A Reintroduction of the Revolutions

At Ardis Ann Middle School in Bentonville, Arkansas, teachers have always worked hard to meet their students' needs—adopting new curricula, gathering resources, and conducting assessments. Yet much of this work happened in isolation. That began to shift when a cross-functional team was given time and space to address a school-selected problem of practice. They designed and implemented appreciative peer-to-peer walkthroughs, which led to 105 classroom visits in one day. By celebrating each other’s strengths, teachers felt a deeper sense of professional community, which research shows can strengthen teacher-student relationships and increase engagement (Bryk & Schneider, 2002). School leaders also gained new insights into what teachers valued most, underscoring Coburn’s (2003) finding that reforms are more successful when educators have ownership in the process  

Across the state in the Delta region, educators at Marvell-Elaine Elementary School tried a different strategy, hosting a community literacy night filled with games, prizes, and even a mobile aquarium. Families worked alongside teachers to bolster reading skills through hands-on activities, leaving with self-made books and new at-home literacy strategies. As Ishimaru (2014) points out, this kind of family and community input drives more equitable educational policies and practices. The results at Marvell-Elaine go beyond building community—it’s also driving measurable academic gains and demonstrating how bottom-up community engagement can ignite meaningful transformation.

On a broader scale, Wyoming’s statewide RIDE initiative (Reimagining and Innovating the Delivery of Education) is rethinking student learning in 20 districts. While local leaders and teachers pilot bold innovations, they also provide direct feedback to state officials, shaping policies on everything from assessment and accountability to budgets and teacher licensure. This approach aligns with stakeholder agency research (Coburn, 2003; Ishimaru, 2014), showing that when communities and educators can surface barriers and solutions together, positive reforms are more likely to endure. As a result, local “bottoms-up” efforts are informing formal state guidance and new rules to better support student-centered learning.

These three examples from among 2Revolutions’ current partnerships illustrate the kind of transformation we believe in: reshaping the learner experience and reimagining the system. They show that when educators and communities gain the same learner-centered experiences we envision for students, the result is a powerful feedback loop that drives scalable change. This echoes Wlodkowski (2008) and BCG (2014), who emphasize that educators with greater agency in their own professional learning are more likely to adapt and sustain new practices in the classroom.

Starting with the Humans

Schools and districts are intricate systems with many moving parts: who teaches, how we teach, what we teach, and how we lead. It’s easy to lose sight of the humans at the center—students, educators, and families. This risk is amplified at the state level, where complexity and distance from everyday classroom experiences can create blind spots. Yet the personal “why” that drives most educators is almost always a story about a particular student. Refocusing on those stories and aligning systems around the needs of every learner isn’t easy, but it’s critical work.

Too often, we rely solely on technical solutions—high-quality instructional materials, AI-powered tools, or policy mandates. While these are valuable, research confirms they are incomplete without adaptive change—the mindsets and ways of learning that sustain transformation (Coburn, 2003; Ishimaru, 2014). At 2Revolutions, we blend both: we leverage technical approaches while centering stakeholders’ experiences to foster real ownership of change. This ensures that when shifts in teaching methods and leadership occur, they are anchored by educator and community buy-in—the linchpin for lasting success.

Redefining the Two Revolutions

When 2Revolutions began, our name took inspiration from the concept of revolutions, reflecting a need we saw for two types of revolutions in public education- a social change revolution needed to transform the vast complexities of the system and a labor market revolution needed to accomplish these changes. Over the last 15 years, this vision has borne fruit in powerful ways. Yet, like the systems we serve, we must evolve. As we focus our efforts on expanding our impact, the “Two Revolutions” must now focus on a renegotiation of the relationship between students, educators, and the systems supporting them:

• Revolution #1 – Reshaping the Learner Experience: We empower educators with transformative, learner-centered experiences that model the environments students deserve. This parallel pedagogy develops essential skills while concurrently shifting mindsets, amplifying impact.

• Revolution #2 – Reimagining the System: We partner with communities to align policies, structures, and practices so that learner-centered approaches are supported, sustained, and scaled systemwide. Rather than relying solely on top-down mandates, we work to elevate local voices to inform everything from resource allocation to teacher licensure requirements.

Why Both Revolutions Are Critical

Technical changes alone fall short if they simply “happen to” educators without building their agency. Parallel pedagogy, grounded in lived experiences, ensures that theory translates into practice.

Systemic change cannot succeed if it neglects the hopes, dreams, and pain points of the very people it aims to serve—students, families, and educators. Engaging their voices from the start fosters more inclusive and sustainable policies and practices.

Ultimately, these revolutions thrive together: what educators learn in a supportive context feeds back into policy conversations, while flexible, adaptive systems enable educators and students to flourish.

Charting a Path Forward

At 2Revolutions, we are committed to bending the arc of education toward a learner-centered future. Rooted in a human-centered approach and bolstered by research, our work ensures that when educators gain the kinds of experiences we want for students, transformation follows. This is how we collectively change the game for education—by listening to local communities, honoring educator expertise, and aligning systems to truly serve every learner.

Let’s continue building this future—together.