Innovation in Action: How Creative Schools are Designing a More Equitable Education System
The Canopy
In the wake of COVID-19, the work ahead is not simply to recover from the pandemic or to navigate a racial reckoning. It is to transform inequitable and rigid education systems into equitable and student-centered ones that create extraordinary learning experiences for all young people.
A diverse array of communities are building these types of transformative learning environments. The models they’re designing and redesigning don’t all look the same. But they all set aside old assumptions about what “school” must be in order to adapt to students’ strengths and needs, create joyful and rigorous learning experiences, and reflect the values and priorities of their communities. Many of these learning environments are designed by and with historically marginalized communities that are impacted by systemic inequities in K–12 and beyond.
But where are these innovative learning environments, and what impact are they making? Whether you’re a local school leader or national supporter of education, it can be hard to find schools to learn from, especially outside of your own network.
The Canopy project is designed to address this challenge by building collective knowledge about a diverse set of innovative learning environments. This report summarizes results from analysis of Canopy data collected and analyzed between February and July 2022.
You can also learn more about individual schools in the Canopy Project Portal.