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Publications

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

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

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 - who thrive on texts like Shakespeare or problems that resist easy entry? The other question…

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How Students Thrive: Positive Youth Development in Practice

Schools are more than just places where young people acquire knowledge and skills for college and career. They are—first and foremost—places where young people form their identities and begin to see themselves as independent adults. Great schools guide young people in this essential effort by creating safe learning environments where students feel known, valued, supported, challenged, and recognized. This approach, known as positive youth development, is the focus of our newest publication. Read More

Iteration in Action: The Urban Assembly Maker Academy

On a recent afternoon at The Urban Assembly Maker Academy, a group of students constructs a miniature car out of a shoebox and detached racecar wheels. The car holds an egg as it rolls down a ramp and two students watch their egg fly out of its cotton-ball harness; another group's egg is crushed when it hits the bottom. The activity measures students' mastery of key concepts in physics, like speed and velocity. Using a teacher-designed data tracking form, each group records how effectively their car ferried the egg. Some immediately begin redrafting their designs, taking their cars apart and tweaking the configuration of the components. Read More

Iteration in Action: PACT Academy

If you ask one of the 200 students at PACT High School about grades, one of the first things you'll hear is "we can't fail here." That's because this high school is designed to foster positive youth development through strong relationships between students and adults. It's also because PACT does not give failing grades. Instead of an "F," students receive the designation "not approaching proficiency." This remains on a student's transcript until they master the content in their course, which they can continue to work towards throughout their high school experience. This mastery-based approach means some students can be working to master standards from their first year after they've already moved onto their second year coursework. Others are able to skip ahead—in courses like Health, math, and science—using one of several available tech tools and with teacher supports. In the words of one student, "if you don't get something, you work on it until you master it." Read More

Iteration in Action: Eagle Academy

At E3agle Academy, a public high school in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, students support one another in mastering rigorous, college-ready standards. With a personalized approach and a focus on social justice, students are encouraged to connect classroom content to their experience in the real world, and to move at their own pace along a sequence of clear benchmarks. Read More

Iteration in Action: Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design

On a typical day at DSISD, groups of four or five students are reading different novels in ELA class. They discuss the characters and plots of their books, record standards-based observations and respond to questions on their Chromebooks. One group is predicting a protagonist's next moves, and another is using context clues to infer the definitions of key words. Read More

Notes from the Field: Iteration in Action

If schools are truly built around the needs of young people, they must be living, breathing organizations that—like the young people they serve—never stop growing and adapting. We've learned that, in order to be successful, schools must commit to continue learning, designing, refining, improving—in the school's model design, the practices that evolve around it, both within the classroom and without. Read More

Our 2016 Year in Review

Here at Springpoint, we have a lot to look forward to in 2017—new schools, a new partnership, and new tools and resources. As we reflect on 2016, we are energized and inspired by the great work of our partners, and the potential for intentionally designed schools to transform the lives of students. Read More

Teaching the Teachers: How this PD for ELL Instructors Enhances School Community, Curriculum, & Assessments

As the Instructional Coach at INPS, I've supported our schools in honing an adaptive and enriching PD approach. Our robust PD sessions have strong content, but what makes these two high schools really special is how our teachers learn. Read More

Scaling Education Transformation through Learner-Centered Design

A Conversation between Education Reimagined's Paul Haluszczak and Springpoint's Senior Director, Anna Hall. Read More

One Good Question with Anna Hall: Can You Break Up With Your Best Ideas?

Our field collectively is investing in new school development and in the engines that can generate new designs for school. Those two things sometimes happen simultaneously, and sometimes run on parallel tracks. Read More
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