROFITS FUNDERS POLICY MAKERS RESEARCHERS ACADEMICS THOUGHT LEADERS AND EVEN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY *Check out some of our great partners on the inside of the back cover!
...who together have crafted a
for what's possible for a learner.
THIS VISION IS POSSIBLE BECAUSE‌
This new group believes that what truly matters is understanding the experience of learning through the eyes of the learner rather than from the perspective of the adults in the system.
AND WE CAN DO THIS TODAY BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF LEARNING THAN EVER BEFORE.
It is this understanding that is driving...
BETWEEN HOW TEACHING AND LEARNING LOOK TODAY
...the group to BRIDGE THE CHASM
AND HOW STUDENTS TRULY LEARN BEST
w you're probably thinkin g... We kno
WHAT EVER GETS DONE BY COMMITTEE?
Groups are so... difficult
cumbersome inefficient
WHY EVEN BOTHER?
BUT... Through our Aligned Action Lab, we lead a group through a thoughtful process that doesn’t dumb down difference or try to make the unstable stable.
IN A SPACE BUILT ON TRUST, GROUPS CREATE TOGETHER — LAUNCH EXPERIMENTS, LEARN AND REFINE. NEW INNOVATIONS SPRING FROM NOVEL INTEGRATION DIVERGENCE YIELDS TO A FRESH UNDERSTANDING
AND FROM THE FRAGMENTS OF MANY PERSPECTIVES COMES A SHARED NARRATIVE OF CHANGE.
We call this...
AND EVERY GROUP NEEDS ONE.
Our “Story That’s Not Yet True” is grounded in
3
SHARED BELIEFS
...that burrow to the root cause of the problem and offer the essential DNA for unlocking the potential of all students.
TODAY, we lack the mindset, tools and expertise to recognize that ALL students learn differently.
BELIEF #1 THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS THE “AVERAGE LEARNER.” We need to be able to identify the unique talents and needs of every child, personalize instruction and help them realize their potential.
TODAY, we undervalue social
and emotional learning because we don’t understand how profoundly it impacts how a brain develops and supports positive life outcomes.
BELIEF #2 THE BEST LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS RECOGNIZE THAT COGNITIVE, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS ARE INEXTRICABLY LINKED AND TOGETHER DRIVE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, WELL-BEING AND LIFE SUCCESS. We need to put the same value and energy into teaching social and emotional skills* as we do into teaching algebra. *Skills like: grit, self-regulation, empathy
TODAY, we perpetuate an old paradigm of learning where we do things “at,” “to,” and “for” students.
BELIEF #3 STUDENTS CAN BE MASTERFUL GUIDES IN THEIR OWN LEARNING JOURNEY AND POWERFUL AGENTS OF CHANGE IN SOCIETY. We need to support young people in developing their own self-awareness, direction, and voice.
BUT BEYOND THESE FACTS, WHAT WE OFTEN LOSE SIGHT OF IS...
ude t s a
nt
ONLY 35% OF 8TH GRADERS ARE AT OR ABOVE “PROFICIENT” IN MATH ONLY 59% OF STUDENTS WHO START COLLEGE GRADUATE WITHIN 6 YEARS ONLY 34% OF 8TH GRADERS ARE AT OR ABOVE “PROFICIENT” IN READING
1/3 OF THE NATION’S AFRICANAMERICAN AND LATINO YOUNG MEN WILL NOT GRADUATE ON TIME ONLY 34% OF 25- TO 29-YEAR OLDS HAVE EARNED A BACHELOR’S DEGREE OR HIGHER
UP TO 60% OF ADOLESCENTS IN TREATMENT FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE HAVE LEARNING DISABILITIES.
1 MILLION STUDENTS DROP OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL EACH YEAR
22% OF SCHOOL-AGED KIDS (12.2 MM) HAVE EXPERIENCED 3 OR MORE ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES (ABUSE, NEGLECT, HOUSEHOLD DYSFUNCTION).
SCHOOLS ARE DESIGNED TO PROVIDE EXTRA SUPPORT TO JUST 15% OF STUDENTS, WHEN — ESPECIALLY IN HIGH POVERTY COMMUNITIES — EXTRA SUPPORT IS NEEDED BY AT LEAST 50%
HELP!!
62% OF STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES WERE UNEMPLOYED ONE YEAR AFTER GRADUATION
35% OF STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES DROP OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL
ONLY 8% OF LOW INCOME KIDS HAVE A BACHELOR’S DEGREE BY AGE 24
OF STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES WHO DO GRADUATE, LESS THAN 2% ATTEND A FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE, DESPITE THE FACT THAT MANY ARE ABOVE AVERAGE IN INTELLIGENCE.
...AND THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE NUMBERS 45% OF STUDENTS WITH SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS DROP OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL
IT IS A STORY OF...
THIS STUDENT IS COMPLEX (TRANSLATION: HE IS NOT AN “AVERAGE,” HE THINKS DIFFERENTLY)
AND WE KNOW THIS ABOUT HIM: When the way he learns matches the demands of the situation at hand, he succeeds. When the way he learns does not match the demands of the situation at hand, he may not succeed.
AND WHILE THIS STUDENT IS ONE-OF-A-KIND, HE IS NOT UNIQUE. He’s one of the MANY MILLIONS of students across the country whose talents and needs are mismatched to the current system he’s in.
THE THING IS: If he doesn’t believe he can learn… If he doesn’t know how to learn (because how he learns doesn’t match how he’s being taught)… And if he isn’t able to match his learning strengths and needs with the environment he’s in…
THEN HE IS DOOMED TO BECOME THE LEAD ACTOR IN THIS STORY OF LOST HUMAN POTENTIAL.
HOW ARE WE REIMAGINING LEARNING FOR THIS COMPLEX LEARNER? We’re mobilizing around him. On multiple fronts.
And making bets on three powerful levers for change:
WE’RE EXPERIMENTING WITH WAYS TO CHANGE PRACTICE ON THE GROUND. AND, LAUNCH A SET OF DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS THAT EMBODY WHAT WE BELIEVE…
FROM SCALING GAMECHANGING INNOVATIONS AND IDEAS THROUGH OUR PLATFORM ORGANIZATIONS
TO CREATING INNOVATIVE NEW TOOLS THAT HELP STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THEMSELVES AS LEARNERS AND CREATE THEIR OWN LEARNING AGENDA TO PROTOTYPING IDEAS FOR FLIPPING THE WAY ENTIRE COMMUNITIES CONCEIVE OF, AND ENGAGE IN, LEARNING
WE’RE FORMULATING AN AGENDA TO CHANGE POLICY IN A WAY THAT…
REMOVES BARRIERS TO CREATING RADICALLY DIFFERENT TEACHING AND LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS ON THE GROUND
CREATES INCENTIVES TO FOCUS ON ACADEMIC, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING, NOT JUST TEST SCORES
BUILDS THE CAPACITY OF SCHOOLS AND EDUCATORS TO MEET ALL LEARNER NEEDS
WE’RE EXPLORING WHAT IT TAKES TO CHANGE CULTURE BY…
UNDERSTANDING THE UNDERLYING BELIEFS THAT WE NEED TO CHANGE TO REALIZE THE FUTURE WE’VE ENVISIONED
ENGAGING CHANGE AGENTS AND OPINION LEADERS TO DRIVE WIDESPREAD CHANGE IN BELIEFS, ATTITUDES, AND BEHAVIORS
WE’RE ALSO ACTIVELY DEVELOPING THE NETWORK ITSELF BY...
REFINING OUR PLAN FOR IMPACT to be clear about what we are mobilizing to do CONVENING THE GROUP THROUGHOUT THE YEAR to ensure we’re building trust and learning together SEEING EACH OTHER’S WORK IN ACTION to gain better understanding of what superpowers we have collectively UNDERSTANDING THE BROADER LANDSCAPE OF ACTIVITIES to identify opportunities to partner or expand our impact
ALL THE WHILE, WE’RE WORKING TO CONTINUALLY DEFINE AND REFINE WHAT MAKES THIS GROUP A GROUP. Because we know that Aligned Action networks must be grown as well as designed.
They’re fueled by participants’ commitment, can develop into many forms, and require high-touch, dynamic guidance.
WE KNOW THAT
NETWORKS EMERGE. They are stable and unstable — at the same time.
ADAPT
They need to...
FLEX
EVOLVE
AND AS THIS ONE DOES, THE STORY THAT’S NOT YET TRUE just may begin to become a little bit truer
s u . . . p l e h d n A
REIMAGINE LEARNING
OUR PARTNERS INCLUDE ANet City Year Convergence Center for Policy Resolution Eye to Eye New Classrooms Innovation Partners New Teacher Center Oak Foundation Peace First Poses Family Foundation Roch Hillenbrand Sarah Peter The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation Turnaround for Children University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning Wasserman Foundation
A part of Deloitte Consulting LLP
Find out more at: www.monitorinstitute.com/aligned-action
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