Design for Learning Holds Leadership Institute in Seattle
In January 2015, the American Architectural Foundation formally launched a partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with an invitation-only national Education Leadership Institute and School Design Workshop in Seattle, Washington. The event was organized by AAF’s Design for Learning program as a catalyst for progressive educators to apply design thinking in the transformation of their school districts into centers of personalized learning.
AAF’s national panel of design experts joined education leaders from six schools districts selected by the Gates Foundation for their initiative in implementing personalized learning strategies in their districts. Leading educators from Texas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia and California participated in either the Education Leadership Institute or one of three design charrettes. Participants explored the role of design, design thinking and change management to create space that more effectively supports innovative, student-centered educational programs. “Conceptualizing space and the environment as something that improves learning is a big shift from traditional models, and requires strong leadership and change management skills. In our work with the districts, we sought to demonstrate the indispensable role of design and design thinking in fostering change and transformation,” said AAF President & CEO Ron Bogle, Hon. AIA.
The Leadership Institute provided a critical introduction to design thinking for superintendents, principals, and other education executives. In the three design charrettes, educators from each district were paired with AAF design experts to tackle challenges that architects, educators and school districts commonly face in creating personalized learning spaces. In the sessions, the designers and educators explored ideas on how to repurpose, reconceive, and retrofit existing school space on a limited budget. “After the charrette, it became freakishly evident that space has to be part of the conversation,” said Rita Vasquez, Director of High School Education at Pinellas County Schools. Lynn Carmen Day, Chief Academic Officer at Riverside Unified School District, commented, “This was an amazing and transformative experience.”
The Institute and charrettes set the stage for site-based design workshops in each district in early 2015. In these workshops, also hosted by AAF, members of AAF’s design team and district project team members will reunite to develop strategies to redesign selected schools in each district. The redesign of this first set of schools will ultimately drive district-wide scaling of best practices for personalized learning environments.
Design for Learning’s inaugural knowledge partners Steelcase, Stantec, Perkins+Will, New Mountain Learning, DLR Group, FGM Architects and Cuningham Group are nationally renowned leaders in architecture, design, and education. AAF’s partnership with the Gates Foundation positions Design for Learning as leaders in the co-creation of new school models for the 21st century. Bogle continued, “We are all deeply grateful to the Gates Foundation for entrusting us with this most important project, and look forward to introducing design and design thinking as a new asset in our common goal of improving learning outcomes.”
For more information on Design for Learning, please contact AAF at 202.787.1001 or [email protected].
