The Science and Story of Learning

One of my most notable observations was the value our teachers held to learn from one another. Teachers sought professional development, visited other campuses, and asked to observe colleagues at Live Oak. At our end-of-year PD Symposium, Camilo, Neil, and Wil shared how they collaboratively develop plans with students to build individual skills. Edward shared Snorkl, a resource he learned about at the California Math Conference and adapted as a classroom warm-up to deepen mathematical reasoning and check for understanding. James demonstrated how he brings together assessment data with students’ strengths and interests to develop strengths-based academic plans. And, many educators in the building followed up with them to observe, practice, and implement these shared practices to create environments that are enriching to all of our students.

These moments reinforced an important opportunity: some of our best professional-development resources are the educators already in our building. This year, we are strengthening teacher goal-setting and supervision, creating more opportunities for educators to observe and learn from one another, and connecting professional learning more directly to educator practices that are responsive to the various learners in our community. 

I also learned that independence and belonging must be intentionally developed. Sixth-grade families, in particular, shared that the transition into middle school could feel jarring. Students move from approximately six teachers to nine while taking on lockers, greater responsibility for assignments, new special-topic courses, Community Engagement trips, and opportunities like Student Council, Green Team, and passion projects. Families wanted to know: How do I support homework at home? How can I tell what needs to be completed? When should I step in, and when should my child navigate a challenge independently?

At the same time, students told us something important about the social side of middle school. They valued knowing there was an adult whose role was explicitly dedicated to student culture and community processes—someone they could access when they needed support navigating friendships, conflict, and the increasingly complex social dynamics of adolescence.

Those experiences reinforced for me that independence is an outcome we develop, not a prerequisite for entering middle school. And independence does not mean navigating middle school alone, but a broadening of our support networks. At Back to School Night, you will meet our Dean of Student Wellness, Sima Savdharia, who has already been building relationships with students. 

Based on what we learned, and drawing on structures that are proven to support student sense of belonging, this year we have refined our student-support structure to more closely mirror the lower school model. We are creating a clearer, more visible role focused on student culture, belonging, and community processes. Alongside that change, we are building a more intentional ramp from fifth to sixth grade and strengthening the systems that help students develop organization, self-advocacy, responsibility, and independence. Our goal isn't to remove the stretch of middle school; it is to build the structures that allow students to successfully stretch.

At Back to School Night next week, we invite your questions about how students will learn, how we support growing independence and belonging, how our student-support structures work, and how families can partner with us.

You can expect to hear more about this work through grade-level gatherings, family education opportunities, and regular middle school communications throughout the year.

Science gives us a framework for understanding the conditions that support learning. Story tells us how those conditions are actually experienced. Our work is to keep listening to both—and use what we learn to make our program stronger.