Empowering Every Student: How Springfield Public Schools + UnboundEd Created a Culture of Success
How Springfield Public Schools transformed instruction through a student-centered approach and strategic partnership with UnboundEd
Springfield Public Schools (SPS) has long recognized the importance of growing to meet the evolving needs of its student body. With a deep commitment to student success, the district sought to provide every learner with the support they deserve, ensuring all students have the opportunity to thrive academically. This dedication to change led SPS to embrace a student-centered approach that prioritizes high-quality, grade-level instruction and closing opportunity gaps, ultimately preparing every student for a brighter future.
“We had put into our strategic plan that we would focus on culturally responsive instruction. People barely knew what that was,” said Darcia Milner, Chief Schools Officer for Zone 1. But with a clear focus on providing every student with the tools they need to succeed, SPS quickly recognized the importance of embracing a more intentional, student-centered approach. In its pursuit of meeting the needs of all learners, the district partnered with UnboundEd to foster an environment where each and every student feels valued and supported in their educational journey.
GLEAM® Instruction: A Clear Roadmap for Growth
UnboundEd’s partnership with SPS began when district leaders attended Standards Institute™ in 2023. Milner describes the experience as “eye-opening,” applauding the focus on actionable steps for improving instruction.
SPS quickly initiated efforts to bring grade-level, engaging, affirming, and meaningful — GLEAM — instruction to life in its classrooms, recognizing it as the key to improving instruction and meeting the needs of all students. The framework aligned with SPS’s goal of closing the opportunity gap by ensuring that every student received high-quality, grade-level support. With UnboundEd’s guidance, SPS has moved from inspiration to action, creating a culture where students feel seen, heard, and supported, and where educators design instruction to help students meet grade-level goals and prepare for bright futures.
SPS integrated GLEAM Instruction into its school improvement plans, focusing on student-centered teaching. “We used data to identify needs and aligned GLEAM with our existing priorities,” says Milner, explaining how the shift in instruction also influenced other areas, like grading practices.
GLEAM Instruction
Grade-level: Instruction that is aligned with the grade-appropriate college and career standards.
Engaging: Instruction that fosters persistence, active learning, and academic agency by tapping into students’ assets.
Affirming: Instruction that builds a caring, collaborative classroom community by uplifting students’ identities and experiences in service of learning.
Meaningful: Instruction that cultivates civic agency and critical thinking by making learning relevant to issues students encounter beyond the classroom.
We’ve gone from focusing on ‘I teach content’ to ‘I teach children.’ And I think that has been a really powerful shift.
Using GLEAM to Nurture a Culture of Collaboration and Reflection
With guidance from UnboundEd’s facilitators, teachers now collaborate more closely, reviewing each other’s practices and defining next steps for improvement. “The goal is to make GLEAM a key part of everyday classroom instruction,” says Michelle Balch, SPS Chief Instructional Officer. “It’s not just about delivering content; it’s about ensuring students are engaged and that the learning is relevant to their lives and future goals.” GLEAM’s focus on meaningful instruction means that students’ differences are acknowledged and celebrated, not treated as a barrier to success.
UnboundEd worked with SPS to shift toward a more reflective and collaborative teaching culture, encouraging educators to examine their practices and assumptions continually. “UnboundEd pushed us to dig deeper and really examine what we were doing, and gave us a space to address our preconceptions and debilitating practices,” Milner explains.
The changes are evident in the classroom and beyond. “We’ve incorporated GLEAM into everything we do, and we’re just getting started,” Milner says, emphasizing the district’s ongoing commitment to improvement.
One of the most significant cultural shifts has been what they’ve needed all along — a focus on the students. Balch notes, “We’ve gone from focusing on ‘I teach content’ to ‘I teach children.’ And I think that has been a really powerful shift.”
