Who We Are

The Philadelphia Learning Collaborative (PLC)  is a grassroots organization which exists to improve and support the ecosystem for student-centered, deeper learning K-12 schools in Philadelphia. We work to build systems and structures that support existing and new schools with student-centered education models. One of our greatest strengths is that our membership includes representation from:

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  • K-12 schools in the public, private, and charter school sectors

  • The School District of Philadelphia

  • major universities in the city, and

  • innovative regional and national education nonprofits

A second strength is that Collaborative members and leaders are nationally and internationally recognized forerunners in the field, with substantial experience and success in opening new school models for students from economically and racially diverse neighborhoods across Philadelphia.

For us, progressive education is student-centered and shaped by practices like personalization and real-world learning. Click here to learn more about the Deeper Learning competencies that our member schools value and develop in students.  

The scope of our work is large and includes improving everything from the teacher pipeline for progressive educators and creating thoughtful assessment tools to measure real-world and interpersonal skills - to sharing data that informs the development of supportive district and state education policy.

Currently, our major initiatives include:

The Teacher Institute | A series of educator-led workshops designed specifically to support teachers new to our member schools and aimed at bridging the gap between traditional teacher education and the training educators need to be successful in schools with student-centered practices like inquiry-based and project-based models, real-world learning experiences, and restorative justice. We are currently recruiting participants from our member schools. More info: call for participants for 2022-23 and participant feedback

The Workport@PLC | Matches students in participating PLC member high schools with local businesses to offer internships and other real-world learning experiences that benefit ALL involved. More info: web page and fact-sheet.

A Community of Practice | Providing professional development on purpose-driven learning for Philadelphia public high schools with work-based learning programs, funded by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. More information coming soon.


The Philadelphia Learning Collaborative is proud of the inroads its members have made in transforming the education landscape in Philadelphia. We recognize that there is so much more work to be done, locally and nationally, and that is why we have joined together to leverage our numbers and expertise. Our task is to develop and support a critical mass of educators with the capacity to construct relevant, engaging educational experience that results in self-reflective, productive graduates prepared to be responsible citizens who are able to think critically, locally, and globally.