A Message from Our Team!

2024 was a year of connection, innovation, and impact. Together with our partners and education leaders across the country, we took bold strides toward building an equitable education ecosystem where all learners could thrive.

We continued to amplify voices, challenge the status quo, and design solutions that put learners first. From national conversations to deep dives in local schools, we witnessed firsthand the inspiring work happening across the country to reimagine education. In Fall of 2024 we hosted our second New Pathways conference sponsored by ASA. Additionally, we released publications on Expanding Access, Value and Experiences Through Credentialing and refined and updated our New Pathways Handbook with the Career Cluster Appendix.

All of this work resulted in tons of content. This year we published:

• 9 Town Halls
• 4 Publications
• 86 Podcast Episodes
• and 160 Blogs

Thank you for walking alongside us on this journey. Here’s a look at what we accomplished together.

Our Impact at a Glance

Getting Smart In Community

At Getting Smart, we believe that education extends beyond classrooms—it thrives in communities, conversations, and collective action. That’s why we remained deeply committed to making an impact both locally and nationally in 2024.

This past year, our team dedicated over 450 hours volunteering and providing in-kind advisory and support for education leaders, innovators and startups. From serving on boards like the Friends of Seattle Public Library and Rural Schools Collaborative to offering strategic guidance, thought partnership, and expertise to help drive meaningful change that strengthens schools and communities.

In addition to committing time, in November, our team came together to give $3,500 to causes close to our hearts. We supported organizations that align with our values of equity, community, and lifelong learning, reinforcing our belief that investing in others strengthens the entire education ecosystem.

Learning Design & Strategy

In 2024, we partnered with several schools and districts to design, implement, and scale innovative learning models that are personalized, competency-based, and future-focused. Through strategic planning, instructional design, and coaching, we helped education leaders bring bold ideas to life, ensuring every learner is engaged, supported, and prepared for what’s next. 

In 2024 many of our learning design projects were centered around Portrait of a Graduate (PoG) implementation. We believe that a PoG should be more than a vision statement. It should be a living, actionable framework that drives meaningful change. Working with our district partners, we helped them move beyond the design and launch phase and into the implementation phase. Ensuring that their PoGs came to life by shaping instruction, assessment and student experiences. 

Our work focused on:

• Unpacking PoGs to create clear, system-wide strategies that guide teaching and learning.
• Aligning competencies with instructional practices, ensuring students develop real-world skills.
• Building educator capacity to implement and sustain PoG-driven learning models.

By turning PoGs into action-oriented roadmaps, we helped schools bridge the gap between aspiration and impact—ensuring students are truly prepared to thrive in school, work and life.

Building Community Through Coaching Networks

In 2024, we focused on creating vibrant, connected learning experiences that prepared leaders for what was next and supported community and network building. With support from the Learning Innovation Fund, we launched two Communities of Practice that empowered school leaders through collaboration and shared learning. They included: 

• Assessment & Evaluation: Leaders explored tools to measure student growth beyond traditional metrics, focusing on competency-based and nontraditional assessment strategies.
• School Within a School: Microschool leaders tackled challenges like scaling models, budgeting, and aligning organizational expectations, fostering powerful partnerships with education-adjacent organizations.

Field Notes: National School Trips

In 2024, we led 10 National School Field Trips, visiting 75 schools in 11 states with over 570 educators and leaders.

These experiences provided school and system leaders with hands-on insights into cutting-edge models and best practices in learning innovation. Participants had the opportunity to step inside dynamic learning environments, observe transformative approaches in action, and engage in rich conversations with educators and students.

School trips remained one of our most impactful learning opportunities, blending exploration, connection, and inspiration. These immersive experiences offered a rare chance to witness best practices and innovation firsthand, sparking creativity and fresh perspectives on what’s possible in education.

Beyond learning, these journeys fostered collaboration and deeper connections—not just among participants but also with the broader education ecosystem. They created space for critical reflection, bold questions, and new possibilities, ultimately broadening horizons and fueling meaningful growth in education.

A Big Push for Small Schools

Small schools made a big impact in 2024—and we were there to help them thrive.

Through the Big Push for Small Schools initiative, funded by the Learning Innovation Fund and supported by the Walton Family Foundation, we empowered microschools to become diverse, sustainable, and impactful models of innovation.

Last year, we:

• Awarded grants to support microschools in scaling innovative practices while maintaining learner-centered, personalized education.
• Provided technical assistance to school leaders, helping them navigate design, implementation, and sustainability challenges.
• Fostered a network of microschool leaders to collaborate, share best practices, and build capacity together.

This initiative continued to highlight the potential of small, agile schools to reimagine learning in ways that prioritized student agency, equity, and connection.

As one leader said: “These grants have allowed us to focus on what matters most—creating meaningful, transformative learning experiences for every student.”

What Resonated Most in 2024?

Looking Ahead

We couldn’t have done this work without our partners—organizations and individuals dedicated to shaping the future of learning. Your trust, collaboration, and bold leadership fueled our shared impact. Thank you for believing in a learner-centered, innovative education system. We are excited for what’s next and deeply grateful to have you with us.

As we move into 2025, our core focuses are:

• Building stronger pathways that connect learning to life.
• Nurturing innovative leadership across the education landscape.
• Amplifying what works to scale impact and inspire change.

Here’s to another year of connection, bold ideas, and real impact!