Leadership Model

The i4PL Leading Learner-Centered Education Leadership Model evolved from the Honeycomb Model.

Created alongside national district leaders and proven effective for over five years across districts in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and North Dakota, i4PL's Leading Learner-Centered Education (LLCE) Leadership Model gives educational leaders a shared vision and a practical engine to make transformation real - not just aspirational.

It focuses on all levels within an organization and provides support for shifting practices and policies toward a fully realized learner-centered environment while keeping the empowered learner at the core. This model contains ways for leadership to self-reflect, identify entry points for learner-centered practices, and action plan within current systems.

Graphic representing i4PL's Leading Learner-Centered Education Model.

The LLCE Leadership Model organizes leadership around five interconnected levers that surround and empower every learner. These levers aren't activated one at a time like check boxes; they're levers your leaders learn to engage collectively. Building cultures where calculated risk is celebrated, personalizing learning in ways that start with the leader's own growth, unlocking the creativity of every stakeholder, aligning systems to the vision, and clearing away the barriers that hold good work back - It's a way of leading that your stakeholders will feel taking hold in their buildings.

The Five Levers of the LLCE Leadership Model

Culture of Innovation

Leaders of organizations seeking to start and maintain transformation leverage new models of learning. Building cultures where risk is encouraged, agency is rampant, expectations are high and iteration is quick is paramount in meeting the aspirational visions of a personalized and competency-based learning environment.

Essential Components of This Lever

A true understanding of the district's inclusive vision that drives decision-making at all levels, including the strategic plan.
Common language and shared understanding across all stakeholder groups allows for the district's commitment to learner-centered practice.
Authentic relationships built on trust and inclusivity are supported and thrive among all stakeholders.
Future focused; innovation is encouraged and celebrated among all stakeholders.
Culture of learning focuses on growth, reflection, and improvement.
Failure is valued by all, and seen as necessary for the next step to iteration and feedback is sought to support growth.
Innovative mindsets are empowered to reflect, collaborate, adapt and improve.
Calculated risk encourages pushing the status quo, challenges are seen as opportunities, and the cultures embraces multiple approaches.

Human Capital

Educational organizations are successful because of the people inspired to make the aspirational vision a reality. Creating a culture of agency that seeks to create (and recreate) to become a learner-centered organization requires an elevation of creativity and decision-making that empowers all the humans involved. Leaders will foster stakeholder agency in the development of all.

Essential Components of This Lever

Culture of agency leads to collective efficacy
All stakeholders use their voice to set personal/professional goals aligned to the vision
Goals are based on strengths, areas of growth, passions, and aspirations
Stakeholders monitor and reflect upon those goals
Intentional investment in the growth and development of all
Skill set of stakeholders are celebrated and utilized across the system
Shared responsibility, decision-making and accountability systems are in place that allow for impactful and positive change

Leading Learning & Teaching

The heart of personalization occurs in relationships with educators and learners. The core practices expected in these environments must permeate the entire organization and begin with the leader of learning. Building personalized and agentic learning systems for all stakeholders allows the transformation to be deep and sustainable.

Essential Components of This Lever

Instructional design and delivery is learner-centered and provides multiple pathways, flexible pace, and learner voice.
Educator serves as a learning coach, providing opportunities to co-design learning and assessment.
High expectations and rigorous practices allow for equitable outcomes and achievement for ALL.
Self-directed learners set goals and monitor their progress and goals are based on strengths, interests, and areas of growth.
An instructional framework drives the learning and teaching decisions through the use of learning continuums of knowledge, skills, and dispositions aligned to competencies.
Learning experiences (instruction and curriculum) and assessment are aligned to knowledge, skills, and dispositions and are designed to meet every learner at their readiness level.
A comprehensive assessment system aligned to learning continuums allows for evidence of learning over time and natures assessment-engaged learners.

Systemic Structures

Leading transformation requires shifts inside the learning environment and across all areas of the organization. Creating a learner-centered environment requires alignment of processes, structures, and systems that permeate all elements of the organization.

Essential Components of This Lever

All processes and procedures across the system are aligned to the vision.
Flexible learning environments empower others and allow for anytime, anywhere learning to occur.
Schedules and supports are created based on the needs of learners.
Educator evaluation system is based on learner-centered competencies.
Personalized, professional learning opportunities allow for educator voice.
Systems and resources prioritize access to timely, proactive supports for the success of all learners.
Data systems measure knowledge, skills, and dispositions and are valid, reliable, timely.
Budgeting priorities are focused on vision and mission, autonomy exists within for buildings.
Learner-centered culture of collaboration exists within the PLC model, it is data-driven and allows for customization of the goals and outcomes of each individual within it.

Systemic Policies

Transformation of the educational experience requires local, state, and federal policy that supports each learner. Leaders of organizations will align local policy to remove barriers and support the depth and sustainability of a learner-centered system. Additionally, leaders will challenge the state and national policies that are not aligned to the aspirational vision and advocate for policies that are aligned.

Essential Components of This Lever

Local policies are used to align traditional practices with transformation to learner-centered practices.
Leader influences and advocate educational policy at the local, state and national level.
All stakeholders use data to inform their continuous improvement cycles.
Data is monitored and affect instruction, finance and resources for continuous iterations of organizational learning.
District is actively seeking and participating in pathways with IHEs to recruit. District is actively recruiting and retaining educators.
All district stakeholders believe in and find their shared purpose to be aligned to the district vision and mission and it can be seen throughout the entire districts.

Customized Support for Leadership Teams

Whether you're looking for a light-touch diagnostic to spark new conversations or a full, end-to-end partnership that anchors your leadership development, i4PL's LLCE-based leadership support meets your district right where it is - and grows alongside you. Let's start a conversation about what learner-centered leadership could look like in your schools.

Request Service Information

Header Wrap

Logo/School Name Container

Logo Text

Top Right Container

Search Panel

What can we help you find?

In This Section

Leadership Model

The Five Levers of the LLCE Leadership Model

Culture of Innovation

Culture of Innovation

Essential Components of This Lever

Human Capital

Human Capital

Essential Components of This Lever

Leading Learning & Teaching

Leading Learning & Teaching

Essential Components of This Lever

Systemic Structures

Systemic Structures

Essential Components of This Lever

Systemic Policies

Systemic Policies

Essential Components of This Lever

Customized Support for Leadership Teams