Join us in helping schools in Western NC become hubs of resilience, healing, and innovation!
This year, we're actively seeking support to expand our impact for The WNC Resilience Project.
About Us
Co-Designing Innovative School Cultures
Culture shifts don't happen just by applying a patchwork of buzzword initiatives. They happen when schools attend to the essential work of creating an authentic culture of innovation. This means that your mission and vision are alive - lived out everyday through the actions of teachers, students and administrators and other stakeholders.
Our unique approach leverages existing skills & talent to enable an “Open Source" framework for innovation, so your school can create a culture where stakeholders lead the transformation to localized, crowdsourced innovation in their own learning community.
Meet The Team
A passionate team of education stakeholders willing to disrupt the status quo…
Board of Directors
Mary Jo Deck
Early Childhood Expert & Consultant
Retired
OWL's Origins
The concept of Open Way Learning (OWL) emerged from a group of educators in a small school in western North Carolina, driven by the goal of creating a more learner-centered environment through collaboration with students and the local community. This process involved a significant redesign of the school's approach to education. The co-founders and staff of OWL witnessed a transformation that led to the adoption of Project-Based Learning across the school, enabling students to engage in extensive, school-wide projects. In addition to this, the implementation of Advisory, Competency-Based Education, and a Portrait of a Graduate framework contributed to notable outcomes. The school culture was further enhanced by initiatives such as student-led conferences, just-in-time learning labs, and flexible seating arrangements, which collectively garnered international attention. The innovations at the school were initially shared through a blog, which led to the co-founders being invited to write a book titled Open Up Education! How Open Way Learning Can Transform Schools. This book outlines the Theory of Change that has since guided OWL's efforts. Years later, OWL has contributed to enhancing the professional fulfillment of thousands of teachers and has introduced innovative teaching strategies to tens of thousands of students nationwide.
Theory of Change
We focus on the cultural ingredients below to create sustained innovation
Mission
& Vision
The school understands its "why" and "how," and is living them through the actions & outcomes one sees in every classroom everyday.
Collective Leadership
Everyone is empowered to grow their skill, talent, and leadership capacity by exercising autonomy, mastery, and purpose in the work they do.
Radical Collaboration
The default mode of every interaction and decision is collaborative - between students, peers, and stakeholders in the local community and beyond.
Open
Source
The school is an authentic learning organization, committed to collective efficacy through the open sharing, critique, and revision of ideas and resources.
The Process
The Human-Centered Design framework guides all of our work. From collectively creating a Portrait of a Graduate to designing learner-centered projects, Design Thinking is our vehicle to generate innovation.
Innovative Ethos
The school uses a continuous improvement mindset to design, implement, and refine strategies that better prepare students for the Future of Work.