Visit outoftheboxreport.org to download your copy of the paper.
Out of the Box: How Innovative Learning Models Can Transform K-12 Education provides a roadmap for those who are ready to move beyond the box and chart a new course for what schooling can be.
Alongside Transcend, New Classrooms hosted the October 13 release event “Out of the Box: A Conversation About the Future of School.” The afternoon of panels featured strategies and recommendations to drive collaboration among policymakers, advocates, funders, and educators in order to modernize our country’s educational delivery model. The recordings from each session are now available on demand. Browse the videos below to listen in as some of the most influential voices in education discuss the future of school.
Opening Session: Out of The Box
Moderator | Michael B. Horn (Author of From Reopen to Reinvent)
Panelists | Jenee Henry Wood (Transcend) • Joel Rose (New Classrooms)
Despite innovation across nearly every sector of society, a one-size-fits-all approach has governed mainstream schooling in America for more than a century. Innovative learning models offer a promising path to stronger and more equitable student experiences and outcomes. What exactly is an “innovative learning model?” What will it take to bring innovative learning models to life? The authors of Out of the Box: How Innovative Learning Models Can Transform K-12 Education share their take on why it’s time to bring modern advances in research and technology to the classroom to completely reimagine learning in ways that better meet the needs of students and educators.
Get Inspired With The Innovative Models Exchange
Moderator | Sarah Akhtar (Transcend)
Panelists | Ron Berger (EL Education) • Cynthia Robinson-Rivers (Transcend)
Are you curious about innovative school models that can be easily adapted to meet your learners’ needs? This session will feature an inside look into EL Education and Van Ness Elementary’s Whole Child Model offerings and design, and preview Transcend’s newly launched Models Exchange platform featuring additional resources and supports.
#outofthebox
A Brain Scientist & A Technologist Walk Into A Classroom
Moderator | Jim Shelton (Blue Meridian Partners)
Panelists | Pamela Cantor, M.D. (Turnaround for Children) • Lukman Ramsey (Google Cloud) • Sanjay Sarma (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
And they’re frustrated by what they see. Today we know context—environments, experiences and relationships—develops the brain, shapes how we learn and influences the expression of our genes. Designed well, environments can unlock the potential of educators and learners. Authentic equity requires we use the knowledge we have today to design a very different and new experience, for each and every learner.
The Federal Role: Creating The Space And Capacity For Innovative Models To Emerge
Moderator | Bethany Little (EducationCounsel)
Panelists | Peter Zamora (Council of Chief State School Officers) • Roberto Rodríguez (U.S. Department of Education) • Peter Oppenheim
While local communities are responsible for education delivery, the federal government plays a key role in shaping the broader K-12 agenda. How do federal policymakers think about their role in shaping the future of school?
The Future Role of The Teacher
Moderator | Tim Knowles (Carnegie Foundation)
Panelists | Elisa Villanueva Beard (Teach for America) • Pedro Noguera (Rossier School of Education) • Marla Ucelli-Kashyap (American Federation of Teachers)
Teachers have been the foundation of our nation’s education system. But their role in the classroom has become increasingly unsustainable, and shortages are now ubiquitous. What will it take to make the role of the teacher more attractive? How might new learning models help to facilitate that?
#outofthebox
Community-Driven Innovation
Moderator | Dr. Archie Moss (Transcend)
Panelists | Donnell Cannon & Members of the Edgecombe County Public Schools
Teachers have been the foundation of our nation’s education system. But their role in the classroom has become increasingly unsustainable, and shortages are now ubiquitous. What will it take to make the role of the teacher more attractive? How might new learning models help to facilitate that?
State and Systems Leadership
Moderator | Jean-Claude Brizard (Digital Promise)
Panelists | Julie Murgel (Montana Office of Public Instruction) • William Hite (KnowledgeWorks)
State and district leaders are at the forefront of systemic change. How do they think about both their near-term responsibilities and the future of K-12 schooling? What do they see as the opportunities and barriers to modernization and the adoption of innovative learning models?
Student Voice And The Future of Schooling
Moderators | David Nitkin (Transcend) • Jenee Henry Wood (Transcend)
What did 20,000 students have to say about school? In the wake of the pandemic’s seismic impact on education, large urban districts, rural communities, and many others used Transcend’s Conversations with Kids resources to hear directly from young people. Explore the tools and findings, and hear directly from educators and students about how the insights gained shifted their school designs toward Leaps for Equitable 21st Century Learning.
Funding the Future of Schooling
Moderator | Kim Smith (Cambiar Education)
Panelists | Romy Drucker (Walton Family Foundation) • Katy Knight (Siegel Family Endowment) • Frances Messano (NewSchools Venture Fund)
Philanthropy has played an essential role in advancing the most prominent education reforms over the last several decades. What role do they see in supporting system modernization? How might new learning models fit into their plans?
#outofthebox
Charters and The Future of Schooling
Moderator | Darryl Cobb (Charter School Growth Fund)
Panelists | Diane Tavenner (Summit Public Schools) • Karega Rausch (NACSA) • David Levin (KIPP Public Charter Schools)
Charter schools were designed to be engines for education innovation. To what degree has that mission been fulfilled? What are the barriers to their serving as leaders for what the future of schooling might be?
Closing Session: Moving Beyond The Box
Moderator | Jeff Wetzler (Transcend)
Panelists | Kirsten Baelser (North Dakota Department of Public Instruction) • Linda Darling-Hammond (Learning Policy Institute)
Where does education go from here? What role does innovation play? Is there a place of common ground?
Closing Session: The Intersection of Equity, Policy, & Innovation
Moderator | Andy Rotherham (Bellwether Education Partners)
Panelists | Denise Forte (Education Trust) • Chris Rush (New Classrooms)
Innovative learning models carry the potential to advance equity in new and important ways. But they also require rethinking policies and systems, some of which were themselves designed specifically to advance equity. How should policymakers, advocates, and systems leaders think about this inherent tension?
