IN THIS EMAIL

• Featured reD Resource: What Young People Are Telling Us About the Skills That Matter

• CBE Problem of Practice/Strategy: What It Really Takes to Lead Systemic Change (Fireside Chat with Aurora Institute)

• Resource from the Field: The Tool That Lets Students Lead the Way on Progress

• Trend to Watch: Your Brain on ChatGPT? What a New MIT Study Signals—and What It Doesn’t

• Upcoming Event: FREE CBE Catalyst Webinar - What Makes a Strong Competency Framework?

FEATURED reD RESOURCE

Youth Survey Report: What Young People Want You to Know About the Skills That Matter

16–24-year-olds don’t want less rigor. They want more meaning. 

We asked young people what matters most to them in our recent pulse-check on how high schoolers, college students, and recent grads relate to reDesign’s Future9 Competencies and where they see alignment—and gaps—between school, life, and the future of work.

Top Takeaways:

🔧  Future-focused and passionate
76% report weekly hands-on learning, 72% are active in their communities, and most regularly seek feedback and advocate for themselves.

🎨 Creative outlets are getting squeezed
30% pursue creative passions less than once a week— as they report spending more time prepping for tests than building anything new.

🧠 Essential skills are under-taught.
Competencies like “Sustain Well-being” and “Navigate Conflict” are under-taught–even though young people say they matter most.

🤝 They want tools, not just talk.
Young people are clear: they want tools, mentoring, and meaningful opportunities to grow. And they’re asking adults to show up with emotional support, patience, and trust.

CBE PROBLEM OF PRACTICE/STRATEGY

What It Really Takes to Lead Systemic Change

In the latest episode of the Aurora Institute’s Fireside Chat series, our Executive Director, Antonia Rudenstine, joins Aurora Institute CEO Virgel Hammonds to unpack what it takes to lead real transformation, using competencies and CBE as an essential lever. 

Drawing from years of deep partnership with districts across the country, Antonia explores the lessons in leadership learning and development that led to the creation of CBE Catalyst.

You won’t want to miss this powerful conversation on how we can build CBE systems that help all learners (adult and youth) thrive.

RESOURCE FROM THE FIELD

New Tool Spotlight: MTC Progress Tracker

Grades don’t tell the whole story. This NEW tool from Mastery Transcript Consortium lets students finally own their progress.

The MTC Project Tracker is a learner-led platform that helps students document growth, reflect on learning, and share meaningful evidence of their progress—across classes, teachers, and experiences. Whether they’re just beginning to explore competencies or preparing for postsecondary pathways, students can use the Tracker to:

📁 Build a portfolio of real-world evidence
🧠 Develop the language to talk about their strengths
📈 Track progress along a school’s learning scale
👥 Collaborate with educators and caregivers

If your school is on the journey toward more meaningful measures of learning, this is a tool worth exploring.

TREND TO WATCH

Your Brain on ChatGPT? What a New MIT Study Signals—and What It Doesn’t

A new MIT study suggests that heavy reliance on ChatGPT may reduce brain connectivity and creative ownership over time—a phenomenon the authors call cognitive debt.

But context matters. Here’s what the study actually involved:

📝 Formulaic, high school-level writing prompts: Students chose from 9 SAT topics —tasks unlikely to generate deep cognitive engagement. If the tasks we give students don’t spark their interest, or represent powerful learning opportunities, then we can't measure cognitive growth (or debt) effectively.

⚖️ All-or-nothing setup: Participants had to either fully use ChatGPT or not touch it at all—not exactly how real people work.

 📉 Tiny sample size: Just 60 students, all from five elite Boston-area colleges.

🧠 No guidance on smart AI use: Effective ChatGPT use wasn’t explored with students.

As research continues  we hope some of it will focus on answering the question: What happens when young people use AI for learning tasks that matter to them—projects that are creative, complex, and grounded in the real world?

UPCOMING EVENTS

CBE Catalyst’s Open-Invitation Webinar: 

What Makes a Strong Competency Framework?

Wednesday, July 9 | 1:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM PT

Today,  a future-ready framework must be more than a list of power standards—evolving into  a map for learning. In this session, we’ll unpack:

• The qualities of strong competency frameworks

• How to ensure your competency framework is both powerful and practical

• Pitfalls to avoid when adopting or designing your own

Don’t miss out! Register even if you can’t attend live, and we’ll send you the full recording.

Know a colleague building CBE momentum this summer? Forward this newsletter or share a free Shift Series webinar invite.