Throughout history, from apprenticeships to field studies, learning has always extended beyond the walls of a classroom. Think about how often we learn outside traditional classrooms now – from looking up DIY fixes online to diving down rabbit holes sparked by a documentary. It makes you wonder: how is this constant quest for information shaping our future, and how are our schools adapting? The traditional classroom often feels disconnected from the vibrant, ever-evolving real world. As we rethink learning environments, our priority must be to move beyond outdated structures and create models that truly engage students by mirroring the dynamic, hands-on ways knowledge is acquired and applied in their lives and future careers.
So, if learning is happening everywhere, and we’re all constantly seeking information and applying it to our lives, what does that mean for how we design schools? Imagine if learning wasn’t anchored solely to a physical location, but a network or intentionally guided experiences—deeply integrated with community resources and expertise, real-world applications, and technology-driven opportunities? It might look like the work of organizations like ReSchool Colorado, which actively rebundles learning experiences around a child’s unique interests and needs, drawing upon a wide array of community resources and mentors. This isn’t a passive connection; it’s a deliberate collection of learning, facilitated by guides who help learners navigate a rich landscape of possibilities. Learning in the future will be fluid and unbounded by traditional spatial constraints; it’s an ecosystem, adaptable, inclusive, and deeply engaging.
What if school weren’t just a place but a service, a network of co-authored experiences stitched into purposeful pathways linked to opportunity…pathways rich with guidance and support, place-connected experiences, collaborative learning, accelerated and credentialed opportunities? And what if school wasn’t just a place but an invitation to contribution where learners experienced success in what’s next—in employment, in entrepreneurship, in citizenship—leveraging their learning to make a real impact?
This isn’t just a nice idea. Schools across the country are facing declining enrollment and underutilized spaces. Urban districts lose families to high housing costs, while rural schools shrink with population shifts or economic changes and some students are leaving for other school options (Education Scholarship Accounts, etc.). But this isn’t just a facilities issue—it’s a chance to reimagine what’s possible. Empty classrooms can transform into community hubs, innovation centers, impact incubators, or specialized academies that directly connect education, workforce development, and lifelong learning. This approach creates those vital pathways to good jobs, a sense of purpose, and the kind of engaging learning experiences students need to thrive in a constantly evolving world. Education leaders and teachers have already seen how the more traditional model—rows of desks, rigid schedules—no longer serves today’s learners. It is often the community working to recognize that the boundaries of education are expanding beyond the physical classroom. This transformation is fundamentally about reimagining the learning experience, not just the structures that house it; it’s about creating those pathways to good jobs and a sense of purpose we want for all students.
Designing Environments for Transformative Learning
It is time to rethink the “Where.” Key elements that create dynamic learning spaces:
Adaptable, Inclusive Facilities | Spaces designed for collaboration, creativity, and hands-on learning, making sure that every student has access to engaging environments, and these spaces can be easily reconfigured for after-hours community use, facilitating connections with the broader community and real-world applications. School design can influence staff and student health and wellness even though the investments are expensive.
Flexible Scheduling | Recognizing that learning doesn’t fit neatly into rigid class periods, supporting personalized pathways and interdisciplinary projects. Singapore American School worked with Fielding Nair International to rethink their 6th grade space around time and student groupings.
Meaningful Partnerships | Moving beyond superficial collaborations to create genuine, reciprocal relationships that enrich learning with real-world expertise. These partnerships also benefit programming in (College in the High School Alliance) and after the school day (i.e., FFA, DECA, NFTE).
Strategic Co-location | Housing multiple schools/programs in a shared space – such as sharing space with a higher education partner or with youth/family service providers. This intentional sharing of space is distinct from simple partnerships; it fosters deeper integration and shared resources within a common footprint. Innovative solutions to bring employers into schools when empty space is available are found at Roscoe Unified School District’s Edu-Vet program, where the school hosts a veterinary business on campus.
Seamless Technology Integration | Technology enhances personalized learning and collaboration for all students, not just the privileged few. The emergence of accessible AI tools such as Brisk Teaching, Playlab, School Joy, OKOlabs and Inkwire (among many others) facilitate better learning experience design and more frequent and efficient assessment. Technology solutions can facilitate virtual internships and learning experiences to increase access for all students.
Strategic Transportation | Expanding access by extending learning beyond school walls and leveraging community-based opportunities. An example of this is city zoos hosting space for learning environments and/or schools.
Consider models already proving what’s possible: microschools that are embedded in local businesses, public libraries serving as learning extensions, museums as homebase, farms supporting agricultural or science pathways, or partnerships with industry leaders offering hands-on mentorship. Schools that embrace flexible scheduling, hybrid learning, and competency-based pathways aren’t just reacting to change; they’re shaping the future.
Learning spaces should reflect the way people naturally acquire knowledge—through engagement, collaboration, and real-world application. Larry Rosenstock opened High Tech High with the intention of Making the City the Text. The school facility is a launch pad, a support hub, a gallery, the classroom is San Diego. Where there is a mindset, a design principle, a catalyst not just a space. School without Walls in NYC uses the city as the facility for the school – with engaging real-world experiences accessible to all students.
These elements combine to create a ‘Where’ that’s not just a space, but a catalyst for transformative student success.
Transforming Underutilized Spaces into Vibrant Innovation and Community Hubs
We have a unique opportunity to repurpose underutilized spaces into strategic community assets. Instead of passively managing empty spaces, districts are already finding ways to repurpose them into:
Community Learning Centers | Providing adult education, skill-building workshops, and community events, strengthening the ties between the school and the wider neighborhood, that address the changing nature of work and skills. There are examples of this at Cajon Valley School District with Launch Pad, which is located in a middle school in partnership with the San Diego Workforce Partnership and is a student and parent resource center.
Specialized Academies for Emerging Fields | Creating focused pathways in AI, environmental science, or healthcare, giving students direct access to cutting-edge technology and real-world connections within those fields. Examples include:
- RAMTEC (Robotics & Advanced Manufacturing Technology Education Collaborative), Ohio: This initiative, in partnership with institutions like Tri-Rivers Career Center, leveraged industry partnership grants to establish state-of-the-art facilities and programs in advanced manufacturing. Its growth into a statewide network showcases the power of aligning education directly with workforce demands.
- Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Health Academy Grants: These recent grants provided significant funding, including resources for essential equipment, to support the development of specialized healthcare pathways in schools across the nation.
- St. Vrain Valley School District Innovation Center: Demonstrates an agile structure for offering specialized programs and even paid consulting opportunities for students in emerging fields.
- CAPS (Center for Advanced Professional Studies) Network: A national network focused on profession-based learning (Pro-BL), emphasizing building meaningful connections with industry professionals and securing real-world learning opportunities like internships for students within their communities.
Collaborative Innovation Labs | Dedicated spaces where students and industry partners work together to address real-world challenges, fostering interdisciplinary and hands-on learning experiences. The Iovine and Young Center within the LA Unified School District partners with local industry to solve technical challenges. Design Tech High School is co-located on the Oracle Campus in California.
Co-located Youth/Family Support Services | Integrating essential support services within school facilities to better serve students and families. Examples include:
- Vaux Big Picture High School (Philadelphia): A model that co-locates educational and community support resources.
- Central High School (Kansas City): Another example of a school that integrates youth and family services on-site.
“Homeschool Connect” Sites | Making use of underutilized school spaces to support the growing homeschool community and provide additional learning opportunities. DaVinci Connect Launched in an empty elementary school to serve as a hub for homeschool families.
Flexible Learning Environment Examples: Programs that demonstrate innovative use of space and community connections for personalized education. Olympia Regional Learning Academy (ORLA) in Olympia School District leverages flexible learning environments and strong community ties to create personalized educational pathways for students.
Public spaces like libraries, zoos, and local businesses are already stepping into these roles, serving as vibrant extensions of the classroom. In the same way, governmental agencies and nonprofits addressing community challenges can provide real-world learning experiences that connect students to pressing societal issues.
Agile Small School District Networks
For districts with small schools, semi-autonomous schools (often operating in supportive networks) can expand family options while providing flexibility and sustainability:
- Budget Allocation | Empowering schools to invest in resources that directly help their students.
- Curriculum Design | Allowing schools to tailor programs to community needs and student interests.
- Staffing Decisions | Enabling schools to recruit the best talent to support their unique learning models
Examples include Boston Pilot Schools, several New York City networks (Outward Bound, Urban Assembly), Tacoma Partner Schools, and Teacher-Powered Schools. Additionally, creating ‘homeschool connection sites’ such as Snoqualmie School District (WA) Parent Partnership Program can bridge the gap with the growing homeschool community, expanding learning opportunities for all.
Learning Without Walls: Embracing Outdoor Spaces & Technology
Learning transcends the traditional classroom, flourishing in parks, gardens, and digital environments. Natural spaces, near schools, such as parks and nature reserves, serve as invaluable living laboratories. Here, students can directly study local ecosystems, participate in meaningful environmental restoration projects, and develop a deep understanding of science, sustainability principles, and community stewardship. To maximize these opportunities, consider the following strategies:
- Optimized Outdoor Space: Transforming school grounds into dynamic learning environments where students engage in hands-on discovery.
- Mukilteo Elementary (North of Seattle): Features a student-created 2-acre forest classroom, demonstrating the potential for student-led environmental stewardship and learning.
- Environmental Charter School (K-12) at Frick Park in Pittsburgh: Integrates its environmental theme across the curriculum, utilizing an “out-the-door” learning approach to cultivate systems thinkers and problem-solvers.
- Outdoor Learning Hubs – Establishing shared spaces that connect students and community members with environmental and sustainability education. Organizations like the Outdoor Discovery Center (Holland, MI) and Teton Science Schools in Wyoming actively support families and school communities in accessing and utilizing outdoor learning opportunities, providing resources and guidance for enriching educational experiences beyond the classroom.
AI and Technology Integration: Strategically leveraging digital tools to personalize learning pathways, streamline administrative tasks, and enhance student engagement both indoors and outdoors. Technology can extend learning beyond physical boundaries and provide access to vast resources for environmental study and exploration.
This isn’t just about filling space – it’s about building a learning ecosystem that connects education, workforce, and community in meaningful ways. To truly integrate schools with communities, we must build intentional bridges. To make this community hub idea real, we need to:
- Develop a Strategic Partnership Map: Identify potential collaborators and establish measurable outcomes for impact.
- Simplify Facility Reservation Systems: Make it easy for community members to access school spaces, fostering a sense of shared ownership.
- Host Stakeholder Workshops: Engage local industries, higher education partners, and community organizations in co-designing programs that meet regional needs.
- Build enrollment predictions. Spend time building strong enrollment predictions to understand potential facility space changes and needs.
By building these connections, schools become vibrant community hubs, extending learning opportunities beyond the classroom and strengthening community ties while adapting for changes in enrollment. Schools that embrace these partnerships can model themselves after historical learning structures, where mentorship, hands-on application, and community engagement were key parts of learning.
While physical spaces remain valuable, their purpose has evolved within a larger learning ecosystem that embraces the outdoors and technology. The focus shifts from the limitations of a single place to the boundless possibilities of learning that occur everywhere. This necessitates thoughtful conversations about resource allocation, staffing models that support outdoor learning, and a re-evaluation of what we consider school.
The Next Steps: Making It Happen
The question is not whether we should rethink facility use and learning environments, but how quickly we can act. Moving forward requires:
- Piloting New Models | Test small-scale innovations and measure impact before scaling.
- Engaging Stakeholders | Cultivating a collaborative ecosystem involving students, educators, and the wider community in shaping future learning spaces and opportunities.
- Aligning Policies and Funding | Advocate for flexible policies and sustainable investments to support transformation.
Moving forward, the challenge isn’t just reimagining where learning happens, but in actively inviting learners to co-construct their individual paths and the vibrant communities that support their growth.
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