About FLC
As the world around students continues to change, educational leaders need to rethink traditional structures and create personalized, competency-based learning experiences that are relevant, engaging, and deeply human.
Grounded in collaboration and real-world practice, the FLC supports districts as they move beyond time-based systems toward models that value mastery, flexibility, and student voice.
This work is not about incremental change. It is about intentionally designing schools that reflect the learners we serve today and the future they will inherit.
Our Mission
The Future of Learning Council exists to provide a structured environment for Michigan leaders to learn about next-generation learning models, share design practices, and gain access to high quality professional learning with other school leaders—supporting leader capacity as they transform traditional systems into personalized, student-centered learning environments.
Our Vision
FLC’s vision is rooted in redefining learning to better meet student needs, moving away from traditional, time-based structures toward models that are student-centered, mastery-oriented, and flexible—creatively blending innovation with Michigan educators’ deep commitment to Every Child, Every Day.
Where We Began
And Where We Are Going
Since its official launch in September 2021, the Future of Learning Council has grown from a small group of visionary Michigan leaders into a vibrant statewide learning community.
From the Start
Present Day
Through this collective network, FLC members are driving real transformation—bringing personalized, competency-based learning out of theory and into practice in classrooms, schools, and districts.
Our collaborative professional learning experiences, workshops, and shared design work support leaders as they address authentic challenges, share emerging best practices, and refine approaches that work for their unique communities.
As a result, hundreds of thousands of Michigan students are beginning to experience learning environments that are more relevant, flexible, and tailored to their strengths and needs.
Looking Ahead
The work continues. Guided by our mission to build leadership capacity across the state, we continue to expand our reach, deepen our impact, and accelerate the shift toward learning models centered on mastery, student voice, and agency. In a rapidly changing world, FLC members are not waiting for the future of education to arrive—they are creating it, together.
For Such a Time as This
The Future of Learning Council serves as a statewide catalyst and learning engine building the capacity of education leaders to design, pilot, and scale new models of school and student learning.
The FLC provides that space—grounded in trust, practitioner leadership, and shared learning—so districts can learn from one another, test new approaches, and adapt what works to their contexts.
At its core, FLC bridges the gap between urgency and action.
Beyond individual districts, the FLC plays a broader field-building role for Michigan. By elevating real district work, surfacing lessons learned, and aligning leaders around a common vision, we help shift the conversation about learning—from compliance to design, from time to mastery, and from isolated innovation to collective progress.
The success of the Future of Learning Council is measured not by its permanence, but by the leadership capacity and sustainable change it leaves behind.
Our Focus
The current approach to education is not meeting the needs of too many students.
Fixing that requires more than isolated innovation or one-time initiatives. The Future of Learning Council focuses on redesigning learning in ways that are practical, student-centered, and built to last. We do not promote a single model or solution. We help leaders confront systems that no longer work and build new approaches that reflect their communities, their students, and their realities.
This is a working community, not a conference. Members bring real challenges, test ideas, and take what they learn back to their schools to create change.
Redesigning learning for relevance and engagement
Moving beyond time- and compliance-based systems
Building local capacity for sustainable change
Learning through shared practice and reflection
Partnerships
Grounded in Shared Values
The Future of Learning Council has been intentionally focused on its core mission: improving student learning by building the capacity of Michigan’s education leaders. To protect that focus, we have historically limited partnerships related to funding and sponsorship, ensuring that our work remains educator-led, student-centered, and grounded in practice.
As our impact continues to grow, we are now seeking strategic partnerships with organizations that share our commitment to public education, personalized and competency-based learning, and meaningful, sustainable change across Michigan’s K–12 systems.
We partner with organizations that see themselves not as vendors, but as collaborators—those willing to listen, learn alongside educators, and contribute to the collective work of reimagining learning.
Strategic partnerships with FLC are rooted in shared values, transparency, and a deep respect for the expertise of Michigan educators. Together, we aim to amplify impact, accelerate learning, and support districts as they design models that better serve every student.
To inquire about FLC partnership, please complete this short form.
Board of Directors
Guided By Experienced Leadership
The Future of Learning Council focuses on redesigning learning in ways that are practical, student-centered, and built to last. We do not promote a single model or solution. We help leaders confront systems that no longer work and build new approaches that reflect their communities, their students, and their realities.
This is a working community, not a conference. Members bring real challenges, test ideas, and take what they learn back to their schools to create change.
Dr. David Richards
Executive Director
Dr. John VanWagoner
President
Dr. Sean Williams
Vice President
Dr. Kelly Coffin
Treasurer-Secretary
Lori Haven
Trustee
Dr. Rebecca Hutchinson
Trustee