Deeper Learning Districts

The Deeper Learning Districts is a community of practice that consists of superintendents and their leadership teams from school districts across the US and Canada. Through shared values and trusting relationships, we work together from the system to the classroom, to examine and work to change the discourses, pedagogies, and structures that reinforce inequity. Participants draw on one another to identify levers of change and accelerate innovation. Through individualized advising, districts examine their own systems to understand how to transform the learning experiences for their students in their schools.


We design highly experiential and inquiry-oriented convenings that occur in the Spring and Fall. Site based inquiry provides local context for collaborative meaning making. We recognize this is not one-size fits all work, and our programming is designed to meet the needs of a diverse range of places and contexts.

Our district partners

Our district partners have made a commitment to transformation over simply improvement. They aspire to reimagine the school and classroom experience, making changes at the classroom, school, and system level to deepen and spread powerful learning for all young people and adults. Their commitment to equity is unwavering and drives all of these efforts.

Meet the districts

We are pleased to be in partnership with these school districts in the US and British Columbia, Canada.

  • The Abbotsford School District has 46 schools that are attended by over 19,200 full and part time students. As the largest employer in the city, we employ over 2,200 full and part time teaching and support staff who are committed to helping students succeed. The Abbotsford School District honours the traditional territory of the Sumas First Nation and Matsqui First Nation on which our schools are located. It is with respectful consideration that the programs and services we provide to students and families are sensitive to the cultural protocols of these two communities. The district has a strategic plan that is connected to the implementation of the competency based provincial curriculum. More specifically, we are invested in improving practice in several key areas: improving student engagement; critical creative and collaborative inquiry; self-regulated learning and digital literacy.

    Visit its site here.

  • Burlington School District (BSD) is a pre-k-12 public school system of about 4,000 students in Burlington, VT. BSD’s mission is to graduate students who: value different cultures, engage with the community, communicate effectively, think creatively, skillfully solve problems, and achieve at their highest academic, intellectual, and personal potential.

    Visit its site here.

  • Situated in the beautiful Cowichan Valley on southern Vancouver Island, the Cowichan Valley School District serves a population of over 8,000 students. We are honoured to be learning on the ancestral and unceded territories of the Quw’utsun, Malahat, Stz’uminus, Penelakut, Halalt, Lake Cowichan, and Lyakson peoples. Our district extends north to Saltair, south to Spectacle Lake and west to the Lake Cowichan region. The school district has approximately 1,300 employees, 21 schools and has a $100 million annual budget.

    Visit its site here.

  • Arlington Public Schools serves 5,755 students in Arlington, MA. Our vision is to be an equitable educational community where all learners feel a sense of belonging, experience growth and joy, and are empowered to shape their own futures and contribute to a better world.

    Visit its site here.

  • Chicago Public Schools is a district of 646 schools that serve roughly 330,000 students. mission is to provide a high-quality public education for every child, in every neighborhood, that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life.

    Visit its site here.

  • Farmington is located in the center of Connecticut with considerable town pride in its history and also local business and industry known for innovation. The town’s demographics are changing to reflect a more diverse population economically, racially, and culturally. The district is comprised of 7 schools serving about 4,000 students and their families who reside in town or come to us from Hartford through the Open Choice program. Farmington Public Schools is widely regarded as a leading district in the state, with a strong and enduring commitment to excellence and equity for all learners. The foundation of our work is expressed through the FPS Vision of the Global Citizen and the Framework for Teaching and Learning that articulates our instructional model for deeper learning.

    Visit its site here.

  • Fayette County Public Schools consists of 80 schools that serve over 40,000 students across the Lexington, KY metro area. FCPS aims to create a collaborative community that ensures all students achieve at high levels and graduate prepared to excel in a global society.

    Visit its site here.

  • Nestled along the Monterey Bay, the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District stretches from the city of Marina to the north to the city of Monterey to the south. The district encompasses the cities of Del Rey Oaks, Marina, Monterey, Sand City and Seaside and is home to approximately 10,150 students in grades transitional kindergarten through 12. MPUSD has 12 elementary schools, three middle schools, three comprehensive high schools, an alternative continuation high school; and a handful of programs including adult education, after school academy, career technical education, early childhood education, special education and more. MPUSD envisions a school system that serves all scholars well, and engages them in deep learning so they are prepared for college and career. MPUSD is committed to attracting the most highly qualified, enthusiastic, dedicated and diverse teachers and classified staff for our scholars. At MPUSD, we value the following commitments: Every person matters, Each day counts, Learn something new every day, Improve with purpose, and We are better together. Six pillars guide our work: powerful teaching and learning, leadership as the lever, service mindset, commitment to equity, positive culture, and creativity and innovation.

    Visit its site here.

  • The Revere Public School District is located adjacent to and just north of Boston on the Atlantic Ocean. The district is comprised of eleven schools: six elementary, three middle, one high school and one alternative school, including a state approved Innovation School and three Expanded Learning Time Schools. The district serves over 7,800 students of which 71% receive free or reduced lunch and 62% return from school to homes where English is not the primary language spoken. As urban educators, we are proud of our many accomplishments including improved MCAS scores and the rich cultural resources we find in our students and their families.

    Visit its site here.

  • Rochester Public Schools is located in the middle of South-Eastern Minnesota and spans 218 square miles. There are 27 schools in the district; 17 Elementary Schools, 4 Middle Schools, 3 High Schools, and 1 Alternative Learning Center. There are over 18,100 students in the district, more than 80 spoken languages, and approximately 85% of our students graduate from high school in four-years.

    Visit its site here.

  • The Vancouver School District acknowledges that it is on the traditional, unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Coast Salish First People. The District is among the most diverse public school systems in Canada with an annual enrollment of approximately 50,000 students in Kindergarten to grade 12. Situated on the west coast of Canada, the Vancouver School District also provides educational programs and services to full-time Adult Education students. Our programs and services address the extraordinary and complex opportunities associated with a diverse district. The District’s goal is to serve the needs and tap the potential of each of our students so that they may achieve their unique potential.

    Visit its site here.

  • Located on the San Francisco Bay, the West Contra Costa Unified School District serves 29,000 students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 as well as adult learners.  As one of seven unified school districts in Contra Costa County, we serve the cities of Richmond, Hercules, Pinole, El Cerrito, and San Pablo and the unincorporated areas of East Richmond Heights, El Sobrante, Kensington, Bay View-Montalvin Manor, North Richmond, and Tara Hills.  We are the 30th largest local education agency in California.  More than 80 languages are spoken within our 65-square-mile jurisdiction.  

    Visit its site here.

  • West Vancouver Schools (WVS) is a community of learners that draws students from West Vancouver, Bowen Island, Lions Bay and beyond. WVS is built on a tradition of academic excellence. WVS is comprised of 14 elementary and 3 secondary institutions. In each school, they celebrate the potential of every student, and work to equip them with the conscience and character to persevere in our complex and fast-changing world.

    Visit its site here.

Want to become a partner?

We would love to hear from you. Reach out to us for more information.

Our convenings

We design highly experiential and inquiry-oriented convenings that occur in the Spring and Fall. Site based inquiry provides local context for collaborative meaning making. We recognize this is not one-size fits all work, and our programming is designed to meet the needs of a diverse range of places and contexts.

Image: DLD Convening 2023, Lexington, KY

“DLD is best transformational experience we have had as educators.”

Gino Bondi
Assistant Superintendent, Abbotsford School District

“Nothing else that I have experienced has helped me think about the whole system and in a nuanced way.”

Matthew Duffy
Superintendent, West Contra Costa School district

“This whole process has been awesome for my soul and my spirit. I am honored to be a part of this learning. Hopefully, I will be able to spread it wider because that’s what this is about... It is helping me grow professionally and personally. Not just my mind and how I think. But how I show up.”

Angie Hicks
Chief of Middle Schools, Madison Metropolitan School District

“If the DLD has taught me anything, it’s that the individual human connections are where the work is. More and more it’s about the different teams working together and sharing together and helping each other learn the places we are blind to.”

Sean True
Director of TK-12 Curriculum & Instruction, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District

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