The experiences young people have in our schools today will shape our society tomorrow. Transcend’s Leaps toward Extraordinary Learning for All describe the key ways we believe these experiences must change, so that every young person can reach their infinite potential.
These Leaps help schools move from experiences that often leave young people disconnected and struggling to experiences that are engaging and effectively build the knowledge, skills, and mindsets young people need to thrive in and transform the world. Bringing all six Leaps to life requires thoughtful and coherent decisions across every part of a school’s design.
Industrial-Era Learning
Extraordinary Learning
Industrial-Era Learning
Narrow Focus
Extraordinary Learning
Whole-Child Focus
Industrial-Era Learning
Narrow Focus
Learning focuses exclusively on academics and developing students’ minds, overlooking their holistic growth and well-being.
Extraordinary Learning
Whole-Child Focus
Learning nurtures every young person’s mind, body, and heart, promoting holistic development and well-being.
Industrial-Era Learning
Isolation & Conformity
Extraordinary Learning
Connection & Community
Industrial-Era Learning
Isolation & Conformity
Learners share space with peers and adults but often lack deep connections, meaningful opportunities to collaborate, or ways to get to know and celebrate one another, leading many to feel pressure to conform or risk isolation.
Extraordinary Learning
Connection & Community
All learners are part of a supportive community where they form meaningful, collaborative relationships with peers and adults and are deeply known, appreciated, and respected for who they are while also embracing the uniqueness of others.
Industrial-Era Learning
Low Expectations with Surface-Level Learning
Extraordinary Learning
High Expectations with Rigorous Learning
Industrial-Era Learning
Low Expectations with Surface-Level Learning
Learners complete rote, low-level tasks aimed at memorizing broad but shallow content, with varying access to opportunities and treatment from adults shaped by inconsistent and often low expectations.
Extraordinary Learning
High Expectations with Rigorous Learning
Every learner is treated as capable of excellence with access to appropriately challenging tasks that deepen understanding, broaden perspectives, strengthen higher-order thinking, and help them apply learning in new situations.
Industrial-Era Learning
Irrelevance
Extraordinary Learning
Relevance
Industrial-Era Learning
Irrelevance
Learning is disconnected from real-world topics and challenges, as well as from the prior knowledge, interests, goals, and life experiences of young people.
Extraordinary Learning
Relevance
Learning connects to young people’s life experiences, interests, goals, and prior knowledge, as well as to real opportunities and challenges in their local community and beyond.
Industrial-Era Learning
One-Size-Fits-All Approach
Extraordinary Learning
Customization
Industrial-Era Learning
One-Size-Fits-All Approach
Learners experience the same content and activities at the same pace, holding some back from more advanced content and activities while leaving others behind.
Extraordinary Learning
Customization
Learners experience flexibility in the focus, pace, setting, and sequence of learning, as well as variability in the resources and supports provided, ensuring each learner can succeed.
Industrial-Era Learning
Passive Compliance
Extraordinary Learning
Agency
Industrial-Era Learning
Passive Compliance
Learners follow directions, absorb content, and adopt behaviors and ways of thinking without question, motivated primarily by external rewards or fear of consequences.
Extraordinary Learning
Agency
Learners take charge of their experience in meaningful, developmentally appropriate ways, and through this, they all have opportunities to impact both their life path and the world around them.
