Flourishing is the goal. Self‑directed learning is the method. Adult growth is the key.
We support leaders and teachers who shape learning environments where young people live with agency and purpose.
Forming adults so learners flourish
Why We Exist
Classrooms too often mirror society’s dysfunction—disconnection, anxiety, dependence. We work with leaders and teachers to create spaces of joy, calm, trust, and humanity, where every learner can grow into a purposeful, interdependent self-directed learner.
Self-directed learning is our method. It builds agency, purpose, and character in young people—but only when adults are formed to step forward with care and step back with trust. That’s why we begin with adults.
Through workshops, cohorts, consulting, site visits, and research, we help adults grow so learners can thrive.
Real schools, real learners, real practice.
Living Proof
We don’t just theorize about self-directed learning—we practice it alongside schools. Across public, charter, and private schools in the U.S., we work with leaders, educators, and learners who are putting self-direction into action every day. Students articulate their growth, set goals, support peers, and persist through challenges. Educators shift from telling to asking, from controlling to trusting. In our partnerships and in our own lab schools, we lead with invitation, not critique—offering living proof of what self-directed, flourishing-centered education can be.
Engage With Us
Our services include virtual and in person workshops, cohorts, consulting, site visits, and research—all designed to help adults shift so learners can lead.
We form leaders to shift from control to trust, build systems that sustain self-direction, and grow in business, learning, and community skills. They leave with tools, priorities, and strategy, not just conviction.
Leaders
We inspire and support teachers to hand control to learners and trust them to lead. In doing so, teachers find their work more enjoyable, more fulfilling, and more human.
Teachers
We guide districts and states on innovation journeys that create sustainable change. Our focus is helping them build the kinds of learning environments families and students long for—places grounded in agency, relevance, and well-being.
States
“Each day in the Institute’s programs rewires me a little more—and deepens my conviction that when we trust learners, the future is limitless. Now I’ve experienced what it feels like to step into spaces where young people confidently take ownership, engage in spirited debates, and design their own initiatives. The Institute doesn’t just talk about self-direction—it creates the conditions for it, showing educators and leaders how to shift from control to empowerment.” - Dr. Christine Keck, founder The Meliora School
Our Partners In Practice
Collaborating with schools and organizations across the U.S. and beyond to build environments where learners flourish.
