The Institute for Learning

District Design Elements

The IFL helps districts take instructional reform to scale by assisting them in the process of becoming learning organizations -- that is, organizations that operate to create new capacity for the high levels of intellectual performance demanded today. School districts become learning organizations by promoting and rewarding learning among adults well as among students in a system of two-way accountability -- what we call a nested learning community. Thus, the path to improved student learning is improved instruction in classrooms and schools throughout the district.

Building on the concept of districts as continuous learning communities, the IFL has developed a framework for the continuous on-the-ground training of teachers, coaches, principals, and central office staff. The Institute has developed tools, protocols and rubrics to help district staff increase their understanding of what constitutes high-quality instruction and to promote the coherence necessary to develop a high-performance learning community.