This week in CONNECTIONS:

POWERFUL LEARNING | Takeaways from iLead’s Student Showcase of Learning applicable to any school.

MICROSCHOOLS INSIDE PUBLIC SYSTEMS | Learn about the microschool movement and how it can provide space to innovate.

What’s on Deck?

READY TO TELL YOUR STORY? Join us for our Local Accountability Cohort. We’ll kick-off on June 9th!

MOMENTUM | We hope you’ll join us! Details and registration in What’s on Deck.

How might the KY High School Speech League help with your

Presentations of Learning?

• The Kentucky High School Speech League has a great menu of professional learning opportunities focused on the art of teaching public speaking. Below you’ll find just one example of 3-hour session they can provide. You can find more details here!
  

PATENT-PENDING. STUDENTS TURN GAME DESIGN INTO OPPORTUNITY

These iLead students created a board game that has been so well-received that they are now working with a patent attorney to protect their design. Their next step is to seek support for marketing. Authentic learning at its best!

CONNECTIONS

May 2025 | Issue 22

A Celebration of Student Agency and Relevance:

Purposeful, Powerful Learning

Last week’s Student Showcase at iLEAD Academy reminded us of what’s possible when learning is human-centered, intentional, and real-world.

Each year in May, students at iLead choose the work they are most proud of to display for the annual Showcase. From individually designed projects to demonstrate application of math and ELA content to collaborative products designed for participation in state and national competitions like those sponsored by TSA and HOSA, the work was powerful, and conversations revealed curiosities, reflections and passions unique to each learner.

What made this Showcase so powerful?



• Authentic format: One-on-one conversations highlighted student voice in the most personal, powerful way. Rather than formal panel presentations, this format created space for more natural dialogue—allowing learners to genuinely reflect, make personal connections, and surface meaningful questions.

• Work that matters to learners: Instead of starting by explaining their durable skills, students demonstrated them—through meaningful work they were proud of and grew through. A single artifact often revealed collaboration, critical thinking, and so much more.

• Real-world tasks: From interdisciplinary golf course designs to travel budgets and career research, high-quality work was on display across every content area. The evidence learners shared underscores the importance of providing meaningful performance assessments at the classroom level—not just at key milestones.

This event wasn’t just a showcase—it was a celebration of what education can be when we design for student agency and relevance.

Has your team recently hosted Defenses of Learning or a similar showcase? Our tool, Echoes of Learning, is designed to help teams reflect on the experience and consider the instructional implications and next steps. We’re happy to help facilitate this conversation with your team!

MICROSCHOOLS AS A PATH TO INNOVATION | The microschool movement is gaining traction among innovators looking to try new ideas within the public school setting.

What are Microschools?

According to Getting Smart’s Public Microschool Playbook just released this month, microschools are “small, agile learning environments that provide a scalable solution for modernizing education, allowing educators and leaders to flexibly pilot, refine, and expand next-generation learning approaches. 

Unlike large, more rigid structures, public microschools can empower school systems to innovate quickly and intentionally while offering expanded options for learners, families, and educators. With thoughtful planning, public microschools can serve as a strategic lever for broader innovation, paving the way for a more responsive and future-ready education system.”

Students, teachers and parents who are part of the Dig Deep classrooms at Foster Heights Elementary School in Nelson County agree, and we are excited to share their story in an upcoming issue of CONNECTIONS. Stay tuned!

OVEC LOCAL ACCOUNTABILITY COHORT | This cohort is open to all districts—whether you're deeply engaged in local accountability work or just beginning to explore. Our cohort offers a space to learn, gather fresh ideas, gain tools, practices, and strategies, and carve out dedicated time to plan and reflect. We’ll kick-off on June 9th from 9:00-12:00 pm. Join us!

IT’S BACK! MOMENTUM 2025 | That’s right - the conference created to provide an opportunity for KY teachers to share and celebrate vibrant learning experiences is back for a second year! Momentum 2025 will be held on June 18, again at the STEAM Academy in Lexington. Registration is live! Don’t wait - space is limited! Stay up-to-date by bookmarking the conference website: MOMENTUM 2025.

LEARNING IN JULY | Take a sneak peek to see what’s coming from the team at ElevatED Studios this summer and register HERE

WHAT MIGHT THE NEXT STEPS BE FOR YOUR CLASSROOM, SCHOOL OR DISTRICT?

Whether looking for ways to bring your Profile to life, rethinking the way we use time, designing your local accountability system, creating a performance assessment system or finding simple shifts to create a different - and much more meaningful and memorable - learning experience, we’d love to be your design partners. Check out some of the key ways we can partner with your school or district here!

Not sure what your next steps need to be? We can help with that too! Contact us at elevatED studios!