The Contributive Learning Framework

Developed by a globally recognized team of experts, The Contributive Learning Framework aligns teaching, learning and leadership to strengthen curricular outcomes, improve well-being for all, student agency and empower school communities to achieve collective goals.

Measurable Outcomes of Contributive Learning

Self-Understanding
Learning about who we are, how we fit into the world, and how we can contribute.
Connection
Understanding our connection with people, planet, and learning.
Knowledge
A factual and conceptual understanding of the world and its workings.
Competency
The commitment, creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking skills need to apply our learning.

Enabled by

Lesson Design

Teachers and leaders engage in a learning design process using research-proven tools and assessments that integrate academic and social-emotional learning in everyday instruction to improve academic and well-being outcomes for learners.

Authentic Assessment

Teachers and students learn assessment strategies that combine formative and summative approaches, provide precision in meaningful, standards-based assessment, and build reliable and valid evidence for multi-level accountability.

Learning Conditions

Leaders and teachers work collaboratively to develop a learning environment characterized by shared understanding, identity, inclusion and well-being, and that is reflective of students, staff and community.

Impact and Wellbeing

Impacts we have seen across our partner schools.

Leaders

Tools and processes to build alignment

Positive learning environments reflective of students, staff and community

Increased confidence and collaboration among teachers

Teachers

Stronger connections with students

Support to prioritize student well-being

Greater capability to design and integrate curricular learning and SEL

Development of personal and professional wellbeing

Students

Increased engagement in learning

Improved attendance

Improved academic and well-being outcomes

Why it works.

Contributive Learning differs from all other educational programs and initiatives because of its

Holistic, underlying well-being framework built around the learning outcomes of self-understanding, connection, knowledge, and competency;
Set of rubrics, guides, and other measures and tools designed to guide and align schools’ improvement process at multiple levels; and
Proven, sustainable process for improving the learning and well-being outcomes of students, teachers, school leaders, families, and school communities at large.
Integrated and sustainable processes for leaders that includes tools, activities, and other materials to help school leaders best support their teachers and students.

Looking for more information on how to bring Contributive Learning to your school? Get in touch to connect with one of our experts today.

Get in Touch

What schools are saying about Contributive Learning.

“We felt like this training was super helpful and applicable. We appreciated the opportunity and felt like it was a very effective use of our time.”

TeacherWashington State, USA

“By staff getting to know students, learning something about them, and doing something positive with that information, we are gaining momentum for change.”

Ellen PercontiSuperintendent, Goldendale School District

“Teacher conversations and allowing them to learn from each other has really helped. You can see their eyes just light up… Just having them share those stories of their kids, their faces change, their voices change.”

PrincipalHigh School, Washington State

“I have one student in particular… that for all intents and purposes might as well have been, you know, hiding in her hood, melting into the carpet. [Now,] she occasionally will actually speak up in class. Huge changes, which I just don’t think would have ever happened had we not done that student interview and kind of took that time… I never would have been to the place that I am with her had we not sat down like that.”

Middle School Teacher

“[Teachers] see that, ‘Well, I did this for this kiddo, but everybody really liked it…’ I’ve just seen a whole lot more of the individual student, all throughout the day—in the lesson planning, in the recess interaction, in the assessment, in the interest level.”

Teacher

Want to know more?

The Depthvale Detectives and the Great Education Crisis

A Guide to Contributive Learning in Schools

“The Depthvale Detectives uses the power of storytelling to connect readers to the change that is essential in education. Every educator will be able to read this, see themselves and their school, and begin to think about how they can truly contribute to their own school community.”

Patrick Fisher
Principal, Meramec Elementary, United States

“This book marks a true meta-moment for schools, a chance to consider what your best school would look like, and to choose the behaviors that bring it to life.”

from the foreword by Marc Brackett, Ph.D.
Director, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence

Measuring Human Return

Understand and Assess What Really Matters for Deeper Learning

Human return is the human capacity to contribute to other people’s lives and to the world. It’s incredibly important in the lives of every one of us, because when we contribute—when we add to the world—that gives us meaning, fulfillment, and well-being.

Measuring Human Return deeply explores the learning outcomes of self-understanding, connection, knowledge, and competency and how to develop them across schools and school systems. It includes diverse vignettes and case studies from all over the world, strategies and processes for your work with your students, and a comprehensive system of tools to help you develop and measure the outcomes that matter.

Check out the book along with the Measuring Human Return Audio Companion Guide created by The Learner First’s Mary Coverdale.

All Publications

Have any questions? Please get in touch!

CONTACT US

Email general inquiries to info@thelearnerfirst.com or find more contact info here.

We have businesses registered in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand and work with educators and schools in countries around the world.

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