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Publications

Tools and resources to support transforming learning and reimagining high school.

Making High School Meaningful
A vision for transforming the student learning experience
Transformative learning happens when schools cultivate young people’s natural curiosity and leverage their abundant passion to pique their interest in answering real-world questions. It happens when students from every background…

Transformative learning happens when schools cultivate young people’s natural curiosity and leverage their abundant passion to pique their interest in answering real-world questions. It happens when students from every background and culture are presented with challenges that have personal resonance, giving each student an entry point to complex material and providing them with an opportunity to acquire and practice skills that they want and need.

This paper outlines our vision for transformative learning experiences – high-quality project-based learning opportunities crafted to explicitly center, challenge, and engage young people. It presents the core components of a high quality learning experience and delves into why a focus on both rigor and purpose is essential.

 

 
Supporting Every Student
Academic Conferencing in High School 
Academic conferencing is a structured approach to student support that guides students in setting and achieving ambitious academic goals. Academic conferencing is an essential tool of a primary person system…

Academic conferencing is a structured approach to student support that guides students in setting and achieving ambitious academic goals. Academic conferencing is an essential tool of a primary person system linking ongoing efforts to build caring, authentic relationships with students to a clear and direct focus on high expectations. Through implementing structures that support purposeful partnerships with students, we can better develop student strengths and support meaningful goal attainment, igniting student interest, agency, and increasing student ownership over their learning.
The Found Project
Asking Students, What have I “found” during the pandemic? Who am I now?
As we embarked on a new school year, and students and faculty returned to the classroom, we recognized that despite what appears to be some semblance of pre-pandemic life, in…

As we embarked on a new school year, and students and faculty returned to the classroom, we recognized that despite what appears to be some semblance of pre-pandemic life, in reality, things are and will never be the same. The year of 2020 was one of painful loss as was the first half of 2021. On top of the enormous loss of lives, the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing isolation suspended many of our daily freedoms and challenged us in unprecedented ways.

When we were considering how to best support the return to school, we came across Documenting Your Life During Extraordinary Times by The New York Times Learning Network. We reached out asking them to collaborate, using their resources to create “The Found Project,” a project based unit that ensured schools could welcome students back to classrooms with a learning experience that would help them process and explore the trauma of the last 18 months. The Found Project asks students to think about themselves, what they lost and found during the pandemic, and how these discoveries have shaped the person they are in this moment.

This short unit can engage both teachers and students in a transformative learning experience, build community, foster reflection, and reestablish a connection to school. It was designed to be flexible and adaptable to meet student needs in different contexts. We hope it can help schools anywhere meaningfully engage students and strengthen culture and community.
Expanding the Boundaries of School
Creating Engaging Opportunities for Students
Enrichment experiences—organized components of a school experience that occur outside of the core academic offerings—have the potential to engage students, ignite their passions, build new skills, and deepen connections to…

Enrichment experiences—organized components of a school experience that occur outside of the core academic offerings—have the potential to engage students, ignite their passions, build new skills, and deepen connections to school and the world around them.

This guide can help practitioners develop an enrichment program scope and sequence that takes into account students’ passions and goals. We hope it can serve as a valuable resource whether you are designing a whole school model, building an enrichment program from scratch, or working to add or expand current opportunities for students.
Postsecondary Success For All
Learnings from an Analysis of Five School Districts
This report, co-authored by Springpoint and EY-Parthenon, outlines key findings from five New England school districts around postsecondary success. The report also surfaces opportunities for districts to improve post-secondary success…

This report, co-authored by Springpoint and EY-Parthenon, outlines key findings from five New England school districts around postsecondary success. The report also surfaces opportunities for districts to improve post-secondary success for all students across demographics.

The report found that equity gaps result in disparate outcomes for students across certain demographic groups. Five key sub-findings illustrate the importance of which students are and are not being well-served. The potential of these findings to inspire and inform other school districts across the country prompted our organizations and these districts to develop this public report.
Maximizing Student Engagement & Learning
A Guide to High School Planning During COVID-19
In March, schools abruptly switched to remote learning as school buildings across the country closed to stop the spread of COVID-19. While remote learning presented many challenges, it also offered…

In March, schools abruptly switched to remote learning as school buildings across the country closed to stop the spread of COVID-19. While remote learning presented many challenges, it also offered opportunities to rethink school. We spoke with 40+ leaders from schools, districts, networks, and organizations around the country to hear what went well this spring, what they learned, and how they are planning for a fall like no other.

The insights and reflections from those interviews informed this guide, which aims to help school leaders and their design teams craft the kind of learning environments and experiences that cultivate student engagement and learning.
Why Competency-based Education
Three Phases for Implementing Competency-based Education
Competency-based education (CBE) has the potential to improve teaching and learning, empower students, and help them develop the skills and knowledge to be successful in their post-secondary lives. But CBE…

Competency-based education (CBE) has the potential to improve teaching and learning, empower students, and help them develop the skills and knowledge to be successful in their post-secondary lives. But CBE can be challenging and complex for practitioners to implement.

This resource intends to help address common challenges around implementation by outlining three key phases of implementation. It leads with three goals before delving into the phases that we suggest schools focus on to implement CBE: developing a common language, building core systems, and personalizing pathways. The phases are sequential and can help practitioners understand the importance of building a solid foundation for mastery. The final section demonstrates how practitioners can think about engaging in and tackling each phase.
Designing with Diverse Communities
Recommended Readings & Resources
An intentional school design process requires stakeholder input and ownership, which often starts with a community-based research process. This process asks school designers to partake in personal, reflective identity work…

An intentional school design process requires stakeholder input and ownership, which often starts with a community-based research process. This process asks school designers to partake in personal, reflective identity work before (and while) collaborating with various stakeholders such as community leaders, parents, and students themselves. This set of resources, tools, and readings—some practical and some theory-based—can help designers as they begin to think about and engage in school design.
How to Plan Great Learning Tours
for School Designers
In our work to support school design nationally, we’ve led hundreds of educators on learning tours, a key lever for informing great practice and shifting mindsets. We’ve outlined a process…

In our work to support school design nationally, we’ve led hundreds of educators on learning tours, a key lever for informing great practice and shifting mindsets. We’ve outlined a process for planning and running learning tours that let designers intentionally explore exemplary learning environments and process their observations through structured debrief and planning time.
Designing Advisory Systems
Innovative Approaches From High Schools
An intentionally designed advisory structure builds community, provides students with a safe environment, and forms the basis of a primary person model wherein all students have a trusted adult invested…

An intentionally designed advisory structure builds community, provides students with a safe environment, and forms the basis of a primary person model wherein all students have a trusted adult invested in their success. This collection of case studies features five forward-thinking high schools that recognize the importance of advisory as a vehicle for relationship building and academic success.
Designing New School Models
A Practical Guide
Our landmark design guide outlines three key phases of the Springpoint school design process: Understand, Design, and Build. An introduction to the process, the guide includes several templates for artifacts…

Our landmark design guide outlines three key phases of the Springpoint school design process: Understand, Design, and Build. An introduction to the process, the guide includes several templates for artifacts and other key documents that can guide practitioners and communities in their school design journey.

The guide is intended to inspire educators and budding school designers to craft innovative ideas, explore student-centered approaches, and realize strong systems that can give students the school experiences they deserve.
How Students Thrive
Positive Youth Development in Practice
Positive youth development is the foundation of any good school model and the backbone of our school design process. In this guide, we introduce the five key tenets of positive…

Positive youth development is the foundation of any good school model and the backbone of our school design process. In this guide, we introduce the five key tenets of positive youth development: caring, trusting, and supportive relationships; high expectations; opportunities to contribute; engaging learning experiences; and consistency. The publication features student voices and offers resources for assessing how well a school has embedded these principles into their school environment and outlines actionable suggestions for building these tenets into the school’s culture.
Learning from Great Practice
Schools to Visit in 2019
A practical resource for those interested in innovative and effective school practices, this list is organized by region and includes information on each school’s model, a brief overview of key…

A practical resource for those interested in innovative and effective school practices, this list is organized by region and includes information on each school’s model, a brief overview of key model elements, contact information, and links for more information. While not exhaustive, this directory can serve as a good starting point for educators as they determine the types of practices they want to see in action and explore further.
Inside Mastery Based High Schools
Profiles and Conversations
This collection of case studies from innovative, mastery-based schools across the country is based on interviews with practitioners and includes a robust set of sample resources from each school. The…

This collection of case studies from innovative, mastery-based schools across the country is based on interviews with practitioners and includes a robust set of sample resources from each school. The learnings and tools featured are useful for any practitioner interested in understanding more about mastery-based learning and how it can be effectively implemented to drive learning outcomes and cultivate student agency.
Promising and Effective Practices and Student-Centered Scheduling
Learnings from NYC Transfer Schools
A practical guide to an essential aspect of school design, this publication is based on real learnings and successes from across New York City’s alternative and transfer high schools, which…

A practical guide to an essential aspect of school design, this publication is based on real learnings and successes from across New York City’s alternative and transfer high schools, which serve over-age and under-credited students. It is centered around four key areas of student-centered programming and scheduling to meet student needs: creating versatile course pathways to graduation, dedicating necessary time and staff to complete individualized scheduling, providing nontraditional routes for students to earn credits, and creating a cohesive culture for students and staff.
Mastery-based Learning
Components & Key Look-fors
At Springpoint, we are encouraged by the growing interest and robust conversations around mastery-based learning. To guide our work with partners, we have developed a set of “key components” of…

At Springpoint, we are encouraged by the growing interest and robust conversations around mastery-based learning. To guide our work with partners, we have developed a set of “key components” of mastery-based learning and accompanying indicators that can help practitioners understand what mastery can look like in practice. These “look fors” can be used to determine how a school is approaching and using mastery and how all stakeholders are impacted by the approach.
The XQ Expert Series on School Mission & Culture
All great schools are mission-driven
Featuring our founding ED, JoEllen Lynch, this is Expert Series Q&A focuses on school mission and culture. JoEllen and fellow panelists discuss best practices and challenges of articulating a school’s…

Featuring our founding ED, JoEllen Lynch, this is Expert Series Q&A focuses on school mission and culture. JoEllen and fellow panelists discuss best practices and challenges of articulating a school’s shared goals and values, and how to create a student-centered culture that all stakeholders can rally around.
Youth Development and School Design Video
A conversation with Sabrina Evans Ellis and Michele Cahill
Michele Cahill speaks with Sabrina Evans Ellis (Youth Development Institute) about youth development and its impact on school design. Cahill discusses her wide-ranging experience in designing schools with youth development…

Michele Cahill speaks with Sabrina Evans Ellis (Youth Development Institute) about youth development and its impact on school design. Cahill discusses her wide-ranging experience in designing schools with youth development principles in mind, and ways in which youth development research can support student success in high school, college, and career.
Strategic Approaches to Growing Schools
A Reference Guide for School Design Teams
Developed in partnership with reDesign, this reference guide focuses on the unique opportunities and challenges of growing a school model, grade by grade. It offers a set of strategies to…

Developed in partnership with reDesign, this reference guide focuses on the unique opportunities and challenges of growing a school model, grade by grade. It offers a set of strategies to optimize the success of a school’s growth strategy in order to turn both challenges and opportunities into realized strengths. Practitioner spotlights and links to additional resources help guide readers as they delve deeper into school design and growth.


Blog

The news, research, ideas, and opinions from across the Springpoint ecosystem.

Featured Post

Getting Real About Rigor: Less Debating, More Doing

By: Alexis Goldberg Fellow educators, allow me to make a bold claim: we are wasting our energy in endless, circular conversations about what rigor means. When it comes to rigor, it’s time to stop defining and start doing. Our Springpoint team recently conducted a school observation visit that yielded a…

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Purpose Is the Bridge to Rigor, for Every Student

By: Elana Karopkin-Gold After my last post on rigor and purpose, two questions emerged that initially seemed to pull in opposite directions. One colleague asked:  What about students who find meaning precisely in difficulty –… Read More

Reframing Rigor: Meaning as the Catalyst for Deep Thinking and Transformative Learning

By: Elana Karopkin-Gold “Rigor” is a term used across the ed sector in an attempt to ensure that all students have access to material that will prepare them for postsecondary success. From the explosive 2018 release TNTP’s report, The Opportunity Myth… Read More

How is your school’s vision showing up?

Schools are never static. Staff change. Students bring new strengths and needs. Priorities shift, and new initiatives emerge. Amid all that motion, even the most intentional schools can lose sight of whether their vision for learning is truly showing up in classrooms and in students’ daily experiences. Read More

Inside a PD That Demanded Thinking, Not Just “Studenting”

When young people spend most of their academic lives being conditioned to play school, authentic thinking can feel uncomfortable and new. That discomfort isn’t a reason to pull back; it’s a sign that real learning is happening. Read More

Connection by Design: How the Primary Person Model Reengages Students and Fuels Learning

By: Christy Kingham Disengagement remains one of the most urgent challenges in high schools across the U.S. —especially in settings where students’ educational journeys have been interrupted or disrupted. There’s no quick fix; reengagement takes consistent, relational work over time. The Primary Person Model is one… Read More

From Competition to Community: Rethinking Leadership Selection in Education

By: April McKoy Robinson In 2022, Springpoint, in partnership with the Barr Foundation, launched Transformative Leaders of Massachusetts, a fellowship designed to prepare emerging education leaders to meet the challenge of building the innovative high schools that students so desperately need. We were… Read More

How to deliver on the promise of project-based learning

Lingering on what’s possible in education is only worthwhile if we have a roadmap to get there. At Springpoint, we believe that high school can be a place where students fall in love with learning, feel energized by their assignments, and develop a sense of who they are and why what they’re learning matters. Read More

How to create a more meaningful high school experience

Most American high schools are failing students. Yet, we now have significant clarity around what it takes to make high school meaningful. Read More

Introducing the Inaugural Cohort of Transformative Leaders of Massachusetts

We couldn't be more excited to introduce you to our very first cohort of Transformative Leaders of Massachusetts (TLM) fellows! We are thrilled to support the fellows in making their visions for high school transformation a reality. We can't wait to see how they will the change the lives of their students, staff, and broader communities! Read More

We know principals are important, so why doesn’t anyone want to be one these days?

Strong educators do not want to be school leaders. Current school leaders do not want to stay school leaders. Quite simply, the pipeline for school leadership is broken. Read More
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