Professional Learning

See innovative learning in person this spring! NGLC announces the March 2023 Innovative Schools Learning Excursions

12/20/2022 Updates

• Due to the high level of interest in the Educator Learning Excursion to Casco Bay High School in Maine, we worked with our hosts at CBHS to run this program three times in 2023: March 28-30, May 30-June 1, and November 13-15. We continue to accept applications as some space is still available; teams are asked to provide their availability for each program date in the application form.
• We are no longer accepting applications for the Multi-Stakeholder Learning Excursion to Vista Unified in California. The program is filled.

Do you want to make high school more relevant and engaging for students?

Are you curious to see how other schools are changing the learning experience for their students?

Do you want to inspire your community to rethink what’s possible in schools and create a better future for your students?

Next Generation Learning Challenges and the Barr Foundation are so excited to re-launch our highly popular in-person learning excursions with two opportunities for New England teams this coming March.

Past participants always tell us how inspiring it is to see innovative next gen learning inside real schools with real educators, students, and whole communities that are doing the real work to transform learning!

Not only are the two opportunities with different host sites, they are for different types of teams, and the programming goals focus on different aspects of transforming learning.

• Educator Learning Excursion to Casco Bay High School in Portland, Maine, March 28-30, May 30-June 1, or November 13-15. This learning excursion is for high school-focused teams of 3-5 educators who want to go deep into a school’s learning model, exploring Casco Bay High Schools’ learning expeditions and intensives, crew (student advisory), and proficiency based grading to understand the instructional strategies that support project-based, proficiency-based, next gen learning.
• Multi-Stakeholder Learning Excursion to Vista Unified School District and Mission Vista High School in southern California, March 13-16: This learning excursion is for high school-focused teams of 6-12 diverse stakeholders (educators, parents, students, and key community partners) that are ready to work together to apply district and high school strategies in their own high school/district. Teams will explore the host site’s district conditions and schoolwide strategies to support personalized, next gen learning.

Learn more about each learning excursion below and gather a team to apply to the one that is the best match with your goals. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, December 9, 2022, for priority selection. (If space permits we will accept applications through January 11, 2023, but why wait?!) See the Program Overview for even more details and access the application forms from there.

Casco Bay Learning Excursion for Educators

This learning excursion is designed for small New England-based teams of educators who are interested in redesigning learning in their high school. Guided by adult learning facilitators, learning excursions for educators provide an opportunity to learn with and from the game changers who are driving innovation and to take a pause from daily life of a school to become learners.

On this excursion, teams will have opportunities to observe Casco Bay High School’s innovative learning model in action, focusing on projects, student advisory, and proficiency-based grading. Teams will engage directly with school leaders, faculty, and students to understand how they design and experience learning in their school. In addition, Casco Bay staff and students will facilitate workshops and introductory sessions for participants to deeply investigate key aspects of Casco Bay High School’s learning model and ways to bring those practices to their own school/classrooms.

NGLC will select 7-12 teams, each comprised of 3-5 members, based on the criteria stated in the application form and Program Overview. To defray costs, NGLC offers each participating team a mini-grant at the rate of $750 per team member.

12/20/2022 Update: NGLC will select 14-17 teams in total across all three program dates.

Vista Unified Learning Excursion for Diverse Stakeholders

This learning excursion is uniquely designed for New England-based teams with an equitable distribution of multiple roles in a school’s community—educators, parents, students, and key community partners, such as business leaders, leaders of community organizations, school committee members, local government officials, and more.

Each team member, whether educator, parent, student, or community partner, has a unique and important contribution to make to improve the learning experience for students.

The program introduces teams to Vista Unified, which has successfully established innovative teaching and learning across its school district, and has done so in deep collaboration with its district and local community. Participants will tour Vista Unified’s Mission Vista High School and meet with students, teachers, and school administrators to learn how they are transforming learning in the school. Participants also will meet with parents and community partners to learn how they have partnered with Vista Unified on mutual goals.

Teams will be able to apply what they learn from Vista Unified and Mission Vista High School to change how they go about transforming teaching and learning within their own school and district.

NGLC will select 6-8 teams, each comprised of 6-12 members, based on the stated criteria. To defray costs, NGLC offers each participating team a mini-grant at the rate of $2,000 per team member.

Seeing Is Believing!

Learn more about the Innovative Schools Learning Excursions and access the application forms in the Program Overview. Remember, applications are due by December 9 for priority selection!

Image at top courtesy of NGLC.