New Journey

"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."  André Gide

For many years, I was certain about what my career path was to be.  I have grown up in the community where I was raised and educated.  My husband and I have have remained here to grow our careers as educators, and to raise our three amazing children.  Surrounded by what we know and supported by friends and family, we have felt safe and secure.  Life has been extremely good to us and we have been very happy.  It has been comfortable to keep the shore in our sights and we have not felt the need to set sail.  I, however, have always been a starry eyed dreamer with big plans to create a system where education really is the great equalizer for children.  Here is the problem- I was so busy feeling comfortable and content that I did not even realize that I could be dreaming even bigger.   This is where my new journey begins.

In 2018, I was blessed with the opportunity to take the Assistant Regional Superintendent job in ROE 17.  I entered an unbelievably positive work environment and immediately felt valued and appreciated by everyone I encountered.  I was in awe of this job that had so much autonomy and allowed me to do what I love most- support educators.  I joined a rock-star team and found myself loving every day that I spent working with them to support our hard working educators.  This same year, I was invited by friends at FIRST Education Resources to join a team of associates that they were building for a new endeavor- Challenging Learning USA.  I was thrilled, especially because I already had great familiarity and respect for all of the work that Challenging Learning has done and what they stand for.  I also figured I would receive valuable training that would enhance my work in the region.

What I did not expect was the complete hijacking of my life that would occur as I delved deeper into their work and forged true friendships with them as we chatted for hours about our beliefs, our dreams, and our journeys.  I immediately connected with Jill Nottingham and Martin Renton and felt like I  finally had some clarity about what it is that we need to be doing in education and about how my strengths and passions fit into the work.  Fast forward six months to my first opportunity to engage with James Nottingham when he was in town for a conference.  He asked for my thoughts and opinions and truly listened to and cared about my answers.  I spent more time with all three of them, learning about their work with schools through their Challenging Learning Process (CLP).  At that point I was completely intrigued and excited at the same time as I began to ponder the possibilities for American schools in making the significant shifts necessary to meet the rapidly changing needs of ALL students.

Over the next few months, I met more of the Challenging Learning team and found each and every one of them to be clearly focused on the same vision and full of hope and passion for what is possible in schools.  I was invited on James's tour with Carol Dweck and I visited schools changed by the process where I engaged in dialogue with educators who have been a part of the process and the change.  The transformations were unbelievable and the educators were extremely grateful for and passionate about the work.  I asked no less than 100,000 questions as I learned about this fully supported continuous improvement process that touches on all aspects of a learning community and is artfully designed with an infrastructure and progress monitoring system ensuring nothing less than success and sustainable results.  It works- and it is a process that  truly SUPPORTS educators.  I decided that we must have this in schools in the United States, and James, Jill and Martin in turn decided that I could be a useful addition to their team in order to help with this exciting endeavor.

This is a journey I would have never, in a million years, known to dream about.  I still have to pinch myself to be sure that I am not, in fact, dreaming.  This new journey will allow me opportunities to do so much thrilling and fulfilling work including supporting schools not only in the US, but around the world, writing, researching, and presenting.  This wouldn't be possible without everyone along the way, including my family and friends, who have supported me as I have garnered the courage to move away from the shore and the comfort of what is known.  Over the last few months, the unwavering faith that the CL team has placed in me and in my abilities have helped me to regain a confidence in myself that had been lost, and I have allowed my starry-eyed-dreamer-self to again dream big.  Not only are they like family to me, but they also know and care about my family, allowing me to be comfortable in making this jump with the knowledge that we will always do what is best for my family.  They are incredibly kind, generous, hard working, and laser focused on their vision, making it very easy to be "all in".  I am so thankful to James, Jill and Martin for all that they done for me, personally and professionally and I am honored and excited by the prospect of working with them for the remainder of my career.

Only the perfect opportunity could possibly take me away from what I have in my current position.  This chance to be a member of the Challenging Learning team as we support educators the world over to provide the very best for all children, while continuing my connection with ROE 17 is truly perfect and a dream come true.  As someone I know and respect likes to say: "Easy is boring; challenge is interesting."  Looking forward to this challenge!!

The Challenging Learning Process in action

“We had gotten to a place where we just couldn’t work any harder.”  This quote from a teacher at Highweek Elementary in Devon, England captures the sentiment of educators the world over.  Anywhere you go, you are likely to find educators who are hard at work attempting to create the best possible learning environment for their students.  The education crisis we find ourselves in at the moment has not been created as a result of educators who don’t care or who are not putting forth their best effort.  They are doing what they know and understand, and they are working very hard at it by adding more and more to their plates in an effort to create positive change.  What the Challenging Learning Process is doing for schools around the world is creating systems and frameworks for change that help communities to narrow their focus and reduce fatigue on the teachers by maximizing their efforts.

Last week, I was like a kid in a candy shop as I explored three schools in England that have been engaged in long term work with Challenging learning.  I am now more encouraged than ever that, with the support of Challenging Learning, ALL schools can engage in this transformation with GRAND results while not taxing the educators.  Through observation and dialogue with staff and students, I was able to identify some common threads that, when weaved together, build a learning culture capable of producing a positive impact on student learning.   While each school was unique, the basic tenets that have driven the work of Challenging Learning since its inception were clearly present.  It is this consistency and focus that contributes to the long-term success of the Challenging Learning Process and the option to network participating schools as they work to build their own capacity.

I will try to capture in words and pictures the magic that I witnessed in these schools, but it is a daunting task and I do not believe I will do it justice.  Please reach out to me or visit the Challenging Learning website if you would like to have a more detailed conversation.  I love to share, and I especially love to help schools!

The three schools we visited were at different places in their journey and located in different parts of England, but they all had very diverse populations and all began their Challenging Learning Process because they saw a need for change.  Brudenell Primary School, located in Leeds is led by Headteacher Jill Harland,  St John with St Mark Primary School, located in Bury is led by Headteacher Steven Ollis, and Highweek Primary School, located in Devon is led by Headteacher Judy Martyn.  All three schools emphasized the fact that they are still on their improvement journey and also pointed out that they started out trying to do too much too fast. This work IS a journey and NOT a race!

One common focus in all three schools was learning.  This may seem too simple and too obvious at first thought- of course you will focus on learning if you want to improve learning!  What has worked for them, though, is the intentionality with which Challenging Learning helps teams to focus all efforts on learning.  It starts with adult learning and the importance of supporting the educators in their learning.  All three schools included ALL adults in training and held the educators accountable for continued learning.  At Brudenell, Jill Harland first introduces all new concepts and strategies by modeling them with her staff.  Their staff room is set up for dialogue and collaboration, and they consistently use opinion lines to make collaborative decisions:

At Brudenell, the teachers are assigned learning partners and they engage in a shared Action research throughout the year.  At St John with St Mark, teachers are also expected to engage in action learning as part of their evaluation.  

At Highweek, there is an entire wall display devoted to all of the learning they have engaged in throughout their Challenging Learning journey.  They detail the learning and they provide evidence that demonstrates how it has become embedded in their school culture.  The staff shared with us that part of their success is due to the fact that their staff "loves teaching because they love learning."

The focus on learning and the fact that it is a journey and not an event is emphasized in each of the buildings as well.  It was clear in the language that teachers used, the way that they delivered lessons, and in their wall displays.  What really struck us was the way that these schools created consistent language and clearly articulated their vision throughout their classrooms while maintaining individuality and autonomy.  Notice the variety in learning journeys:

At St John with St Mark:

At Highweek:

All three schools have also been intentional about including parents in the learning by helping them to understand the language of learning and by including them in the learning process.  Staff members shared stories with us about parents who were completely disengaged from school because of prior experiences that were not good, or because they did not believe in the value of education who are now excited to participate in school activities and who support their children in doing optional preview homework to prepare themselves for learning.  At Brudenell, this bulletin board is prominently displayed at the entrance and includes flyers for parents to take home and use to support dialogue with their children:

At Highweek, they have been able to engage parents through the use of preview homework assignments.  Rather than assigning homework that creates stress for parents who do not feel confident in being able to help their child, they send home preview assignments that are completely open-ended and encourage families to explore a topic that will be studied in the next couple of weeks.  Families can create any product and present information in any way that is interesting to them.  Highweek has had great success in engaging families in this way!

When educators focus on learning and especially on creating a culture of learning through shared language and shared purpose, they realize the importance of making learning clear and visible for the learners.  This work was extremely evident in all three buildings.  As we walked through classrooms and viewed student work, we saw learning objectives and success criteria everywhere.  Students of all ages identified the learning objective associated with the work they were doing and they evaluated their work on clear success criteria.  When we asked students what they were learning, they were able to tell us not only what they were learning, but what would come next in their learning.  Here are examples of this clarity of purpose:

At Brudenell:

At St. John with St Mark (these examples show feedback, response to feedback and self-evaluation as well):

At Highweek (these also demonstrate the use of feedback and response)

At this point, it is possible that some educators will see, in what I have shared, similarities to work that their school has done or that they have done in their classroom.  Truly the magic of the Challenging Learning Process is the continuous improvement process that is developed and implemented alongside the school leaders so that the vision and context of the school can be artfully combined with the core strategies and principles of Challenging Learning.  This is done through the use of Action Learning Cycles that include time for adult learning, authentic practice, modeling and support, and reflection.  It is because of this integrated and cohesive approach to culture change that schools do not find it necessary to engage in additional and isolated efforts to change specific aspects of their culture such as Social Emotional Learning, Collective Efficacy, Self-efficacy, or differentiated instruction.  All of this happens organically and authentically. We saw evidence of Challenging Learning priorities such as challenge and the learning pit, growth mindset, and the effective use of dialogue and feedback throughout the buildings that we visited.  

Humans learn best when they challenge themselves to explore and question all that they believe to be true so that they can better understand and articulate their beliefs about the world.  This idea of challenge and the creation of cognitive conflict in order to build and develop deeper understanding and learning is the foundation of Challenging Learning.  We saw many examples of challenge and the use of the Learning Pit throughout the buildings.  At Highweek, the teachers actually use the pit as a framework for their math lessons.  We were able to observe students working through this framework, and the dialogue was absolutely astounding!  The students were clearly learning and were able to apply their learning in a variety of ways.  As I mentioned earlier, we were also impressed by the consistency of the Learning Pit idea and language combined with the individuality demonstrated in the different iterations.  

Another foundation of Challenging Learning is Philosophy for Children (or P4C).  Challenging Learning founder James Nottingham began using P4C in the early 1990’s as a way to encourage children to engage in inquiry through dialogue as they are challenged to clarify their own thinking and their own arguments.  Therefore, all Challenging Learning Processes will include work with some aspect of P4C and/or dialogue.  At Brudenell, they have a room in the school that is devoted to dialogue.  Teachers can bring their classes to the room to facilitate dialogue activities or P4C sessions.  They also have prompts for the 4 C’s (critical, creative, collaborative, and caring thinking)  in each of the classrooms:

In all three schools, there was evidence of P4C and dialogue.  In talking with students, it was also clear in all three settings that children have been given a voice and that they are comfortable sharing with and questioning each other and adults.

Another important strategy that is key to the Challenging Learning Process is the effective use of feedback.  Some of the examples I shared above when discussing the use of Learning Objectives and Success Criteria, also include effective use of feedback.  The students shared with me the process they use to receive and respond to feedback from their teachers.  The teachers provide feedback either verbally or in writing, using a certain color pen (this varied from school to school but was consistent within schools), then the students responded to the feedback in a different color.  This allowed them to view and appreciate their journey of learning and also emphasized the idea of learning from mistakes.  Rather than erasing their mistakes and creating clean copies of their work, they were able to view the mistake AND the learning that occurred as a result of responding to the mistake!  At Brudenell, they have taken the concept of feedback to the next level by creating displays that clearly identify what feedback is and what it looks like in their school:

When schools engage in a Challenging Learning Process, a key model that is utilized for all of the work is the ASK Model.  The ASK Model encourages learners to think about the attitudes, skills, and knowledge needed in order to learn.  The educators in all three schools talked about how important the ASK model is to them as adult learners and how it has shaped how they plan for school improvement, think about their instruction, and engage in their own learning.  They also indicated how useful it is to engage students in dialogue and for examination of their own learning.  Challenging Learning consistently poses three questions to educators:  Where are we going? Where are we now? What are our next steps? When combining the ASK model with these three questions, educators and students can continually evaluate and improve on what they are doing.  The ASK Model was incredibly present in all settings and used in many different ways:

A natural result of all of this work is the development of a growth mindset.  Highweek has been intentional in their efforts to promote and develop growth mindset, but it also occurs naturally when children begin to develop efficacy and perseverance as a result of being an integral part of the learning process.  A growth mindset also develops as a result of the common understanding of the value of learning from mistakes that develops and by the elimination of the practice of shaming mistakes.

I have not stopped thinking about everything I heard and witnessed during my study tour in England.  While the schools looked a little different from many of the schools I have seen in the United States, and the students were wearing uniforms and talked with a funny accent, I could have been in any US school when it came to the challenges being faced by the teachers, the students, and the leaders.  Hearing about and seeing the evidence of their success provided me with hope, excitement, and a resolve to get to work helping educators in the US engage in this amazing transformation.  Hearing their testimonies about the life-changing shifts and their appreciation of the support from Challenging Learning was chilling and motivating at the same time.  

Honor Educators

Cambridge dictionary defines honor, when used as a verb, in the following way:

• to show great respect for someone, especially in public
• to give someone a public reward to show appreciation for unusual achievement

We honor people in a number of different ways.  On a grand scale, we set aside holidays, we build monuments, and we name buildings to honor those who have had a major impact on society or who have made significant contributions to our world.  We also honor people with ceremonies, assemblies or dinner events, where we present them with with certificates, trophies, or gifts.   Educators throughout history have been honored in many ways, sometimes in a public manner, but more often through private means such as notes from students or families and passing comments from students or peers. 

All educators deserve to be honored, and I am always so pleased when I see people being intentional about honoring them in a public way.  In fact, our office has recently decided to begin hosting a yearly Educator Gala to honor and celebrate the educators in our region.  As we plan, however, I want to ensure that we are deliberate in honoring ALL of the most deserving members of the educational community.  Unfortunately, I have seen too many instances where the loudest and flashiest educators are recognized while the ones who work more quietly and thoughtfully in the background are overlooked.  Often the latter group educators is made up of the ones who do not want the extra attention or the accolades, however it is just as important for them to be honored publicly.

Recognition intended to honor people does not have to be costly or time intensive, but it must be genuine, authentic, and relevant.  West Aurora School District 129 has established an annual recognition, called The Power of You, which is a ceremony embedded in their January School Improvement day. I was honored to be invited to witness this  year's amazing event and it did not disapooint.  I was completely blown away by the professional approach they took in honoring and celebrating educators in an incredibly genuine and authentic way.  It is extremely relevant because it is focused on their vision and it honors members of their community past and present.  It is held on a school improvement day, allowing all 1200 members of their staff to be present.  Furthermore, it is held at West Aurora High School and is supported by their own tech and operations staff, making it fiscally manageable.  

The morning started off with a 3 minute video of short clips of students, staff, and families engaged in a variety of activities throughout the school district and community.   The lights dimmed and the large audience was welcomed by assistant superintendent, Dr. Brent Raby, who reiterated the theme for the year, which is Embrace the Journey.   The next 90 minutes was devoted to honoring and celebrating members past and present of the West Aurora community.  Dr. Michael Smith, assistant superintendent, called the teachers who became National Board Certified Teachers within the last year to the stage and presented them with certificates so they could be celebrated by all of their peers.  Next, three teachers were presented with scholarships providing them the financial support to attend a national conference of their choice where they will extend their learning and then return to share their learning with other educators in the West Aurora district.  Dr. Jeff Craig, superintendent, presented customized Challenge Coins (pictured below) to five West Aurora leaders who have demonstrated commitment, courage, excellence and integrity as they have dedicated their lives to their community and schools.  

I especially loved the next part of the ceremony where educators were presented with the Golden Apple award, which Dr. Craig described as the highest honor awarded to educators in West Aurora.  Eight educators, including an administrative assistant, a paraprofessional, an operations employee, and a variety of teachers, were named Golden Apple Award recipients.  They were invited to the stage where they were met by family members and presented with a gift and flowers.  While they were on the stage, a video of their peers and students talking about whey they deserve to be honored was shared.  The response from the crowd and the heartfelt testimonials brought me to tears despite the fact that I did not know a single one of the educators being honored.  The recognition part of the morning was closed out with an on stage recognition of all staff members who have served 25 years.  

My emotions continued to be tested by the final part of this amazing experience, which was the 2020 West Talks (click here to see videos of other West Talks from previous years).  In line with the theme, Embrace the Journey, two current teachers and one former student shared their journeys, which included struggle, but also a resilience which was supported and inspired by caring people.  I cannot really do them justice without making this blog way too long, so I encourage you to keep checking the link above too that when they are posted, you can watch them for yourself.  

Well done, D129.  You made it a priority to take 90 minutes out of your school improvement day to build community, appreciate your staff, and honor and celebrate what matters most.  

Never. Give. In.

“Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

― Winston Churchill


These wise words were uttered by Winston Churchill during a speech he delivered to students at Harrow School, a boarding school he attended 53 years prior. I first heard these words when I was quite young and I have used them as motivation more than once. I recently had to dig deep to find the strength to keep from yielding to negative forces as I found myself entirely too close to giving up on everything I have dreamt of doing in education.


Churchill shared this sentiment in 1941 while England was reeling from the misfortunes of World War II. While the challenges I have faced pale in comparison, they are, nonetheless, significant in my world. I have spent my entire educational career chasing the belief that we can do better in public education, that we can have a system where all children are included and challenged. I have dreamt of schools where educators receive the respect and accolades they rightly deserve and where all children are excited about learning and want to be challenged in all that they do. Despite many obstacles and many non-believers, I have continued to dream and cultivate my vision. As one of my good friends likes to say, I have been a Pollyanna believing only the best in all people and all situations.


My resolve was tested by a series of events that occurred in the span of just three days. In this short period of time, I witnessed a bureaucracy that prioritized pencil-pushing to the point of jeopardizing the amazing work that is having a demonstrated positive impact on student learning in schools. I watched an initiative to which I devoted more than seven years of my life crumble and fall apart in a very public way. The final straw was the realization that non-educators are making devastating decisions that are impacting the future of a district desperately in need of a savior.


My inner Pollyanna could not provide me with enough grace to extend to all of these situations and people at once. I stood with my toes hanging over the cliff, garnering the strength to set my sights on a new passion and vision. Thankfully, I have amazing colleagues, friends and family who reached out and yanked me away from the cliff's edge while offering encouraging words. One of them reminded me that we have "the greatest jobs in the world" and that "every single day we get to wake up and choose to either make a difference in the lives of others or not." This same person countered my discouragement by telling me that "the only way you know for certain it won't happen in your lifetime is to not chase your dream through maximum effort" and to "Embrace the pain over mediocrity, you will have company." I also had good friends who were quick to remind me of the successes we are currently experiencing in schools right here in Illinois, then reassured me that I am not and will not be alone in this journey. My father, in his infinite wisdom, reminded me that the daughter he knows is too gritty and determined to walk away. He shared a Robert Kennedy quote that came to mind as he listened to me share my woes. What I didn't know at that moment was that he would proceed go home and order this picture for me as a reminder to keep forging ahead:

As we enter a new calendar year, my resolution is to fight the good fight, and my hope for fellow dreamers is that you will have the strength and support from friends and family so that you never, never, never, never give in. We have the best jobs in the world and our children and our future are worth it. Surround yourself with good people and keep the stars shining in your eyes!

Challenge to change

A year ago, I was beginning to lose hope in my starry-eyed dream to see schools engaged in the kind of school improvement that produces positive and significant impact on learning for ALL students.  Throughout my career I had seen too  many false-starts, implementation failures, surface level or unsustainable changes, unreasonable expectations for change, and indifference to the need for change.  I started to wonder whether I would see the solution during my career.  Fortunately, I was introduced to the Challenging Learning Process through Challenging Learning.  I wrote about my first experience visiting a school that had engaged in the process in September when I described the re-imagining of learning that took place at a school in Denmark.  I realize that some people may have read my refection and questioned whether something like that could happen in US schools.  Well, it is happening in West Aurora, and it is quite amazing!

The Challenging Learning Process (CLP) supports a culture of organizational growth, leading to shared ownership, distributed leadership and a culture of collaborative learning and collective efficacy.  The process is made up of continuous action learning cycles that are shaped through a collaboration between the school and Challenging Learning (CL).  The process is fully supported by CL, but is driven by the school and is focused on specific aims that are tailored to the needs and vision of the school.  It includes evaluation of impact, ongoing monitoring and a comprehensive structure which ensures sustainability.  In West Aurora, the following aims were crafted based on a desire of assistant superintendent Brent Raby for "teachers to be enthused in their craft" and the desire of students and teachers to rediscover "the joy of learning":
1- A culture of challenge for all learners
2- Students who are able to make lasting meaning of their learning
3- Students are independent and resilient learners.

The work in West Aurora began in the spring of 2019 when administrators and teachers on the leadership team began collaborating with consultants from CL to plan and design the project.  The first 4 schools rolled out in earnest in August with their first training day.  I have made two visits to one of the schools in the first wave, Hall Elementary School.  During the first visit in September, I was able to observe model lessons being taught by CL consultant Lisa Cook.  Lisa taught a class from Hall while the teacher teams observed and discussed what they were seeing.  The dialogue among the teachers was incredibly rich as they enthusiastically shared ways they could make changes to their instruction.



Today was my second visit to Hall Elementary and I was blown away!  I visited classes at all levels and saw a variety of subjects, but in every class I could clearly see that they were focused on shifting the talk from teachers to students, to incorporate deeper thinking and challenge, and to develop a common, shared language around learning.  The students in the classrooms were engaged, supportive of one another, and motivated to participate and learn.

I was able to sit down with the principal, Zak Fitzenreider, and the Assistant Superintendent of Operations, Angie Smith to hear about the journey at Hall.  Mr. Fitzenreider shared with me that prior to the CLP, they were seeing 4-5 behavior referrals a day in the office, but now they only see about 1 a day, if that.  They were also engaging in multiple CPI supports per week for students who were physically out of control, and they have not had one incident requiring CPI support this year.

According to Mr. Fitzenreider, the environment is now set up such that it feels inappropriate to the students to misbehave.  Mrs. Smith added that students were misbehaving because they were not engaged and did not care if they had to leave the classroom to go to the office, whereas now they do not want to leave the classroom and risk missing anything.  Prior to the CLP, many staff members believed that they needed to address the social emotional concerns first before attempting to tackle instruction and academics.  What they now realize is that by enriching their instruction, they have significantly reduced the number of actual concerns in that area.  As they shifted their focus to the delivery of universal challenging instruction instead of the behaviors, they were no longer engaged in power struggles.

An instrumental part of the CLP, which helped the staff at Hall to truly integrate Social Emotional Learning and academic learning, is the ASK (Attitudes, Skills, and Knowledge) model.  Simply focusing on attitudes and developing the attitudes that allow students to effectively build their skills and knowledge provided a connection between SEL and academics.

Another advantage of the CLP is purely academic.  Mr. Fitzenreider shared that they had already put significant work into developing excellent curriculum materials based on essential questions and supported by well developed resources, but that they were not seeing the impact of the curriculum.  He now realizes that they were missing the context for the "why".  The CLP has allowed them to embed a common language around learning and a shared understanding of the meaning of learning.  They are now seeing the impact of their curriculum work.

Mr. Fitzenreider indicated that this has been an easy sell to the staff and that he has had no resistance. In fact, the structure of the CLP, which allows the educators to work a their own pace as they focus on one aspect of the learning culture at a time, has led to teachers who are much happier and who are fulfilled by the success they are seeing in their classrooms and in the building as a whole.  Mrs. Smith  agreed, saying that for her it was an easy sell because it is a much better use of district dollars given the impact they are realizing.  The CLP is a school improvement process that encompasses all aspects of the learning culture and includes all stakeholders, eliminating the need for additional dollars to be spent on ancillary processes or programs.

Hall is not the only school in West Aurora experiencing success.  The school district saw the value and impact experienced by the original 4 schools and is now adding 5 more schools.  I was fortunate enough to observe portions of the baseline visits to 2 of the additional schools and I was pleased to see that some of the principles of Challenging Learning were already being cultivated, even before starting the process.

The CLP is unlike anything I have seen, and I truly believe it is what we need in order to make the long term changes necessary to create school cultures that challenge ALL students while preparing them for a future that is constantly changing.  We need to disrupt the "way we have always done things" and I believe this process does just that.

Highly Engaging High Schools

I recently had the opportunity to visit a few schools in the Seattle area that are doing great things to engage high school students in learning and in preparation for their future.  There were so many things to love about what we saw:  high levels of student engagement, community involvement, district commitment to innovative ideas, flexibility in rules and procedures for the sake of children, collaboration, and a willingness to change to keep getting better.

The first two schools we visited were a part of the Highline School District (www.highlineschools.org/@HighlineSchools).  Highline is a diverse, K-12 district outside of Seattle with approximately 20,000 students and 33 schools.  The first school we visited was Raisbeck Aviation, a choice high school with an aviation and aerospace focus.  The school was formed in 2003 by the Highline district to serve students from the whole Puget Sound Region.  The students are selected on a lottery basis and represent 25 districts, although 50% of them come from the Highline school district.  The learning environment is entirely project based and has a STEM focus.

After entering the school, which sits right next to the Museum of Flight and a hangar with Boeing aircraft just feet from the building, we were escorted by two AMAZING students who were very patient with our constant barrage of questions.  The students walked us through the lab where they learn to create and operate robotic devices, then one of the students, a junior, proudly showed us the solar car that his team has been constructing in preparation for a national competition.

We visited a freshmen class, Physics of Flight, that was completing their first project which challenged them to design an aircraft that would withstand heat and impact testing.  In addition to coming up with the concept, creating the design, building the aircraft, and testing their aircraft, the students also presented their designs to a panel of engineers.  They openly discussed what they learned from their failures as well as their successes.  When students are expected to get up in front of engineers at the age of 14 to discuss complex work and make themselves vulnerable, and then they continue to do that for four years of high school, it is exciting to think about the composure and confidence they will have when they enter college and then the work force! In addition to the amazing relevant curriculum and projects, the students have access to a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities,  the senior class builds an actual working plane each year, and they have access to the Museum of Flight throughout their high school experience during the day and for after school offerings.  The school environment was extremely calm, inviting, and very conducive to learning.  There were spaces throughout the building where students could go to work in small groups or on their own, there were maker spaces with building materials, and the classrooms had large windows with views of airplanes- what better inspiration is there than that?  When asked if there were ever any discipline problems or fights between students our escorts said they do not have many issues, but that one time there was kind of a fight that had something to do with Star Wars and Star Trek:-)

I won't go into detail in this blog, but the history of the school, including the early years and the evolution of the vision is very inspiring.  The school district and the inaugural principal took risks to make this school a reality and the whole school community had to show a lot of perseverance and innovation to make it what it is today.  We need strong, brave, visionaries to keep making new paths for our students!!

After Raisbeck Aviation, we visited the Puget Sound Skills Center, which is a Skills Center consortium hosted by Highline Public Schools.  They offer 18 different specialized career and technical learning programs that provide students with high school credits, college credits, certifications, and job-ready skills.  Many of their programs offer a semester's worth (15 hours) or more of college credit as part of the program.  They have an Aeronautical Science program that produces 60 hours of college credit!!  Most of their courses are taught by industry professionals who have chosen to teach and are able to begin teaching right away while taking a couple of courses that allow them to become certified.  I love that flexibility shown by the state of Seattle.

We began our visit in their public restaurant where they have their ACF Certified Culinary and Pastry Arts program.  Students can receive the Certified Fundamentals Cook and/or Secondary Culinary Graduate through the American Culinary Federation.  Their restaurant is open to the public for 5 weeks at a time as they complete 6 week cycles.  During the 6th week they switch the restaurant to a different theme and learn about some aspect of science and food.  

 






We also visited their brand new Science and Health building where they have a Dental Assisting program with an on-site dental clinic which allows the students to complete internships and gain experiences so that they graduate from high school short only two classes to begin working in the field.  The Science and Health building also houses a Biomedical Research and Global Health program that is taught by a doctor from Seattle Children's Hospital and a Nursing Assistant-Certified program that also serves as a pre-nursing school for students interested in pursuing nursing in college.

 

We made our way through a parking lot where the Fire & Emergency Services students were using fire hoses and other equipment from a fire engine to visit the Trades & Industry buildings.  Our host was making some side deals with the auto body students regarding a dent in his car while we checked out their expansive auto body shop.  My HGTV-loving self really enjoyed the tiny houses that they were making in the construction shed.  The tiny houses will be used on the district-owned campground that is used for outdoor ed.  They were also using kits that were donated by Home Depot to create very small dwellings that will be painted bright colors and lined up in a park for homeless citizens in the community. 

 


Everywhere we went students were HIGHLY engaged and the teachers spoke of their motivation to do their work well and independently.  In many cases we were seeing students who were not successful in their home schools for various reasons, yet they are extremely successful in this setting.  It is relevant to them and they connect the work to a vision for their future. 

The last school we visited was Tesla STEM High School, a choice school in the Lake Washington School District.  The Lake Washington School District, located to the east of Seattle, is a K-12 district with approximately 31,000 students and 56 schools.  The Tesla STEM school population is made up of students from the Lake Washing School District and it is determined by a lottery system.  They use problem-based learning and focus on STEM real world problems related to STEM professions. 

We visited multiple classrooms and heard students say that they appreciated the opportunity to do hands on activities on a regular basis, that they enjoyed the collaborative atmosphere, that their teachers were excited about what they were teaching which made them excited to learn, and that they liked coming to school.  One of the classes we visited was an AP Psychology/Forensics class.  At the beginning of the year, they throw a 50 pound pig into the woods behind the building and do experiments and investigations on it.  This same class does an intensive research project throughout the year in preparation for a national competition.  One student shared his topic, which was to find a way to prevent superbugs by studying how antibiotics permeate or do not permeate cell walls.  I have to be honest- his research was a little over my head, so I am sure I am not explaining it correctly.  And this was a JUNIOR in high school!!

One of the things I really liked about the Tesla STEM school was that they had a very clear vision that was developed by their development team and they run everything they do through that vision and they re-visit it regularly.  It includes the following, which I agree is absolutely key!
Educate students to be:
Problem-solvers
Innovators
Inventors
Self-reliant
Logical thinkers
Technologically literate

I really enjoy seeing examples of schools that are working to find ways to teach our children in ways that meet their needs and prepare them for the future.  Even in these schools, the leaders talk of work they have to do, and I agree- I see room for improvement, and I am glad they want to keep moving forward. 

I, for one, refuse to give up on my vision and belief that we can create spaces that work for all students to learn and succeed.