Getting Inspired
Dive In & Try it Out
How Will You Get Inspired to Design?
- Select a XQ design principle to focus on: Try to choose one that resonates with your strengths, challenges, community feedback, or a priority you’re currently focusing on.
- Explore the Example Models: Choose one or more models related to your chosen design principle. Watch videos, read descriptions, and examine how these models work in practice.
- Reflect as a team: Use the provided reflection worksheet to discuss your insights with your team. Reflect on how the example models compare with your current practices and what changes might be needed.
Strong Mission and Culture:
Establish a clear, compelling mission and a culture that supports learning and development
Establish a clear, compelling mission and a culture that supports learning and development
EPIC by Intrinsic Schools
EPIC has a strong mission is to prepare students for success after high school and inspire them to become leaders. The school builds a strong culture by offering advisory sessions, exploration experiences, and student-led conferences, ensuring active engagement from students, families, caregivers and staff.
Discover more: Visit the EPIC by Intrinsic Schools model on the Exchange.
Opportunity Culture
Opportunity Culture’s mission is to make sure great teachers can reach more students and improve learning. The school builds a strong culture by reorganizing roles to encourage teamwork, offering personalized learning, and ensuring all students get high-quality instruction.
Discover more: Visit the Opportunity Culture model on the Exchange.
Meaningful, Engaged Learning:
Provide engaging, real-world learning experiences that prepare students for future success
Provide engaging, real-world learning experiences that prepare students for future success
EL Education
EL Education makes learning meaningful by turning schools into places where students connect directly to real-world issues and needs. Students engage in case studies, fieldwork, collaboration with experts, and service learning. The curriculum and assessment practices help students engage in rigorous, interdisciplinary learning that feels relevant to their lives.
Discover more: Visit the EL Education model on the Exchange.
Big Picture Learning
At Big Picture Learning (BPL), students experience meaningful and engaged learning through personalized Advisories, where they create customized plans with a teacher based on their interests. Real-world internships also allow students to explore personal interests in professional settings.
Discover more: Visit the Big Picture Learning model on the Exchange.
Caring Trusting Relationships:
Foster strong, supportive relationships among students, staff, and the community
Foster strong, supportive relationships among students, staff, and the community
BARR (Building Assets, Reducing Risks):
BARR creates strong, caring relationships by using cohort-based learning and integrating social-emotional learning (SEL). The model’s real-time data utilization ensures personalized support, making students feel understood and connected to their peers and teachers.
Discover more: Visit the BARR Building Assets, Reducing Risks model on the Exchange.
nXu - Career & SEL with a Purpose:
nXu builds trusting relationships by guiding students through identity exploration and SEL. The focus on community building helps students develop empathy, connect deeply with peers and mentors, and feel supported in pursuing their purpose.
Discover more: Visit the nXu – Career & SEL with a Purpose: model on the Exchange.
Valor Collegiate- Compass Model
Valor’s Compass model strengthens relationships through structured Compass Circles, where students and adults connect and share experiences. This process helps students and adults build trust and mutual understanding in a supportive, relationship-rich environment.
Discover more: Visit the Valor Collegiate- Compass Model model on the Exchange.
Youth Voice and Choice:
Empower students to have a voice in their education and make choices about their learning
Empower students to have a voice in their education and make choices about their learning
Great Oaks High Dosage Tutoring
Great Oaks HDT involves students in their own academic decisions by offering personalized, rigorous tutoring tailored to each student’s needs. Tutors, known as Fellows, build strong, ongoing relationships with students, mentoring them in both academic content and personal growth. This approach fosters a supportive environment where students take ownership of their learning, engage in challenging inquiry, and feel connected to a caring community of adults.
Discover more: Visit the Great Oaks High Dosage Tutoring model on the Exchange.
Iowa BIG
Students at Iowa BIG engage in projects that align with their interests and passions while meeting academic standards. This allows them to personalize their learning experiences and apply their knowledge in real-world contexts.
Discover more: Visit the Iowa BIG model on the Exchange.
P-TECH
P-TECH students complete a combination of high school and college-level coursework based on their career interests, allowing them to tailor their education to their future goals.
Discover more: Visit the P-TECH model on the exchange.
Smart Use of Time, Space and Tech:
Utilize time, space, and technology effectively to enhance learning
Utilize time, space, and technology effectively to enhance learning
NuVu Studios
NuVu students work on a single multidisciplinary studio for 3 to 4 weeks, rather than attending multiple courses each day. This concentrated schedule allows for deep, immersive learning experiences.The model features hands-on learning in “the shop,” a multi-faceted fabrication space where students have access to various resources and tools.
Discover more: Visit the NuVu Studios model on the Exchange.
Build UP (Build Urban Prosperity):
Students spend approximately half their time in classrooms and the remaining half learning through fieldwork and on job sites in construction and real estate. This flexible use of space and time ensures that learning is directly connected to real-world applications and work-based experiences.
Discover more: Visit the Build Up model on the Exchange.
Modern Classroom Project
The Modern Classrooms Project uses technology to deliver blended instruction, allowing students to access curriculum anytime and anywhere, work at their own pace with teacher-created videos, and engage in flexible learning structures. This approach personalizes learning, meets individual needs, and frees up teachers to provide targeted support in small groups or one-on-one sessions.
Discover more: Visit the Modern Classrooms Project model on the exchange.
Community Partnerships:
Build strong partnerships with families, local organizations, and businesses
Build strong partnerships with families, local organizations, and businesses
The Rural Collaborative
The Rural Collaborative model enables rural communities to come together across various sectors to create innovative and relevant learning opportunities for their students. By aligning programs with local job needs, it helps build a skilled workforce that supports the local economy.
Discover more: Visit the The Rural Collaborative model on the Exchange.
New Tech Network
New Tech Network students engage in internships and mentorships with local businesses and organizations. These experiences provide students with hands-on learning opportunities and help them build professional skills and networks.
Discover more: Visit the New Tech Network model on the Exchange.
Big Picture Learning
Big Picture Learning focuses on student-interest-driven, real-world learning that is deeply intertwined with community and workplace experiences. Students engage in internships and mentorships with local businesses and organizations, allowing them to apply their learning in real-world contexts and build meaningful relationships with professionals.
Discover more: Visit the Big Picture Learning model on the Exchange.
