Learning Rooted in Curiosity, Relevance and Authentic Connection

Imagine an elementary school classroom buzzing with energy as young people debate whether it’s possible to build a new amusement park in their neighborhood. Clipboards in hand, they analyze local water data, weigh environmental impact, and present policy recommendations to their city council. In another classroom, learners discuss public policy using a novel as their text, connecting literature to the real-world issues shaping their communities. These are real examples of how learning can look when it’s rooted in curiosity, relevance, and authentic connection.

Earlier this month, I joined Sierra Holtzheuser, Vice President of Growth and Partnerships at myBlueprint; Dave Sherer, Director of Future of Assessment at the Carnegie Foundation; and Carolyne Quintana, CEO of Teaching Matters, for Beyond the Transcript: What Readiness Really Looks Like in 2025, a national webinar presented by SpacesEDU. Together, we explored what it means to move beyond grades and test scores and focus on helping young people build the skills and confidence to thrive.

What remained with me are three moves we can make to build more learner-centered experiences and systems: 

Honor that Learning Happens Everywhere 

Young people learn all day, every day. As humans, we’re wired for it. Whether at school or beyond the classroom, deep learning is happening on a stage, in a workshop, at a construction site, with others in experiences where young people are analyzing air quality data and presenting real policy recommendations to their community. These experiences remind us that learning is at its best when it’s connected to life. 

We see this across Nevada every day but not yet at scale. Learners are designing theater sets, interning with community organizations, and solving problems that matter to them and their neighbors. Each of these moments redefines what learning looks like and who it’s for. The question we are continuing to ask is, how do we ensure all young people have access to the kinds of experiences that build durable skills across their academic disciplines? When learning expands beyond the classroom, it opens the door for every young person to find purpose in what they’re doing and pride in who they’re becoming. A system that makes this standard practice actively redefines excellence.

Redefining the Skills That Matter Most

Across the country, states are rethinking what it really means to be ready for the future of learning. Many have created Portraits of a Learner or Graduate frameworks that put skills like collaboration, problem-solving, and adaptability at the center of learning. It’s a shift away from test scores and seat time, and toward something more meaningful: helping young people grow into confident, capable members of their communities.

Here in Nevada, that shift is already happening. The Portrait of a Nevada Learner was built through hundreds of conversations with educators, families, and learners themselves. It asks simple but powerful questions: How will I grow? How will I connect? How will I make an impact? How will I thrive?

These questions are guiding how we are building learner-centered and future-ready systems and experiences across our state. They remind us that readiness is about agency, belonging, and purpose. 

Designing Learning With Learners, Not Just For Them

True learning innovation starts with trust: the kind built when educators and young people design together. Learners take ownership when they have a voice in shaping their experiences. They see themselves as creators of their own paths, not just passengers along the way.

We’ve seen this in Nevada through school design teams piloting new approaches to teaching and assessment. In these spaces, educators and learners are co-creating what learning looks like from designing performance tasks to showcasing projects that connect back to their communities. 

When we invite learners into the process, something important shifts within them – we move from compliance to commitment, and that is where real community is built. 

Listen to the webinar HERE.