You’re a school leader with a vision, but you and your staff only have so much capacity. On top of your day-to-day responsibilities, perhaps you’re struggling to find the time to breathe, let alone design, plan, and execute a major innovation. You need help, and you need it from a team of expert practitioners you can trust.
With decades of lived experience in PK-12 innovation, our national bench of current and former school leaders are ready to work side-by-side with you to make your vision for student learning a reality. There are no standard packages or a set number of hours. Each consulting relationship is 100% customized to your needs.
We will not pair you with a consultant who hasn’t done this work first-hand.
You can rest assured that our consultants will have first-hand experience on any project on which they’re consulting. You’ll be paired with someone whose expertise matches your specific needs.
You will drive the terms of our agreement.
Each consulting relationship is unique. We don’t have standard “packages.” We’ll customize our services based on your specific requirements and vision, ensuring that you have complete control over the terms of our work together.
We will trust your local expertise.
We value and trust local expertise, collaborating with you to leverage your and your staff’s unique insights and knowledge along the way.
We will prioritize communication & community ownership.
PK-12 innovation isn’t a race to the finish line. The process itself is transformative. Together, we’ll engage with your community and maintain transparent communication, fostering shared ownership and support for your vision.
Our actions will speak louder than our words.
We’re going to do a lot more than just sit around and discuss theory and ideas. We commit to demonstrating our dedication through tangible actions and results rather than relying solely on words and promises.
We will build in room for growth.
No project ever goes 100% as planned. Rather than leaving you roadblocked, we’ll incorporate room for growth and learning, embracing the concept of failing forward and continuously refining our approach.
We’re doing this to improve learning (not to churn a profit).
As a mission-driven nonprofit 501(c)(3), our primary goal will always be to further the bounds of student learning. We’re not trying to sell you anything. We’re here to help you, your staff, and your students thrive.
We’re willing to help with just about anything within the realm of PK-12 innovation, but below are a few areas in which our team really shines!
Your Situation: You’re a forward thinker, passionate about transforming your school district and seeking to empower your school leaders and educators to utilize innovations to improve student achievement, but there are so many innovations exploding right now it is difficult to decipher what is the right one for your students. How will that innovation fit with the other initiatives and requirements on your plate or happening in your system? All the layers… considering the resources you have, the research supporting the innovation, the complex contexts of district/community/state and nation, and the change management aspects on top of your current responsibilities– that can be overwhelming.
How We Can Help: Let us be an intentional thought partner and coach for you! We can support you in knowing, doing, and being a transformational leader while also working with you on the whole system to implement and evolve your chosen innovation. We focus on both micro and macro thinking, behaviors/actions, contexts, and systems in highly customized, responsive coaching cycles.
Your Situation: You know AI is not going away and has the potential to positively and fundamentally alter education and long term outcomes for students, educators, leaders and communities. AND (not but), you feel a tension with AI because it can also be a big, scary risk or have many unintended consequences as well. So you wonder where is the best place for your district to begin this AI transformation? What resources could you access and who’s already ahead of the curve? How do you build an AI integrated system or evolve your district’s vision, policy and practice to embrace AI as a catalyst for authentic learning?
How We Can Help: As a part of the Michigan Virtual AI Lab and other national and international experts, can take you from wherever you are in your AI journey from investigation to implementation to transformation. We can work with you to consider the real depth and breadth of AI and rate of change that makes sense for your space with real action steps to innovate. We know sometimes it helps to see others doing this work in action and other times you just need a thought partner – so our team is the best at meeting you where you are in your context and providing what you need.
Your Situation: Your school or district needs a north star toward which you can align your time, resources, and curriculum. Whether you’re looking to create a strategic plan, a portrait of a graduate, or both, you know this is a big job and could use assistance co-creating and developing ownership within your staff and community.
How We Can Help: Many of our consultants have been a part of this process in their home districts and can assist you as you develop these guiding documents. We’ll contribute every step of the way, actively involving your staff and community to build trust and a unified vision.
Your Situation: You seek to offer more personalized learning options for students. Whether you’re looking to improve learning outcomes for a particular segment of students or pilot an innovative learning model, your goal is to start small and build a pocket of change within your school or district.
How We Can Help: Let us guide you in creating a micro-school that offers your students customized learning paths. We’ll help you design, launch, and refine your micro-school for student success and optimal growth.
Your Situation: Your current online learning program doesn’t have the level of student and family engagement you desire. You’re unhappy with course completion rates and seek to improve student outcomes.
How We Can Help: Our experts can help you refine your existing virtual education program or design and implement a tailored program that meets your district’s needs and is aligned with national quality standards.
Your Situation: You know that big change is necessary to transform learning and significantly improve student outcomes truly. You’re ready to do the work but know it won’t be easy. You’ll need to rethink everything from schedules to staffing. You’re ready to get started, but you need a roadmap and help from a team who’s been there.
How We Can Help: Our team is filled with national experts and tireless advocates for systemwide transformation, including (but not limited to) student-centered, personalized, online, blended, competency-based, and project-based learning models. You name the model, and odds are, someone on our team has likely led a similar transformation process back home. We’ll help you plot out your course and work alongside you to build the foundation for these exciting changes in a way that ensures long-term sustainability.
Your Situation: You know that you first need to create a shift in your school culture for any larger changes to be effective. You’re ready to plant the seeds that need nourishing before your community is prepared for systemwide transformation.
How We Can Help: Our experts have been through this process before. It takes time and intentionality, but there are tried-and-true methods for fostering a strong, positive school culture. Allow us to help guide and assist you in cultivating your school culture from the ground up.
Your Situation: As a school or district leader, you’re looking to not only address your unique challenges but also contribute to the larger field of K-12 innovation. You appreciate the value of research and want to explore action research or case study opportunities as part of your school’s transformation journey.
How We Can Help: As part of our consulting work, we recognize the importance of research and learning from experiences. Therefore, we aim to incorporate action research and case study opportunities whenever possible. This not only benefits your institution but also provides invaluable insights for the wider educational community.
Your Situation: You are feeling buried by the many initiatives and innovations all around you as a leader, some of which you create, and others that are just handed to you. There is so much good work to be done but you only have so much time in the day. You know that for change to happen or initiative to sustain, individuals need learning opportunities. Your staff and colleagues are wanting authentic professional learning experiences that are differentiated for them and immediately usable, but laying out that complex professional learning plan, coordinating, and delivering such learning is a whole job in and of itself.
How We Can Help: Our consulting team of experts can support you and your district at whatever level of intensity needed from planning to coordinating and/or delivery of customized professional development and learning opportunities for your staff and community. We have a vast network of incredible experts, consultants, coordinators and practitioners in the field that we can bring to you for the learning you want, the way you want and the outcomes you want.
Looking for help with something else? Or perhaps you don’t even really know what it is that you need help with yet? No worries. Whatever it is, someone on our team has been there before. Contact us by completing the form at the bottom of the page, and we can explore your particular situation in greater depth.
You know better than anyone that there’s no simple fix to the challenges and concerns in PK-12 education, so our approach starts with getting to know you and your school community. Here’s an overview of what the stages of this process look like.
Our consulting services are operated by the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute (MVLRI), a program within Michigan Virtual, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports the growth and development of innovative and progressive learning models in Michigan’s PK-12 schools.
For more than two decades, Michigan Virtual has been pioneering the online and blended learning space. With the acquisition of the Institute for Teaching and Leading (i4tl), led by our Senior Director of Innovative School Design, Dr. Chris Harrington, we’ve expanded our reach to serve schools nationwide, shaping the future of education together.
For more than 20 years, we’ve supported Michigan educators in areas like online learning, blended learning, and student-centered learning.
You know better than anyone that there’s no simple fix to the challenges and concerns in K-12 education, so our approach starts with getting to know you and your school community.
Our approach is all about what YOU need…
1. Connect with one of our expert practitioners
2. Discuss your school or district’s specific needs
3. Co-create a customized process and timeline based on your priorities
4. Collaboratively execute, monitor, and refine our work together
If you are a PK-12 school leader, ISD/RESA leader, or leader of another educational or non-profit organization, join us in cultivating an authentic organizational culture that thrives on innovation and continuous improvement!
