2023 Annual Report

Welcome to Throughline Learning! This year, we embraced our rebrand with a new name that honors our unwavering commitment to innovation, equity, and student empowerment across the education space. We are proud to share highlights and reflections from 2023 in this report.

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From Our Executive Director

Dear Friends, Supporters, and Education Champions,

This was a pivotal year for us — a year of introspection, transition, and bold steps forward. In our inaugural year as Throughline Learning, we doubled down on strengthening the student learning experience as a catalyst for positive, sustainable change in schools.

Our nation's schools continue to navigate a post-pandemic landscape defined by unprecedented challenges. Amid relentless calls for academic remediation and acceleration, many students are struggling with increased cases of depression, anxiety and trauma (NCES). School communities continue to work above and beyond to support a large range of student needs.

Our 2023 partnerships were multifaceted — with focus areas ranging from math to multilingual learners, from writing to special education students, and from tutoring to whole school improvement. However, one throughline remained constant — we began our projects by seeing, hearing, and valuing the students and families within each community. By working side-by-side with teachers, mentors, and tutors to acknowledge and affirm the identities and experiences of students, we have generated some of the most impressive outcomes in our organizational history.

We are excited to celebrate the hard work of our partners in this annual report. Our collaborations have challenged stereotypes, generated deep conversations about root causes of underperformance, explored new staffing models supported by community-based tutors and mentors, and inspired responsive instructional shifts. As a result, we continue to make strides toward our vision: creating classrooms where students with diverse identities, learning profiles, and strengths believe in their academic potential and apply their learning in meaningful, relevant ways that make their world better.

To district leaders and philanthropists who believe in the transformative power of education, we invite you to learn more about our impact, our models, and our vision.

Together, we can elevate an approach that centers the student experience, increases instructional equity, champions community-driven change, and lays the groundwork for a future where every child can thrive.

With gratitude and determination,

Shawn Rubin

Executive Director

Throughline Learning

What we believe

Mission
We partner with communities to imagine and create more equitable, relevant, and effective schools. Using research, we convene, coach, and build capacity to improve outcomes and experiences for all students.

Vision
Students, educators, and communities partnering as agents of change to design:
‍
Classrooms that empower
Schools that adapt
Systems that liberate

Core Values

COMPASSION

Culturally responsive school change work can be challenging, uncomfortable, and personal. Our strengths-based approach is infused with compassion and hope.

EQUITY

We approach all of our work with an equity lens. No matter the project focus or target audience, we work to increase awareness about systemic inequities that are at play.

COMMUNITY

We value local solutions that center community perspectives. We seek input and recommendations from all school stakeholders to support inclusive decision-making.

CURIOSITY

We begin with inquiry so that we can learn, grow, and build a culture of continuous improvement alongside our partners.

RESEARCH

We anchor our approach to a strong research base, highlighting studies led by and focused on people with marginalized identities.

COLLABORATION

We ask for feedback, listen, and respond to improve our services, working to ensure that our partners find sustainable success.

SY23 At a Glance

Partnerships across 5 states

Teachers Supported

18% are special education teachers
44% teach multilingual learners
80% identify as women

Students Supported

19% receive special education services
13% are multilingual learners
36% identify as Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC)

Throughline Learning Makes a Difference!

We understand the importance of aligning professional learning content with opportunities for collaborative reflection, discussion, and action. Recent research supports this focus. The RAND 2022 AIRS Survey found 72% of teachers rated collaborative learning as improving teaching or learning to a large extent, compared to 11% for workshops.

When teachers participate in our Strategy-Based PLCs, their students show statistically significant growth on reading and math scores.

What is a Strategy-Based Professional Learning Community (PLC)?

A cohort of engaged and excited teacher participants
Monthly or bimonthly group sessions over a school year
Individual follow-up coaching sessions with each teacher
Alignment around 1-2 culturally responsive strategies

Of our PLC participants in 2023...

rated the experience as highly useful

agreed that our services improve the way they develop lessons

implemented new strategies

Our Frameworks

Our partnerships are successful because we know that school improvement efforts are complex and require a throughline between data measures, instructional shifts, and leadership practices. We're excited to share highlights and impact from the 2022-2023 school year related to each grounding framework.

Data

Showing growth for historically marginalized populations

Learn More

Instruction

Improving student learning experiences

Learn More

Leadership

Building community pathways into schools

Learn More

Data

Throughline Learning’s Student Experience Survey is Now a Validated Tool

Our Student Experience Survey (SES) measures student perceptions of belonging, academic confidence, cognitive skills, and engagement. Survey responses are disaggregated by gender, race, learning profile, and free or reduced-price lunch (FRPL) status and help teachers strengthen student-centered learning environments. In SY23, almost 7,300 students completed the SES.

Our 18 month validation process was supported by a partnership with Assessment for Good and emphasized participatory research methods. Multiple rounds of teacher and student focus groups ensured that the knowledge and lived experiences of our stakeholders were reflected in the research process. The updated survey is shorter, clearer, and more user-friendly. The final version includes 24 questions across seven domains.

"One of our partner schools looked at the intersection of disciplinary data, demographic data, and survey data, and found extremely low trends for special education students assigned in-school suspension. Meetings with the in-school suspension room supervisor led to targeted strategies to improve student belonging, wellness, and confidence — which set students on a much more positive trajectory."

— Karina Rodriguez
Director of Research & Analytics

Of the students surveyed twice in the 2022-2023 school year:

showed growth in
Academic Mindset

There is a strong evidence base supporting the notion that student attitudes about learning, beliefs about their intelligence, persistence, self-control, and quality of their relationships have an impact on student performance.

showed growth in
Classroom Community

Studies of specific settings from elementary to junior high to college all show that a student’s sense of belonging is highly correlated to motivation, engagement, and self-efficacy — contributing to greater academic success.

showed growth in
Sense of Belonging

Fostering a sense of belonging correlates with increased student motivation, engagement, and self-efficacy. Honoring the cultural and linguistic traditions of students strengthens this sense of belonging and supports improved academic performance.

showed growth in
Carrying the Cognitive Load

Research shows that students who take control of their learning experience are more active in the learning process and develop a meta-cognitive awareness of what they are learning. Activities that support student reflection have been qualitatively linked to improved academic motivation.

"Students who rated themselves lower on questions like 'I can do well on all my classwork, even when it’s difficult' or 'My teacher is glad I’m their student' also had lower growth and proficiency on their MAP (measures of academic progress) assessments. It may seem obvious that students need a sense of belonging and confidence in their ability in order to be successful, but survey results helped us intentionally put those conditions in place before moving to academic interventions."

— Stephanie Garcia
Instructional Equity Partner

Testimonials

“I think sharing information about ourselves really helps us understand each other and makes us more comfortable talking to each other.” — Student, Callahan Elementary School

“Student Experience Survey results have really opened my eyes to how my students are feeling about their learning” — Educator, Central Falls School District

“My teacher asks us about our family traditions and it becomes part of our learning and it makes me feel proud.” — Student, Kevin K. Coleman Elementary School

Instruction

Supporting Classroom-Level Changes that Matter

In 2023, our incredible team of coaches leveraged our Culturally Responsive & Sustaining Pedagogy framework to lead a variety of professional learning communities, coaching sessions, and professional learning workshops centered on improving student learning experiences and outcomes.

When teachers attended more coaching sessions, their students had better academic results.

STAR Assessment

"We collaborate with teachers to leverage students’ interests and identities and develop their natural curiosity. We want students to collaborate, think critically, and design ways to improve their communities and make the world a better place."

— Malika Ali
Chief Innovation Officer

Testimonial

“The instructional strategies and resources are fantastic, and the space to share, plan, and learn collaboratively with my colleagues is invaluable.”

— 2023 Participant

A Closer Look

We focused on a variety of school goals and priorities. Explore the tabs below for more detailed case studies outlining some SY23 school and district partnerships.

Students with IEPs Math Writing Multilingual Learners

Students with IEPs

Across all elementary schools in Johnston, RI, Throughline Learning instructional coaches worked with special education teachers with a focus on strengthening academic mindsets and integrating data-driven differentiation practices. IEP stands for Individualized Education Program, a legal document developed for each student who qualifies for special education services.

of PLC participants implemented a new strategy

of students in special education across the district took an active role in their IEP meetings

points

increase in percentage of students with IEPs in the high growth category on STAR assessments

“Many of my students have progressed at least 10 levels in reading this year, which really empowered them to want to read more. Their parents are telling me ‘they want to go to the library, they want to read books at home, we’ve never experienced this before. Thank you!’”

— Special Educator, Johnston Public Schools

“This partnership was especially powerful because I was able to co-plan and co-teach with both regular education and special education teachers while working side by side with Savvas as our curriculum partner. Tight alignment and collaboration enabled us to find more curricular access points for all students, and particularly those with IEPs.”

— Heidi Vazquez, Instructional Equity Partner

Math

A multi-year school partner, Baychester Middle School in the Bronx focused SY23 work on math thinking routines and problem solving. The eight math language routines centered on student dialogue, making student thinking more visible and creating more student-centered classrooms.

100% of math teachers agreed that sessions offered valuable resources and contributed to their professional growth

points

increase in percentage of students testing in the high achievement category on the MAP Math assessment

increase in the Student Experience Survey item “I can make myself smarter” in SY23

“Principal Shawn Mangar created a protected space for adult learning in the building and brilliantly integrated empathy, accountability, and opportunities for collaboration. There was more trust and more support — which translated into more teachers and students feeling seen, heard, and valued."

— Stephanie Garcia, Instructional Equity Partner

“Creating routines around math conversations made it much easier to clarify misconceptions and praise strong problem solving skills.”

— Math Teacher, Baychester Middle School

Writing

During the final year of our 3-year partnership with Bernon Heights Elementary School in Woonsocket, RI, our partnership focused on building student persistence for challenging work and strengthening student feedback protocols within the context of writing.

of teachers changed their instruction based on the strategies shared

Student perceptions of their academic potential increased
18% for all students and
23% for special education students

"With the benefit of strong relationships and consistent leadership and staff over the past three years, our whole school focus on writing had a strong foundation for success. In addition to collecting rubric data on writing across grades, we also ran student focus groups twice a year to hear how the work was landing with students and what improvements could be made."

— Heidi Vazquez, Instructional Equity Partner

Teachers who shifted their instruction after each coaching session showed a higher percentage of students meeting benchmarks on writing rubrics.

Now teachers have baseline writing data to build upon in future school years:

“My students have learned to use their voices to share their work, comment on each other's work, and revise their writing according to our structured feedback routines. I’ve seen a lot of growth in my students — and I’ve also seen a lot of growth in my teaching practices.”

— Teacher, Bernon Heights Elementary School

Multilingual Learners

Teachers at Stephen Olney Elementary School in North Providence, RI explored their lessons for examples of “compliance and engagement” in their professional learning communities, and reflected on the cultural responsiveness of their curriculum materials. The work was aligned with existing school improvement priorities centering special populations.

Participating Olney ES teachers gave the strategies they learned 4.8 out of 5 stars in SY23

On the Student Experience Survey item “I can do well on my test, even when it is difficult”, multilingual learners (MLLs) reported a 24% increase.

On the SY23 state ACCESS exam, MLL students generated their highest scores since 2018, and students scored in the highest category of “reaching” for the first time in the past six years.

“The sessions have encouraged me to take risks, allowed me to receive helpful feedback, and challenged me to learn and improve.”

— Teacher, Stephen Olney Elementary School

“This partnership demonstrated the power of a leader’s intentional communication and modeling when working to improve learning for special populations. By building trusting relationships at the school, Principal Anthony Pacitto created an atmosphere of continuous improvement both for individuals and as a community. Leaders, teachers, and students all had a role in building this culture and collectively own the improvements that were made."

— Vera De Jesus, Instructional Equity Partner

Leadership

Designing Community Educator Models

Schools — particularly those serving historically marginalized communities — are struggling to recover from pandemic-related challenges. Increasing numbers of students are presenting with elevated social emotional needs, decreased engagement and motivation, and lower achievement levels. Simultaneously, teachers are leaving the profession in growing numbers, feeling burnt out by additional stressors and expectations.

Throughline Learning is developing multiple pathways for community members to meaningfully integrate their expertise into the learning experiences of students.

"Our communities have the expertise to solve their own problems — we need to remove barriers that prevent families from engaging deeply in school improvement efforts. Sustainability comes from aligning school priorities with community strengths and values."

— Shawn Rubin
Executive Director

What is a Community Educator?

A community educator is a talented adult living within a school neighborhood who is trained, supported, and hired in a purpose-driven role within schools.

“Giving all children access to the broadest array of inspiring, creative, caring, committed adults is essential to successfully moving them into adulthood ready to thrive.”

— Holleran & Norton, Hechinger Report (September 2023)

A Closer Look

Community educator program models take many forms. In SY23, we launched two new approaches. Explore the case studies on the following pages and stay tuned for more in the year ahead!

Elmwood Little League Newport Paraprofessionals

Elmwood Little League

During the 2022-2023 school year, Throughline Learning trained baseball coaches in Providence's Elmwood Little League as academic mentors. This partnership was made possible through the generous support of the Papitto Opportunity Connection.

100% of coaches were very satisfied with their project experiences

reported confidence in helping students overcome obstacles (up from 25%)

increase in interest in working in a school full-time

increase in ability to support struggling students

“My way of thinking has changed so drastically. I have the ability to help my players grow as students and as people. We come from similar backgrounds and I know how important it is to have a positive mindset.”

— Elmwood Little League Coach / Project Participant

"This is a place where I can express myself and people actually listen to me.”

“All the ideas and stuff we learn here make me better.”

“This is a great opportunity for kids and for them to get better at any skill they want to.”

— Student Participants
Elmwood Little League

Participating students reported the following increases in core project components:

academic confidence

understanding of social justice

feelings of being known and valued

“It was incredible to empower talented adults — who didn’t see themselves as educators — to design lessons, build different relationships with their players, and understand how their positive impact on students can extend to academics.”

— Stephanie Garcia, Instructional Equity Partner

Newport Paraprofessionals

In SY23, Throughline Learning provided ongoing professional learning opportunities to support and empower paraprofessionals across the district. This partnership was made possible through the generous support of van Beuren Charitable Foundation, and collaboration with Newport Community School.

of participants found sessions engaging

implemented strategies they learned

reported increased confidence in their role after the workshop series

“Newport paraprofessionals hold diverse identities; many went to school in Newport and are parents of Newport students. They have family members with special needs, families in the military…they were born in other countries and speak multiple languages. It was uplifting to hear how passionate and dedicated this group was about their students — and to build their confidence and support their career aspirations.”

— Danielle Lavoie, Instructional Equity Partner

Conferences & Network Building

We always gain energy and inspiration from connecting with thought partners, hearing from similar organizations, and exploring updates from the field at large. The 2022-2023 school year was no exception.

We were thrilled to present our work at convenings held both in-person and remotely:

MassCUE Fall Conference - Foxboro, MA
Inclusive Innovation Convening - Los Angeles, CA
Aurora Institute Symposium - Virtual
Next Education Workforce Summit - Virtual
School Redesign in Action Conference - Newport, RI
NCME Annual Meeting - Virtual

Several new professional learning opportunities expanded our network and pushed our thinking:

Executive Director, Shawn Rubin, completed the Pahara Institute Fellowship as a member of Cohort 39.
Chief Innovation Officer, Malika Ali, was a featured guest on the A608 After Hours podcast from the Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Learning Course out of Harvard University.
Five Throughline Learning team members participated in the Scaling For Impact course hosted by the Harvard Graduate of Education.
Through listening tours and aligned professional development, Throughline Learning supported GreatSchools’ Transforming High School project.

Looking Ahead

Our team looks forward to bringing our unique mix of curiosity, collaboration, and compassion to more schools, districts, and organizations throughout 2024. We are excited about special projects activating high school redesign, creating statewide educational frameworks, and integrating more intentional trauma-informed strategies into academics.

Thanks to support from our foundation partners, our community educator work continues to expand in 2024, including an after school program at Thompson Middle School in Newport, tutoring projects in Providence, Johnston, Segue Institute for Learning, and the Bronx, and our ongoing pod leader initiative in Central Falls.

Making connections and personalizing our work to meet local needs is core to our organizational DNA. How can our work support your priorities? We hope to be in touch in 2024!