Signature Projects
These are ongoing projects that individual, teams, schools, districts, or organizations can join on their own or be part of a collective group
Interested in Learning More or Joining One of Our Signature Projects?
Developing true partnership between school boards, teacher unions, district leaders, and principals is essential for sustainable change. We help systems build aligned leadership structures that strengthen collaboration, foster trust, and create coherence across all levels of the organization. By bringing key stakeholders together around shared goals, clear communication, and collective responsibility, we create the conditions that lift educators, strengthen implementation, and ultimately support student success. To realize this vision, we collaboratively develop and execute learning sessions designed to grow the...
Teaching today demands more than preparation—it requires precision, adaptability, and support. The New Teacher Nexus is intentionally designed to move new teachers beyond survival into confident, skillful practice through focused, high-impact learning experiences. Across all sessions, participants engage in a continuous cycle: Learn → Design → Implement → Reflect → Refine Each session involves: Learn: A full day of learning (onsite or virtual) Learn / Design / Implement: An operational period (approximately 8 hours) in which participants integrate the learning...
Support your teachers in building deep expertise in assessment, instruction, and grading through a guided implementation experience centered on The Handbook for Design in Five. This signature cohort is designed for schools and districts ready to strengthen teacher clarity, assessment design, and grading practices in ways that are practical, sustainable, and immediately impactful. Each participating educator purchases a copy of The Handbook for Design in Five and then has access to join a series of six interactive virtual sessions focused...
Our signature higher education initiative brings professors and educator preparation leaders together to guide assessment transformation in pre-service teaching programs. This work is grounded in a simple but powerful question: What would it look like if future teachers were intentionally taught, across their preparation experience, how assessment and instruction function as one integrated process? Through a collaborative framework—not a one-size-fits-all program—we help institutions create shared dialogue, common design principles, and aligned learning experiences that position assessment as learning, as responsive...
Assessment has needed to change for years. This project supports district, state, school, and teacher leaders in turning research into action by transforming how assessment is designed, used, and experienced. Our focus is to shift assessment from compliance and measurement to a driver of learning, confidence, systems agility, reframed accountability and instructional decision-making. It is time to lead this transformation. If you, your district, your school or organization are interested in transforming assessment practices and policies, contact us here. We...
Students are one of the most powerful—and often underutilized—resources in school transformation and improvement. We help schools and districts build authentic partnerships with students that lead to sustainable change while increasing hope, trust, and optimism across the system. When students are meaningfully included in improvement efforts, schools gain powerful insight into the lived experience of learning and the conditions that support growth. This work can take many forms. At times, we facilitate student focus groups, surveys, and dialogue processes that...
Assessment and grading systems do far more than measure learning—they shape student identity, confidence, motivation, and overall well-being.
We partner with schools and districts to examine the relationship between assessment practices, mental health, stress, and student motivation. Together, we help design systems that reduce anxiety, strengthen student confidence, and cultivate hope through more meaningful and supportive approaches to assessment and grading.
This signature project creates intentional spaces where families and young adults can come together to feel seen, heard, and supported. Through facilitated conversations, community-based support meetings, and story-sharing, participants build connection with others who understand what it means to navigate mental health challenges at home and in daily life. By centering shared experiences, practical support, and hope, the project helps families learn how to support their young adults while also creating a network of care for young people who need...