How 12 Innovative Teams Make Learning Happen in Communities, Not Just in Schools

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Across the country, civic leaders, school districts, charter schools, businesses and youth development programs are rethinking public education — looking for ways to better connect young people’s learning with real-world experiences and local opportunities. The goal is to help kids build meaningful skills, contribute to their communities and prepare for an uncertain future.

In response, a new approach is taking shape: learner-centered ecosystems. These networks refocus K-12 education around young people and whole communities, not just schools, by redesigning and reshaping how school districts operate: where learning occurs (not just in one classrooms, but in libraries, parks and workplaces); how students’ long-term developmental needs are met (not semester by semester); who educates and mentors children (not just certified teachers, but mentors, artists, business leaders and neighbors); what grading looks like and how it counts toward college and career preparation (not just standardized test scores, but participation in local projects that matter to them and earn them credit). Organizations, businesses, cultural institutions and families work together to create more personalized, relevant learning pathways for young people.

Since 2023, 12 participating teams from around the country have joined Education Reimagined’s  Learner-Centered Ecosystem Lab, a national effort to bring this system redesign effort to life. Each is creating a shared vision for learning, building partnerships and tackling challenges like providing transportation, ensuring adequate staffing and making sure out-of-school learning counts for in-school credit.

The locales and challenges are diverse, ranging from big cities like Dallas and New York to very rural towns in Missouri and North Carolina, with both struggling and flourishing economies. The participants are diverse as well, ranging from rural and suburban school districts to youth development organizations and urban charter school networks. All are testing out ways to make learning relevant, connected to young people’s interests and rooted in local needs and opportunities.

In Ojai, California, for example, declining public school enrollment led an organization called Rock Tree Sky to partner with the Ojai Unified School District and other groups to create a flexible, community-based model. Young people take on hands-on projects — like robotics, farming or music production — and earn credit through the district’s independent study program. Each student works with an adviser who helps them reflect on their goals and growth, both academically and personally.

In Brooklyn, New York, the team at Runway Green is developing a learning site at Floyd Bennett Field, a former airfield and national park. Supported by Launch Schools charter organization and NYC Public Schools, the first group of high school students will begin this fall. Momentum for the $40 million effort is growing, with approximately $10 million raised so far — including a recent $4.3 million commitment from the city.  The kids will focus on local climate challenges and solutions such as sustainable agriculture and hydroponics. Working alongside partners like the Billion Oyster Project, students will choose projects that blend hands-on problem-solving with real community impact — like restoring wetlands, designing solar-powered systems or monitoring air and water quality — while learning with college instructors and nonprofit partners.

In Missouri, Liberty Public Schools is working with more than 350 businesses and organizations, along with the school board, educators and families, to expand everyday learning beyond the four walls of the classroom. Liberty serves 12,000 young people from pre-K to 12th grade. Every week, 30 to 35 field trips connect students across the district to learning opportunities of their choice in various fields. Through an internship program called Network 53, students spend up to six hours per week onsite at various companies, earn high school and college academic credit, and, in some cases, are paid for projects in career paths of their choice. Students work with attorneys, physical therapists, professional sports teams and tattoo artists. 

At the high school level,  more than 30 courses involve students with helping business partners solve unique problems. In one example, kids created artwork to beautify old electrical boxes in downtown Liberty. Most recently, the district partnered with William Jewell College and Hilltop Technologies to create a cybersecurity program that gives students college credit for addressing real-world challenges — as serious as working to prevent network attacks in war zones like Ukraine. Participating young people earn Market Value Asset credentials that can translate to post-secondary schooling and professional life.

In North Carolina, SparkNC is linking the state’s booming tech economy to the energy of its young people. Through an interdistrict network of SparkLabs, collaborative spaces that feel less like classrooms and more like design studios, young people explore technology fields, build skills and collaborate with peers.  

Through self-paced, peer-supported projects, they earn credit for work that matters to them, like building robots, designing their own video games or developing apps to help them manage their spending. They work alongside tech industry pros, including teams from Apple and SAS, and solve real-world challenges for companies through collaborative internships. This year, students organized a statewide “Makey Makey” tech competition, where they showcased inventions and projects in match-ups against SparkLab students from across the state.

These efforts are still works in progress, but as they take root, earning funding and momentum, they demonstrate the difference it makes when young people play a role in shaping the future of their communities. As these 12 teams share what they’re learning with one another through the national Lab, they’re uncovering common challenges and building collective solutions.

These learning networks are not about abandoning school, but about expanding what counts as education. They represent a commitment to personalized, relevant and real-world learning that helps young people thrive. Communities become more connected and stronger in the process, because education isn’t just about preparing kids for the world. It’s about co-creating the world with them.

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