Highlander Institute partners with communities to imagine and create more equitable, relevant, and effective schools.
We support educators through
Engagements
We identify innovations and implement best practices in collaborative partnerships with classroom educators and system administrators.
Services
Through our services, we activate educators as agents of change by providing learning opportunities that build skills, clarity, and common purpose.
Resources
We address gaps across all levels of the student and educator experience by creating resources and disseminating insights to the field at large.
We aim to solve problems across the educational ecosystem
School & District Engagements
We contract with schools and school districts across the state and region to provide high-quality educational consulting services. Our services range from strategic planning to network design and technical support to embedded professional development and coaching. All contracted work is fully customized to the needs and requests of the school or district. Supports are customized to support the local context, with a focus on classroom culture, differentiation, student agency, and rigor and mastery.
Fuse Fellowship
The Fuse Fellowship is a grant-funded initiative that strives to share, implement, evaluate, and scale blended learning by connecting educators across district lines. On an annual basis, we assemble a “dream team” of Fuse Fellows made up of educators and administrators who are experts at personalization and we match them with another district (separate from the one they work in) to assess readiness, analyze data, and help disseminate best blended learning practices based on each district’s specific needs.
Pathways to Personalization
Our new book, available in October 2018, draws on principles of improvement science and change management, as well as work in nearly five hundred classrooms, to help educators define their own rationales for personalized learning. The book and our Pathways to Personalization Framework guide teachers and leaders as they establish small pilot initiatives, determine criteria for success, evaluate their efforts, and create paths for replication and scale
Blended & Personalized Learning Conference
Each year, we collaborate with educators across the country to showcase the best classroom, school, and district implementers at our Blended & Personalized Learning Conference in Providence, RI. Unlike many conferences throughout the year, this event is a chance for educators and leaders to discuss blended learning as it exists today on the ground - both in terms of the day-to-day implementation in blended classrooms, and the strategies and systems that have effectively supported scaling across schools and districts.
Supporting Learning in a COVID World
It all happened very, very fast. COVID-19 rushed in and everything changed. Overnight, our personal and professional lens at Highlander Institute shifted from the usual wide scope of educational support to a laser focus on the acute needs of teachers and families. As our home state of RI rallied to boldly respond, we rolled up … Read more
The Next Phase of Fuse RI
At Highlander Institute, we strive to learn, grow, and expand our own understanding of what is necessary to create a better student experience for learners and families – in Rhode Island and beyond. Over the years, as we have expanded our expertise around blended learning strategies, personalized learning practices, and the role of culturally responsive … Read more
A case for Real Cupcakes and Real Connections at BPLC19
A Case for Real Cupcakes and Real Connections at BPLC19 First published on the Blended Learning Universe 2/26/19 My three-year-old loves his iPad. He implores me to take it down from the high shelf where it’s stored with the desperate thirst of a man who’s been wandering the desert. It’s one of the few carrots … Read more
Reflections on Redesign: Lessons Learned from the Fuse Architect Project
A central aim of Highlander Institute is to support equity, access, and opportunity for all students through the use of blended and personalized learning models. We believe these are powerful levers for engaging students in their education and better preparing them for future success. However, these approaches are challenging to implement and, in many cases, … Read more
EdCampRI 2018: Register for Free Today
The 6th annual EdCampRI is swiftly approaching! Join a dynamic group of educators at Alger Hall on Rhode Island College’s campus on Saturday, May 5 from 8:00AM-1:30PM for a great day of learning and sharing. All are welcome to be a part of the conversation, whether you’re an EdCamp veteran or newbie. Register today for … Read more
Just Released: “Be Education” Podcast
Are you looking to try something new in your classroom? Have you heard about Blended and Personalized Learning but don’t know where to start? Take a listen to The Be Education Podcast: 15-minute quick-bite episodes you can listen to during a prep or short commute with ideas to try in your classroom tomorrow. Hosted by Nick DiNardo and Highlander Institute‘s … Read more
Q&A with Nicole Lanni
Describe the work you’ll be doing with Highlander Institute: I will be joining the Highlander team as an Educational Strategies Specialist where I will have the privilege to work with administrators, teachers, and students in supporting their individual vision of personalized & blended learning. What’s your background? I have been a member of the … Read more
Q&A with Meg Smallidge
Describe the work you’ll be doing with Highlander Institute: Highlander Institute and The Education Cooperative (TEC) are joining forces to bring Fuse to 14 districts in Massachusetts and I will be the Program Manager for this project! The project leverages internal talent and grows capacity for sustained, scalable blended and personalized learning across partnering districts. … Read more
Q&A with Zack Charette
Describe the work you’ll be doing with Highlander Institute: At Highlander, I will be researching two areas of development within the agency. The first will be the strategies and tools we use to support teachers in blended and personalized learning implementation through classroom walkthroughs and observations. My research into the online platform we use and … Read more
Q&A with Charlie Thompson
Describe the work you’ll be doing with Highlander Institute: I will support Kara’s work with the Walkthrough tool and Cathy’s production of the Blended and Personalized Learning Conference. For my work with Kara, I will be helping to find and aggregate resources that support teachers’ professional development in the areas specified by the Walkthrough tool … Read more
Be Education Podcast
The Be Education Podcast is your one-stop-shop for all things related to K-12 classroom teaching. Listen in for practical tips to learn how to implement blended learning techniques, drive classroom culture, differentiate instruction, approach rigor and mastery, and much more. Whether you are a new teacher or a veteran educator, the Be Education Podcast will have actionable advice to help you drive student learning.
We are proudly supported by
With generous funding from our mission sponsors
Mission sponsors make it possible for the Highlander Institute to offer a number of special projects and events. Regardless of sponsorship, Highlander remains neutral with regard to educational technologies and applications.