Author: Melissa Graeser

We had the opportunity to chat with Principal Dan Warner at Narragansett High School who shared with us an organic shift from fear to courage with his Fuse Architect team. One area of growth for our team is that they’re starting to look at our design challenge courageously. When we first started out, there was… Read more

Student-centered learning has exploded as a mantra in many education circles. For the schools involved in Fuse Architects, this is no different. Schools’ applications and design meetings were and continue to be infused with this theme. From involving students in designing a new project-based learning space to students redesigning the 9th grade experience, Fuse Architect… Read more

This episode is the fourth in our series documenting the Fuse Architect Project, a collaboration between the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the Highlander Institute, and several other Rhode Island-based stakeholders endeavoring to design and pilot systems that promote student-centered learning. In this episode, we’re talking with Roberto Gonzalez of the Rhode Island-based nonprofit STEAM Box…. Read more

This episode is the fifth in our series documenting the Fuse Architect Project, a collaboration between the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the Highlander Institute, and several other Rhode Island-based stakeholders endeavoring to design and pilot systems that promote student-centered learning. In this episode, we’re talking with Pegah Rahmanian, the Executive Director of Youth in Action…. Read more

In education as in other sectors, there exists this buzz phrase – “thinking outside the box.” While so commonly used, Highlander and its Fuse Architect partner schools have experienced that this phrase may not be as simple a concept as it sounds. From the start of the Fuse Architect program, Highlander and NMEF have challenged… Read more

  This episode is the fifth in our series documenting the Fuse Architect Project, a collaboration between the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the Highlander Institute, and several other Rhode Island-based stakeholders endeavoring to design and pilot systems that promote student centered learning. In this episode, we’re excited to talk with Emily Zilly, science teacher at… Read more

The only high school in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Woonsocket High School is led by principal Carnell Henderson with a school mission to “do what is in the best interests of this community’s students so they are provided opportunities to develop 21st century skills and competencies in order to meet life’s challenges with confidence.” One of… Read more

This past January, iNACOL released the report Current to Future State: Issues and Action Steps for State Policy to Support Personalized, Competency-Based Learning. Among its key recommendations for achieving transformational change in K-12 education systems is this one: Learning models should be rooted in research about how students learn best (the learning sciences), with any… Read more

This episode is the third in our series documenting the Integrated Learning Systems project, a collaboration between the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, the Highlander Institute, and several other Rhode Island-based stakeholders endeavoring to design and pilot systems that promote student centered learning. In this episode, we’re talking with Paula Dillon, the Assistant Superintendent of Barrington… Read more

Led by Director Rob Young, the Newport Area Career and Technical Center’s (NACTC) program has pockets of student centered learning embedded throughout the school; however, the Fuse Architect design team, would like to expand these pockets to develop a more robust student-centered and blended learning approach. While this may seem like just a simple shift… Read more