01
Research
Grounding every partnership in the evidence on motivation, autonomy, and student well-being, so decisions are driven by what actually helps young people grow.
Free to learn.
Learning InspirED is a forward-thinking education consulting organization committed to supporting the development of student agency. We help school districts move away from constraints and toward possibilities, creating the best conditions for students to lead their own learning.
Structures set by others may hinder learning.
Across decades of work in public education, we've seen first-hand the many constraints that most students and educators experience, such as:
- Tight schedules
- Rule-bound student handbooks
- Standardized assessments
- Graduation requirements
- Age-set class levels
- Curriculum standards
Restorative practices, led by students.
SLRP 2025 — highlights from the three-day training.
Student-Led Restorative Practices (SLRP) was a transformative three-day training program led by student leaders from five districts, guided by AJ Crabill and sponsored by Learning InspirED, focused on community building and conflict-resolution skills.
Through increasingly challenging exercises that require vulnerability and authentic sharing, students developed the capacity to lead their peers and take ownership of their school's climate rather than relying on adults to resolve conflicts. The program put student voice and agency at the center of how schools function — empowering young people to make meaningful decisions about their learning environment, facilitate healing conversations, and create positive change in their communities.
+ Read the full storyChange the Context.
Change their lives.
Learning InspirED believes there is another way, a way to support students to lead their own learning. This is the heart of self-determined learning: learning initiated, planned, organized, and executed by students, based on their individual interests and strengths.
When students feel free to learn, rather than being pinned down by constraints set by others, they will:
- Explore curiosities
- Ask questions freely
- Dive deep into topics of choice
- Pursue experts and resources of interest
- Develop passions
How can you ever expect me and my friends to learn if we aren't engaged? And how can you expect us to be engaged if we have no authority over what we're learning?
Move from constraints to possibilities.
At Learning InspirED, we partner with school boards, administrators, and teachers to make the shift. We customize an approach that aligns with their vision, the latest research, and proven strategies to help educators give students autonomy over what and how they learn. This happens through:
02
Strategic Planning
Working with school boards and leadership to set a clear, shared direction that translates the vision for student agency into a plan districts can act on.
03
Coaching & Consulting
Personalized coaching for administrators and teachers making the shift, with practical, in-context support for granting students authority over what and how they learn.
04
Evaluation & Measurement
Capturing what changes when students lead, measuring trust, engagement, and ownership so districts can see the impact and keep improving.
Helping educators make the shift.
The level of trust between student and teacher has been far higher in the self-determined environment. The shift in roles and ability to help coach and also to learn alongside them and not direct every decision is amazing.
Students love that their time is respected, that they are treated as adults, that they choose their flexible schedule, they don’t sit in class all day, and they choose which subjects to dive deep in and which to just check the box for. Students and families appreciated the flexibility during the pandemic and most realize they don’t want to go back to the traditional way of school.
About Learning InspirED.
Founded on the belief that there is another way, we work with districts across the United States, from Colorado to Virginia and from Florida to Vermont, turning the vision of student agency into everyday practice.
Need more reasons to give students more decision-making opportunities?
Let’s reimagine school with student agency.
Reach out to our team to explore what self-determined learning could look like in your district. Every partnership starts with a conversation, not a pitch.
Prefer email or phone? mnicholson@learninspired.org · 614-815-6608
