Colleagues and friends: 

In early 2022, The Learning Accelerator (TLA) launched a new networked “Strategy Lab” initiative focused on the following question: how can quality virtual and hybrid learning drive greater equity for students? Working with school systems through the pandemic had shown us how critical virtual instruction would be for the future of education, both as a tool for resiliency in times of disruption and as a new means for giving students, families, and educators greater flexibility and opportunity.

We also knew there was significant work to do to make these experiences more equitable, particularly for learners least well served in both traditional and nontraditional approaches. Given this, over the last 18 months, TLA has been working with 20 teams from across the country to tackle this challenge.

A key part of our Real-Time Redesign process is moving beyond initial assumptions, gathering more data directly from students and educators for root-cause diagnosis to inform innovation and improvement pilots. The pattern that emerged was striking: roughly three-quarters of teams identified improving student belonging as a major driver for academic growth. Nearly half of participating teams zeroed in on building belonging as the focal point for their work in the Lab.

That belonging matters is not a ground-breaking finding; its importance is well documented in science of learning and development research, and its role is one we’ve highlighted in our own virtual learning framework. But its emergence as the largest theme across sites despite significant differences in context (geography, enrollment, maturity, initial quality focus, etc.) drove home how much more effort is needed to get belonging right through explicit, intentional practices and support for learners and educators.

We’re excited to share more about what we saw in a new resource: Belonging in Virtual and Hybrid Learning Environments. (Huge thanks to Beaverton School District, Capital Region BOCES, and KIPP DC for being open to us sharing their work!) If you are attending next week’s Aurora Institute Symposium, you can join the conversation there with Cajon Valley Union School District and Relativ.ai, or in upcoming TLA webinars with What School Could Be and NEISTE.

Yours in learning,

Beth Rabbitt, Chief Executive Officer

Featured Updates

Belonging in Virtual and Hybrid Learning Environments

A sense of belonging is critical to students' holistic development, engagement in learning, and academic achievement, but in virtual learning experiences, the challenge of building belonging can be heightened. For students to thrive, schools need to integrate purposeful and consistent behaviors and support structures that foster a sense of belonging for all students.

Dive into this case study on belonging in virtual and hybrid learning environments and:

• Learn what the research says about belonging
• Understand the challenges of addressing belonging in virtual learning environments
• See how school systems focused on improving student belonging: KIPP DC, Beaverton School District, and Capital Region BOCES
• Take it forward in your context with actionable strategies

Future Opportunities to Engage Around Our Learnings from Strategy Lab: Virtual and Hybrid

Join TLA Associate Partner Rashida Kimbrue Major on October 19th at 3 p.m. ET for a webinar hosted by What School Could Be. Register for: Embracing the Hybrid Spectrum: Moving Towards a Student-Centered Future and join the conversation!

Don't miss Dr. Beth Holland, Michael Ham, and Dr. Catherine Atkinson on an upcoming NEISTE webinar on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 4:00 p.m. ET. Register for: Designing High-Quality Virtual and Hybrid Learning to continue the learning.

Tell us what's on your mind on social media and

keep up with our work on the TLA Blog.