Transforming the learner experience to be meaningful, vibrant, inspiring.

Ready to excite, inspire, and equip learners for success while ensuring fulfillment and sustainability for  educators?

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We believe bold, new, learner-centered solutions and approaches are necessary to design both the learning experiences and systems that will equip our learners for the futures they deserve.

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We believe the answers to the challenges education faces lie within the talents and expertise of all learners — children and adults. We believe time together to connect, share, learn and grow is one of the most promising solutions.

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We believe in co-creating (with you!) a new learner experience - one rooted in what research tells us about the way humans learn. Our goal is to partner with you to design a new system, one that ignites joy, purpose and passion for everyone.

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Students are ready.


Employers and communities are ready.


Let us partner with you to design experiences and systems for ALL learners.


The future is NOW.


We recognize that school, as most of us experienced it, is outdated at best and dangerously close to obsolete. The system was designed to meet the needs of the Industrial Age. Our world today is very different. In addition, the challenges schools and districts are facing - chronic absenteeism and a nation-wide teacher shortage -  are further evidence and urgent signals that it’s time for true change.

Our approach focuses on both the larger system and the classroom, recognizing that changes are necessary to transform day to day learning. Through our Five Key Transformations, we introduce the hallmarks of an updated student experience. Our collection of Simple Shifts can begin to create the learning environments that will truly equip our students for successful futures.

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Let's collaborate! Join us as a Teacher Navigator, bring a team and join our Crew or just contact us! We'll work with you to create a plan that will lead to a very different - and much better - school experience for all learners. Imagine the shift from students sitting passively, waiting for the bell to ring, to becoming fully engaged in irresistible learning that they don’t want to leave!

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CONNECTING CHANGE AGENTS

Join the Crew - our network of thoughtful, courageous innovators focused on creating a different student experience. Together, we will take deep dives into innovative practices and systems, collaborate with others across the state and country, learn through site visits, explore new school models, create solutions through rapid prototyping, design for both the system and classroom, share ideas and dream boldly.

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IGNITING TEACHER LEADERS

Travel with us as a Teacher Navigator, a very special community of educators seeking to change the student experience. Through opportunities for authentic collaboration and networking, we will share ideas, learn together and find ways to support others who are also eager for change.

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EMPOWERING DESIGN PARTNERS

We partner with teachers, principals, instructional coaches, and district leaders to to determine key steps along your transformation journey. From developing a Profile of a Learner to collaborating with you to determine the important moves necessary to bring that Profile to life each day, for every student, we will support you in reaching the transformations you seek.

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EXTENDING THE WORK OF EXTERNAL PARTNERS

In districts collaborating with external partners, our team collaborates with those partners – and you – to help support implementation. We specialize in co-designing learning experiences, feedback tools, and support systems that seamlessly align with and enhance the outcomes of your valuable partnership. Join forces with us to elevate the impact of your collaboration and extend the success of existing partnerships.

partner with us

our process

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book a connection

Book a Connection so that we might learn about your school or district, the work you are doing and the kind of change you are looking to create. We will then determine together if we are the right partners for you.

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co-design your flightpath

We will seek to learn more deeply from your story, then ideate upon possibilities for creating the transformation you’re seeking.

Next, our team will design a flight path to share with you for feedback.

Through a series of design cycles, we will implement the co-designed plan alongside you, learning together and making adjustments as needed.

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take flight

what people are saying...

"Amazing strategies shared that I can use in my classroom."

"This cohort has given me so many ideas to take back to ACPC."

"Allowed me to see simple shifts to implement to further student cognitive engagement."

"I've learned numerous helpful strategies I can apply in my classroom. My approach to solving "problems" in the classroom has shifted to new thinking."

"It has positively impacted my teaching. Being a new teacher I needed this cohort to help push my thinking past the norms of the traditional thinking."

"It has been a great space to get input from other teachers and grow my ideas."

"It has allowed more student choice in my classroom. It has allowed students to take accountability of their work."

"Amazing strategies shared that I can use in my classroom."

"This cohort has given me so many ideas to take back to ACPC."

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charting a course for transformation!

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notes from the flight deck

By Carmen Coleman May 19, 2025
CONNECTIONS May 2025 | Issue 22 A Celebration of Student Agency and Relevance: Purposeful, Powerful Learning Last week’s Student Showcase at iLEAD Academy reminded us of what’s possible when learning is human-centered, intentional, and real-world. Each year in May, students at iLead choose the work they are most proud of to display for the annual Showcase. From individually designed projects to demonstrate application of math and ELA content to collaborative products designed for participation in state and national competitions like those sponsored by TSA and HOSA, the work was powerful, and conversations revealed curiosities, reflections and passions unique to each learner. What made this Showcase so powerful?  Authentic format: One-on-one conversations highlighted student voice in the most personal, powerful way. Rather than formal panel presentations, this format created space for more natural dialogue—allowing learners to genuinely reflect, make personal connections, and surface meaningful questions. Work that matters to learners: Instead of starting by explaining their durable skills, students demonstrated them—through meaningful work they were proud of and grew through. A single artifact often revealed collaboration, critical thinking, and so much more. Real-world tasks: From interdisciplinary golf course designs to travel budgets and career research, high-quality work was on display across every content area. The evidence learners shared underscores the importance of providing meaningful performance assessments at the classroom level—not just at key milestones. This event wasn’t just a showcase—it was a celebration of what education can be when we design for student agency and relevance. Has your team recently hosted Defenses of Learning or a similar showcase? Our tool, Echoes of Learning, is designed to help teams reflect on the experience and consider the instructional implications and next steps. We’re happy to help facilitate this conversation with your team!
By Carmen Coleman May 6, 2025
CONNECTIONS May 2025 | Issue 21 WHAT MAKES LEARNING STICK? What do students really remember from a school year? That question takes center stage this time of year, especially as testing and end-of-year wrap-ups approach. Naturally, we start searching for creative ways to help students reflect on what they’ve learned. One of our favorite approaches is a simple two-part challenge. A SPECIAL CHALLENGE You may recall Barret Middle School principal Amy Strite once shared a clip of math teacher Tammy Hodges posing this challenge: With your group, list the names of all the lessons you remember from this year, and then… Choose the one your group remembers the most about, and create a poster including as many details as possible. Not only did this prove to be a powerful way for students to reflect, but finding out which lessons (and learning!) they remembered uncovered important insights about what makes learning stick. SHARING THE CHALLENGE Because the takeaways from this activity were so impactful, we challenged our Teacher Navigators to do the same thing with their students. Morgan Seely (4th grade, Shelby Co) and Michelle Gross (7th grade math, Spencer Co) did just that. Just as with Tammy’s students, the results were both affirming and inspiring. You won’t be surprised to know that the lessons students recalled were the ones where they created something new, had choices, worked together to solve real problems, made connections to their own lives, and/or shared their work with an authentic audience. In other words, the lessons the students remembered were rooted in the Transformations: Learner-Led, Learner-Owned, Personal, Real-World and Collaborative DO YOU HAVE OR KNOW TEACHERS WILLING TO POSE THE CHALLENGE? We’re sharing clips from Michelle and Morgan’s experiences below as an invitation: Could this simple challenge spark powerful reflection for your students, too? 🟣 4th Graders Tackle the Challenge | Morgan Seely 🟣 What Makes Learning Stick? | Michelle Gross Reflects Asking students to reflect—through drawing, discussion, writing, or video—offers more than review. It celebrates their learning and helps uncover what leaves a lasting impact. If you know teachers who might be interested, let us know—we’d love to learn alongside them!
By Carmen Coleman May 2, 2025
CONNECTIONS April 2025 | Issue 19 First Time Defenses: Longterm Wins It’s Defense of Learning season—a time when schools across the country give students the mic to reflect on who they’re becoming as learners and people. For Maurice Bowling Middle School, this season marked a bold first in their school’s story: every single student participated in a Defense of Learning aligned to their district’s Portrait of a Learner. And it wasn’t just a checkbox event. It was a full-on celebration. Students showed up prepared—nervous, but excited to share their learning. And this wasn’t a moment reserved for a few. Every learner—non-verbal, ESL, homebound—had a platform to reflect on their growth. Families and the community showed up in force, filling the audience with pride and even a few tears. Some donated to a new “Dress for Success” closet so students could feel confident stepping into the spotlight. The school made it special, with a student-led social media blitz, photo ops, and every defense recorded. And the celebration isn’t over—a letterman jacket “coat” ceremony is on the way to honor each student’s accomplishment in style. ( Check out Principal Sarah Goodrich and student Jaden sharing more about this tradition! ) But what happened after those defenses? It’s tempting to bask in the post-defense glow—to celebrate the big day, share the photos, and move on. But the real opportunity lies in what comes next. When we pause to reflect after defenses, we unlock insights that can shape everything from daily instruction to long-term system design. That’s where the team at Maurice Bowling leaned in. Reflection Isn't a Bonus—It's the Work What often gets overlooked in Defense of Learning is what happens next. It’s easy to focus all our energy on the presentations themselves—the spotlight moments. But when schools lean into reflection after defenses, that’s where growth takes root. Maurice Bowling used the Echoes of Learning tool not just as a post-event wrap-up, but as a way to: Examine where the Portrait of a Learner was coming to life. Staff looked closely at which competencies students naturally leaned on in their defenses—like community service—and which ones were less visible, helping to identify where shifts in the student experience might be needed. Surface patterns in the stories students told. From sports and church groups to specific classroom projects, the team reflected on what types of experiences students cited as evidence of growth, offering a window into the learning opportunities students valued most. Dream up what could come next. The process inspired new ideas—like student-led conferences and ongoing reflection checkpoints—to keep student voice and celebration alive beyond the big day. A Tool for What Comes Next The Echoes of Learning tool is designed to extend the power of defenses—not just document them. It helps schools make meaning out of the moments and ensure that insights from student stories actually shape instructional next steps. If you're diving into defenses this season, don’t miss the moment to pause after and ask: What patterns are emerging in student reflections? Where do we see the Portrait of a Learner thriving? What structural shifts can we make to elevate student voice all year long? Want to Dig In? Download the Echoes of Learning reflection tool or reach out to learn how we can support your Defense of Learning season.
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The team at elevatED studios is always looking for ways to highlight and celebrate examples of teachers who are engaging students through authentic, relevant and inspiring learning experiences. The teachers featured as part of our Destinations series have created these learning environments and experiences over time, through a series of simple shifts. You will find many of those highlighted in each article. 

If you and/or a teacher you know are finding ways that even small, simple shifts can lead to a transformed experience for students, please let us know! We'd love to add to our Destinations series so that others might have the opportunity to learn.

By Carmen Coleman February 3, 2025
By Carmen Coleman May 1, 2024
Not So Secret Agency: How Students Make Mastery Their Mission
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the Crew is our network of thoughtful, courageous innovators focused on creating a different student experience. Together, we will take deep dives into innovative practices and systems, collaborate with others across the state and country, learn through site visits, explore new school models, while helping you to plan for the important next steps for your school or district.

join our flight for the 2024-25 school year!