More than 80 percent of K-12 students say there aren’t enough opportunities at school for them to be curious.
And kids aren’t the only ones feeling let down by school: see the abysmal rates of teacher satisfaction and sky-high superintendent turnover.
Meanwhile, the Nation’s Report Card is sparking calls to action in the wake of disappointing scores on reading and math.
Against this backdrop, more than 40 school districts in Western Pennsylvania have banded together to try something different. Dubbed the Western Pennsylvania Learning 2025 Alliance, they’re blurring the boundaries between their districts by launching shared programs, collaboratively designing curricula, and even sharing personnel.
Together, they’re redesigning the very concept of school – sparking student curiosity, teacher satisfaction, and even superintendent retention.
Their efforts are paying off in a big way. Of the 34 “Lighthouse” districts designated as models for the nation by AASA, The School Superintendents Association, 12 are in the Pittsburgh area, making Western Pennsylvania home to the largest cluster of nationally-celebrated school districts in the United States.
“One of the most powerful outcomes of this work has been the cultural shift in our schools,” says Superintendent Gennaro Piraino of Franklin Regional School District. “Teachers and students are deeply engaged, and we’re building systems of support that ensure every child has the tools to achieve their goals.”
This spring from March 24-27, superintendents from around the country are flocking to Pittsburgh to tour some of its celebrated districts and to learn what’s so special about the region’s schools.
The region’s strides come to life in students that are bucking national trends. For example:
Meet Marlee Young, a high school junior for whom speech hasn’t always been easy. Due to a stutter she developed in first grade, Young has dealt with bullying for over a decade. Even speech therapy didn’t help, so Young stopped going and searched for her own solution instead. What finally helped Young overcome her stutter? Acting. Young is part of a group of students from 17 Pittsburgh schools who are creating Finding Stories of Wonder in the Land of Oz, a fully student-made animated feature film. Each of the 17 schools is developing their own segment of the film, which will be edited together into one seamless story and will premiere in May.
There’s lots more to see as evidence of what these districts are doing - together.
- Students playing 3D-printed violins at the California Area School District
- Students reading to baby lambs at the Duquesne City School District
- Girls learning to fly drones as part of the Fly Like a Girl drone academy
- Students taking classes (and working alongside real robotics and biotech companies) in a once-abandoned hospital
- Students collaborating across school districts to write, produce, and voice a feature-length animated movie about the environment
Superintendents say Pittsburgh’s connected, collaborative approach to learning – an approach inspired by the region’s own Mister Rogers – is sparking new opportunities for learners. With support from Pittsburgh’s Grable Foundation and from Remake Learning – a network of more than 800 schools, libraries, museums, businesses, and others – the region’s educators are building a real-life “neighborhood” where every learner can become the best of whoever they are.
“I’ve actually heard this from students at nearly every level,” says Mary Catherine Reljac, superintendent of the Fox Chapel Area School District. Thanks to the possibilities unlocked by cross-district collaboration, “Students have said, ‘When we have an idea, our teachers listen to us. They help us to develop the idea and make it happen.’ And that agency they have in designing their spaces, designing their learning, designing their social interactions, and taking leadership in collaboration with educators is what really makes a difference.”
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