School and system redesign is not new. Throughout the history of formalized education, educators and leaders have challenged the “one-size-fits-all” factory model, striving for more effective learning approaches. While this model increased access to education, it often failed to unlock every student’s full potential and demonstrate proficiency on critical outcomes. Today, we see a surge in reform and transform efforts focused on competency-based, personalized, project and real-world learning grounded in the science of learning.
Across the country, we see innovation efforts emerging among our partners and collaborators. Our partnership work focuses on coalition and network building, supporting local initiatives from the ground-up with tools, resources and roadmaps to ensure every student thrives.
We built the Getting Smart Innovation Framework as an essential organizing tool for ground-up system change – helping schools, districts and systems move toward a future vision of education that serves all students and communities. Like the education we hope for every young person, it is personalized and relevant and addresses the questions of why, what, how, for whom and where in the design journey.
The Getting Smart Innovation Framework: A Layered Approach
The framework utilizes a layered model to address the grain size within learning design and transformation efforts. These layers – Learner, Learning, Strategy and System – interact vertically and integrate horizontally, creating a holistic approach to model development.
Learner Layer
At the core of any learning design is the individual learner. This layer, informed by our Portrait Model, focuses on creating personalized learning pathways for every student. The Learner Layer is the heartbeat of the Innovation Framework, reminding us to focus on the most important element of this work: the student.
Learning Layer
To support each individual learner, the Learning Layer focuses on creating a supportive and engaging learning environment. It articulates a shared Community Vision that prioritizes equity and opportunity while defining Learner Outcomes that cultivate essential skills and mindsets. An innovative Learning Model supports meaningful experiences, while clear Signals of achievement communicate student progress. The framework creates pathways to productive citizenship, high-wage employment, economic mobility, and purpose-driven lives. An expanded Learning Ecosystem integrates real-world opportunities, collaboration, and engagement to ensure access for all.
- Why. A Community Vision establishes the foundation for redesign by identifying the community needs, creating a shared vision, building a mission, and designing a Learner Profile. This section ensures that redesign efforts are rooted in a deep understanding of the community’s aspirations and challenges, articulated through a compelling vision and mission.
- What. Learner Outcomes define competencies, progressions, and standards that guide learning and development. Competencies describe interdisciplinary learner outcomes, while progressions articulate how learners grow toward proficiency over time. Standards provide content-specific expectations, ensuring academic rigor and alignment with educational requirements.
- How. The Learning Model outlines the systems and strategies needed to help learners achieve proficiency in the defined outcomes. It includes values and related norms that form the foundation for a positive culture and climate. Design principles are grounded in learning sciences and articulate core beliefs about teaching and learning. The instructional framework aligns learning experience, instruction, and assessment in a learner-centered frame.
- For Whom. Signals describe how learner proficiency is shared, displayed, and valued through report cards, progress reports, portfolios, credentials, transcripts, and learner records – clear signals that describe what students know and are able to do. These elements provide comprehensive and transparent ways to communicate learner growth, enabling students, families, and educators to understand and celebrate progress.
- Where. The Learning Ecosystem encompasses spaces and systems that support learning, including facilities, scheduling, staffing models, transportation, partnerships, and technology. Learning Ecosystems include on-site, off-site and virtual partners that expand access to relevant and personalized experiences for every student.
Strategy Layer
The Strategy Layer provides the tools and resources for ground-up, community-based change, linking strategies to research, development efforts and broader impact initiatives.
System Layer
The System Layer supports implementation of multiple models within a system – each with its own Learner, Learning and Strategy layers. Systems that design and launch a portfolio of learning experiences (i.e. multiple learning models and pathways with learner choice) with high site level agency combined with student-level accountability will best serve the next generation.
AI Enabled
We already see AI tools driving both efficiency and innovation within the framework. For example, personalized design tools built within Playlab accelerate Learning Layer work, project-based learning is made easier through Inkwire, and next-generation LMS systems such as B21 Beacon and Headrush document proficiency within a competency-based and much expanded ecosystem. Our forthcoming guide will elaborate on how AI tools can accelerate each element of the framework.
A Path Forward
Building on years of learning from schools, districts, foundations, and partners, we are committed to evolving and iterating on the Innovation Framework. We aim to continue this collaborative learning journey to support more of the tens of thousands of schools and system globally. We invite educators, leaders, and communities to join us in creating educational systems that empower every student to reach their full potential. With learners at the center and this framework as our how, let’s work together to transform education.
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