Open Way Learning is a nonprofit that helps schools leverage existing talent to build cultures of innovation...not through fads, but a living mission/vision, distributed leadership, systemic collaboration, and the open exchange of knowledge & resources. Open Way Learning is a 501(c)(3) non-profit education organization that champions the following beliefs:
1) Authentic innovation in education co
mes not from the traditional, inconsistent application of “buzzword strategies,” but when a learning community first attends to the difficult, but necessary development and fostering of a school culture that allows continuous improvement and innovation to thrive.
2) Innovation cultures rooted in the elements of a shared, living vision; collective leadership; systemic collaboration; and the free & open exchange of ideas and resources enable an atmosphere of powerful teaching and learning for all students, especially those furthest from opportunity.
3) The talent and skills needed to grow a culture of innovation already exist in any school or district. But rather than being encumbered by the institutionalized inertia of the status quo, schools can leverage this expertise through the application of “the open source way” (transparency, inclusivity, adaptability, collaboration, and community), thus catalyzing crowdsourced, positive disruption to better prepare students for a rapidly changing world. We advance these beliefs by advocating for more open, equitable, and innovative teaching and learning strategies that have been proven to work through case studies, research, and other applicable evidence from and for public and independent k-12 schools, as articulated in the Open Way Learning website and the book, “Open Up, Education!” These strategies include, but are not limited to Learner-Centered practices such as Project Based Learning, Competency Based Education, Design Thinking, Distributed Leadership, and authentic Personalized Learning. We achieve these goals through targeted support that includes virtual and face-to-face workshops, in-school coaching, public speaking, study visits, blogs & social media, and development of strategic partnerships with other individuals and organizations that share similar goals.
