Building Caring Education Systems & Learning Environments
August 12, 2025
As back-to-school season begins, we carry Ruth Wilson Gilmore's powerful reminder that respecting and valuing each other creates conditions where we all can learn and thrive. This time of year brings renewed opportunities to create the ecosystems of care our students deserve.
Neuroscience shows that young people's brains are remarkably malleable and continuously shaped by the relationships and experiences they encounter. This is good news because it means what we do and the conditions we create matter and significantly impact young people’s learning and development. When students feel safe and connected, when their learning environments are filled with developmental relationships, meaningful work and choice, their brains and nervous systems are primed for learning, creativity, and growth. These same conditions directly address youth mental health and promote youth well-being. As leaders, we can influence the design and culture of our classrooms, programs, and schools to create optimal conditions for youth well-being, learning, and development.
In July 2025, over 300 education leaders from across the country attended the National Equity Project’s webinar on Adaptive Strategic Planning for Education Leaders. We heard from leaders embracing a profound shift in their understanding of how learning conditions shape student wellbeing. While participants acknowledged feeling overwhelmed by complex challenges like funding freezes and political attacks on public education, they also called for more adaptive, relationship-centered leadership approaches that embrace vulnerability and uncertainty as strengths.
There is a strong desire for widespread leadership that models the inclusive practices we see in caring classrooms. To support this aim, NEP is launching a new, free webinar series on Leadership that Meets the Moment. Our next webinar on September 17, 2025 will focus on Essential Leadership Practices for Youth Thriving: Leading with clarity, compassion, and impact.
We continue to see and support inspiring examples of education leaders creating conditions for students to become co-designers of the educational systems and practices that shape their daily experiences. Davis Joint Unified School District has transformed their approach to district improvement by building internal capacity and centering student voice—even providing support for students to create a podcast series sharing their experiences of belonging and bias in their schools. Through co-creation, iterative design, and genuine partnership, DJUSD is modeling the collaborative practices they want to see in every classroom.
As students return to school this fall, we honor and celebrate the growing movement of education leaders continuing the work of creating a public education system that supports every young person to thrive. Every classroom can become a space where our students are precious and feel like they belong. This back-to-school season represents more than a return to routine—it's an invitation to build the caring, equitable education ecosystem that reflects our highest values and deepest hopes for young people and our country.