Hello Pioneers,

In the next couple of months, we are going to unveil our new strategy to help accelerate the learner-centered movement. This strategy will reflect and amplify the needs and wants of learner-centered pioneers from across the country. And, it is all thanks to pioneers like you who have been willing to share their stories with the world through Pioneering and many other facets of our work.

This new strategic vision will be propelled by three key levers that must be simultaneously pushed for system-wide transformation to be realized:

• Building Public Support for learner-centered education.
• Creating the Conditions for learner-centered environments and ecosystems to thrive.
• Advancing Proof of Concept so that learner-centered environments can demonstrate how learner-centered education works for every single learner, including those who have been ill-served by the current system.

This is a unique time in history when what the world demands and what learner-centered education produces is a perfect match. However, as we are all well aware, the number one barrier preventing us from realizing this union is the dominant mindset (or paradigm) that guides the majority of education conversations.

Paradigms are hard to crack, but they do shift. History has taught us this lesson many times—for example, we no longer believe the world is flat, and leaching is not the cure-all for our medical ailments. Unfortunately, these paradigm shifts took centuries to occur. We don’t have that kind of time.

Because of the exponential pace of global change and the interconnectedness and interdependency of all people’s futures, we need to cause this education paradigm shift in record time.

The strategy we are developing is aimed at addressing this exact challenge. Once it is ready to unveil, you will be the first to know. In the meantime, there is one thing you can be certain of—we will need you (as we always have) and every other learner-centered pioneer continuing the amplification of their work so the movement becomes too big to ignore.

I hope you enjoy the latest issue of Pioneering!

Kelly