HRP has identified twenty systems, summarized within 4 values statements, that must be changed for a human-centric, equitable system that creates a better future for all.

In a systems-based approach to change within educational settings, the focus shifts from blaming individuals—like educators, administrators, and students—for problems, to identifying and addressing the underlying systemic issues. This perspective advocates for reimagining schools by modifying root causes and structures that contribute to challenges, thereby fostering an environment where all members can thrive without being singled out as the problem.

Meaningful change will only occur when we change underlying systems rather than attempting to make human-centered practice work in inherently inhumane spaces. Some strategies that are commonly marketed to educators do not fix the underlying problems in the school system. Progressive practices are different because they’re not about acronyms or buzzwords, but are based on research-backed educational ideas that have existed for centuries.

Progressive education involves engaging each student in complex, rich experiences that go beyond simple tasks. It treats students and teachers as deep individuals with something to offer. Progressive educators want school systems to change from standardized, rote-based systems to those that care about the innate worth of every individual and their connection and contribution to the community. This assumes that every individual is treated with dignity and respected - that social justice is advocated for.
‍
We recognize the amazing work educators do throughout the world in helping young people realize their potential, while simultaneously recognizing the negative impact many standardized practices in school cause. We want to lessen and remove barriers that dehumanize the classroom, allowing young people (and educators!) to flourish.

Download Our Primer

Human Restoration Project is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization focused on listening to students, enacting systems-based change, and reimagining education. HRP centers its work on conducting focus groups with young people in schools across the country, analyzing their findings to help schools restructure their classrooms and schools to best serve students. Their ongoing work includes hosting a wide variety of free, open access education resources on everything from portfolio-based assessment to critically understanding AI.

HRP focuses its attention on systems-based change in education through grassroots, teacher organized change. Despite decades of school reform (Race to the Top, No Child Left Behind, A Nation at Risk), only 40% of students are engaged in high school and less than half of students feel their learning is relevant. And, despite our focus on improving math and reading scores - stressing about test results - the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists state we're "100 seconds from doomsday."

Our priorities in education have moved away from the obvious answer: we’re all human beings, we need to treat each other accordingly.

Our work is based on three levels of change-making: 1) informing about the need for progressive education; 2) guiding educators through materials and PD on how to implement this practice in their classroom; and 3) growing the movement through coalition building, networking, and grassroots advocacy.

Human Restoration Project works with schools across the United States and abroad. We primarily work to conduct empathy interviews (focus groups) with young people, educators, and community members to begin ongoing professional development (design thinking, restorative practice, "ungrading") and/or prepare analyses for district initiatives.
‍
To date, HRP has worked with educators in nearly every state (reach out if you're in Alaska!) and Canada.

We are always seeking partnerships in North America and abroad, especially in Central America, Australia, and Japan (we have hired support staff in these regions as we expanded). Further, we are in the process of translating our resources into Spanish and Japanese. the movement through coalition building, networking, and grassroots advocacy.

Human Restoration Project is dedicated to releasing all of our materials for free. We offer PD services and work on multiple grants around the United States which sustain our operations.

Every resource we release is OER licensed under CC BY-NC-SA. You can freely modify and distribute our work non-commercially with accreditation. Further, we make an effort to gather as many ideas and activities from similarly licensed properties, allowing us to act as a “hub” for quality progressive educational resources. We strive to offer free versions of all of our paid offerings, such as open access conference presentations and self-paced PD.

We are funded by generous supporters and grant partnerships. We’re committed to transparency; you can find our full financial statements released yearly in our impact report. We are actively seeking grants to further support educators.
‍

Human Restoration Project firmly stands with and supports public schooling and our organization is founded and operated by public school educators. It is imperative we build an education system that provides free, well-funded, equitable, and quality classrooms for all.

We do not disparage other forms of schooling, but are skeptical of organizations that seek to profit off of student outcomes. Further, we support the idea of shrinking school sizes and developing "schools within schools", as proposed by Deborah Meier.‍

We are former public school teachers and we know that the last thing teachers want to do is another PowerPoint lecture on a random buzzword or fad. Only 29% of teachers are satisfied with formal PD and less than half of teachers feel PD has value. All of our professional development services recognize that teachers are creators, they are experts, and they are under-resourced and under-served. We offer bold, yet tangible solutions that are steeped in each school’s community context: we don’t prepackage our work. We design changes in-tandem with young people and educators at every single school.

Our PD starts by listening to students, educators, and community members.

We believe, and have seen the results, that systems-based change is possible in typical public schools that not only lead to incredible learning opportunities for young people, but give educators sustainable ways of leading their classrooms. Further, we believe that professional development should mirror the same human-centered practices we advocate for in the classroom, and therefore we deeply value teacher(student)-choice, experiential learning, purposeful activities, community-based projects, and a truly connective experience.

Each year, Human Restoration Project hosts Conference to Restore Humanity! in late July. This designed-for-virtual conference is an invitation for K-12 and college educators to engage in a human-centered system reboot: centering the needs of students and educators. We feature some of the most reputable scholars and teachers in the field. The traditional conference format is costly to attend, environmentally unfriendly, and it doesn’t allow everyone to engage or have a voice in the learning community. Our model is...

Collaborative: Using recorded keynotes followed by an hour-long Q&A and self-paced learning tracks, we lean on virtual best practices to value your time and to encourage meaningful collaboration.

Affordable: As a virtual space, we are able to offer a platform for change at a fraction of the cost of a traditional conference. Further discounts are available for groups and student organizations.

Accessible: All of our keynotes, events, and tracks utilize transcripts, text- and/or video-based communication, and are easily navigable, allowing all to participate.

Sustainable: Not having to fly everyone out to the same space means we’re cutting back on emissions and making a minimal impact on our planet.

As with all HRP events, records of the event are available for free after the live sessions. However, joining the conference offers a ton of networking and collaborative benefits! For more information, visit our conference page.

We openly welcome education-focused articles on our website and allow for cross-posting. Our goal is to promote progressive education to as many educators as possible. Therefore, if you are writing an article and want to showcase it to our audience (and it promotes our pedagogy), then reach out! Writers for HRP maintain full control of their work, and can request edits or removal of their article(s) at any point.

Further, we are always looking to get in touch with educators making a difference. Use our contact form and let us know what you're up to!
‍