Emerging science tells us an optimistic story about the potential of all learners. It tells us that brain development is adaptable and influenced by life experiences—that is, settings and conditions affect how people grow throughout their lives. With these scientific understandings and growing knowledge from education research, there is an opportunity to support transformation of the various settings that support learning and development so that each and every young person has the opportunity to thrive.

These two playbooks seize this opportunity and point to principles to nurture innovations and effective teaching and learning practices in k-12 schools and community-based learning settings. It provides a framework—the Guiding Principles for Equitable Whole Child Design—to guide educational change in these distinct yet complementary learning spaces, illustrating how adults can implement structures and practices in the many settings where learning and development take place.