Colleagues and friends, 

I was up early working when my youngest daughter emerged from her bedroom, plopped down next to me, and asked me what I was doing. I shared I was writing a book chapter on how we could make schools better work for kids, and she exclaimed, “Mom, I have the BEST ideas on this!” (She does not suffer from a lack of confidence.) “Like what?” I asked. “First off, there would be no grades. All the kids would get to learn in the spaces they wanted to and work on the things they most needed help with. And they could go to lunch or use the bathroom whenever they wanted. But only if they were getting their work done. Here, I’ll draw it for you and you can tell your friends and put it in your book.”

This one conversation has ballooned into a multi-day project. There are diagrams, speeches, and the bending of ears. Holding up her drawing to anyone who will listen, she begins the same way every time: “Look at this. WHAT do you notice?” At a dinner, I found her pitching her idea to an adult we’d just met. “I think we can do this in a year. But HOW do I get them to listen to me?”

Several days into her quest, I mentioned that I work with a lot of schools that look a lot like what she’s described. “You do? Why haven’t you fixed this yet?” she demanded.

As we head into 2024, I’m thinking a lot about that last question. Why haven’t we fixed this yet, and how will we? These family conversations remind me of so many others I’ve had with kids. We must listen and we must act, aiming towards not what we “can” do, but what we “should” and “must.” And if we can’t yet act on all their ideas and needs, we need to bring new energy, urgency, and tools to the task.

I’m thrilled to share that The Learning Accelerator (TLA) has received a $5 million investment to advance this work at the core of kids’ learning experience. In early 2024, we’ll be sharing more on the launch of several new initiatives, working in partnership with networks of providers, researchers, and the broader sector to accelerate evidence-building for and adoption of existing, sustainable innovations that help educators meet the needs of every kid. 

In the meantime, I invite all of you to have a conversation with a special learner in your life. What are they dreaming of? Thank you for being in this work with TLA. I’m so excited to learn together more quickly to make our learners’ dreams a reality.

Best,

Beth Rabbitt, Chief Executive Officer

PS – I recommend checking out Transcend Education’s Conversations With Kids or TLA’s Empathy Interviews Strategy as two concrete tools to help kickstart your dialogues.

Featured Updates

TLA Receives $5M Grant to Build Evidence and Adoption of Core Learning Innovations

A three-year investment from the Walton Family Foundation will enable TLA to advance understanding and scaling of evidence-based, virtually-supported learning acceleration approaches. Read more about the initiative on our website.

TLA is Hiring: Join Our Team!

The Learning Accelerator is looking for our next two team members who want to help build an education field where everyone learns faster and changes practice together to ensure every child can reach their unique potential. 



• Communications and Development Coordinator 
• Coordinator, Programs

New TLA Blogs, Insights, and Strategies

• Helping Educators and Leaders Surface What Works, For Whom, and Under What Conditions 
• Engaging 3 Key Groups for Equity in EdTech
• Catalyzing Collective Change Toward More Equitable EdTech Systems

What We're Reading

• Ecosystems for the Future of Learning (Education Reimagined) 
• What Educators and Families Should Prioritize in the Age of AI (Getting Smart) 
• Teaching, Reinvented: How Unconventional Educator Roles Pave the Way for a More Fulfilling and Sustainable Profession (Center for Reinventing Public Education)

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keep up with our work on the TLA Blog.