LearnerStudio Presents:
The Brief But Spectacular Learning Series
Belonging and Connection as Drivers of Learning
These leaders offer a glimpse into the power of human connection as a driver of learning and thriving – especially as AI and other forces challenge that foundation.
Transcend: How we transform the way we do school
For too long, education reform has been caught between two extremes: top-down mandates that overlook community wisdom, and grassroots efforts dependent on heroic educators to implement. Aylon Samouha makes the case for a third way: community-based design that brings together lived experience, design thinking, research & development, and community participation. CLICK HERE to learn more.
Shereen El Mallah: Rebuilding young people’s trust in adults
For seven years, Shereen El Mallah asked students what they thought would happen to their data before collecting it. She never once got a positive response. Her work is about closing that trust gap: building visible feedback loops, honoring lived experience as expertise, and recognizing something too many systems miss – young people are not a potential resource. They’re a current force. CLICK HERE to learn more.
Local Civics: How young people can transform communities
A middle schooler redesigning healthcare access. A group of Bronx seniors designing a women’s safety shelter. This is what becomes possible when young people are given the space and trust to lead. Beverly Leon believes the future of education is as much about what students build, for themselves and for their communities, as what they learn. CLICK HERE to learn more.
NACA Inspired Schools
Network: What’s possible when education begins with who we are
When a school is built around a student’s full identity: their culture, their language, their community, it is transformative. Kara Bobroff founded the Native American Community Academy in Albuquerque grounded in the belief that when young people can fully be themselves, the opportunities in front of them are boundless. CLICK HERE to learn more.
From Our Original Brief but Spectacular Learning Series
The Rithm Project: Human connection in the Age of AI
We’re connecting with tech itself, not just through it. Companion bots are booming, fueled by loneliness. Michelle Culver shares her take on the future of human connection. From imagining a Year 2040 scenario to testing an AI boyfriend, she urges us to be critical producers, not just consumers. CLICK HERE to learn more.
Valor Collegiate Academies: Centering trust and connection
As AI companions rise and a youth mental health crisis deepens, Valor Collegiate Academies represents a radical solution: human connection. Young people and educators explain how their Compass model centers dialogues where everyone is seen and known. It’s a vital reminder: in an age of artificial connection, authentic human relationships are the most critical work.¹ CLICK HERE to learn more.
Uprooted Academy: Activating the village through adaptive tools
Critical junctures from adolescence to adulthood are breaking students with stress. Tiffany Green of Uprooted Academy is using AI to fight back. Her adaptive roadmap manages the admin grind and adjusts to student stress, activating the village of family, friends, mentors, and supporters. By automating logistics, the tool frees everyone to focus on human connection. CLICK HERE to learn more.
¹These episodes were created in part of a series funded by XQ Institute, in collaboration with PBS NewsHour