Announcing Our Partnership with the Georgia Department of Education
The Institute for Self-Directed Learning is honored to help leaders explore the question: what would it look like if the innovations happening in small, learner-led schools could actually inform how our nation’s public schools are designed?
This spring, we got our answer.
The Georgia Department of Education has partnered with ISDL to launch a new initiative supporting 10 Georgia school districts in designing innovative school models. These districts are being asked to do something harder than implementing a prescribed program: engage deeply with their own communities, identify what families actually need, and build something that fits.
Since we co-founded—and guided other leaders to found—learner-centered PreK-12 environments across the U.S., we've been building a body of knowledge about what learner-led education looks like in practice. What it means to guide rather than lecture. How students grow when they set their own goals and live with the consequences. What a school can become when it's genuinely built around the learner and their life’s purpose.
In this new project, ISDL's work connects three groups: individual teachers building more agency-rich classrooms, school leaders designing new models and programs, and policymakers who need research to make the case for investment. Over this year, district teams will participate in professional learning, visit innovative school models in action, and develop a detailed blueprint for a new or redesigned school grounded in a clear theory of change.
The first cohort includes Cartersville City Schools, Clayton County Schools, Colquitt County Schools, Greene County Schools, Henry County Schools, Houston County Schools, Muscogee County Schools, Rockdale County Schools, Savannah-Chatham County Schools, and Union County Schools. Different communities, different demographics, different starting points. What they share is a willingness to ask the hard question: in a world of increasing school options, why would a family choose us?
Public school enrollment is declining. Georgia is projecting a 2% drop for FY27. Some of that is demographic. Some of it is families finding models that feel more responsive to their kids, whether that's a microschool, a hybrid program, or something else entirely. Superintendent Richard Woods framed it plainly: "We believe in the power of public education, and we are going to meet this moment proactively."
That's the posture. And it reflects something we've believed for a long time: the innovations happening in small, independent schools are a resource for public education, for the districts and leaders willing to learn from them.
"What excites me most about this partnership is that it gives Georgia districts practical support to create schools that truly fit their communities," said Dr. Tyler Thigpen, co-founder and Head of ISDL. "Where families will be able to say, 'This school feels like it was designed for us.'"
That's the standard we're working toward. Schools people choose because they're genuinely good.
We're grateful to GaDOE for this partnership, and to the 10 districts showing up ready to do the hard work. We'll share what we learn throughout the year.
If you're a district leader, educator, or researcher interested in this work, reach out. This is exactly the kind of collaboration we were built for.
Explore a partnership with us!
