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The Transformative Education Lab (TLab) at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development is a dynamic hub for research and innovation focused on holistic, formative human development. It curates and explores educational approaches that help young people grow as whole persons, discover purpose, find belonging in community, and contribute to a more just and humane world.
What is Formative Education?聽
Formative education facilitates the development of the whole person. Young people are developing along multiple dimensions鈥攍earning, for example, how to think, how to connect with others, how to manage feelings, how to make ethical choices, how to participate in a democratic society, and how to live a meaningful life in community. These different aspects of development are interconnected; thus, educators must attend to more than narrow academic or instrumental goals. Formative education is also concerned with purpose鈥攚ith helping young people discern who they are called to become and how they can contribute.
Initiatives
The following initiatives reflect the Transformative Education Lab's commitment to educational transformation grounded in dignity, purpose, and social responsibility. We believe that by focusing on the whole learner and the systems that support them, we can create a more just and flourishing world.
Advancing Formative Education Research
TLab participates in and curates research being done on whole-person learning and development. By synthesizing insights across disciplines鈥攑hilosophy, anthropology, developmental psychology, education, history, counseling, media studies, and more鈥攚e bring together scholarship that informs policy and practice in schools, communities, and universities.
- Collect and curate formative education research across 艾可直播 College and beyond
- Conduct inquiry into practices that foster ethical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual growth
- Develop a research-to-practice pipeline that supports scalable innovation
Designing Transformative Learning Tools
In collaboration with educators, youth, and community partners, TLab is prototyping practices and frameworks that draw on the core principles of formative education. These tools support schools in nurturing the whole learner.
- Develop and pilot educational tools aligned with holistic development
- Create frameworks to support the development of formative teachers and leaders聽
- Incorporate user feedback to refine tools for broader dissemination
聽Advancing Professional Learning for Educators & Leaders
Recognizing the central role of educators in facilitating transformative development, TLab is designing a suite of professional learning experiences. These equip educators to engage with the moral, spiritual, emotional, and relational dimensions of teaching and leadership.
- Launch a professional development series rooted in whole-person learning
- Facilitate school-based learning cohorts and leadership retreats
- Build capacity for systems change through formative practices
Hosting Interdisciplinary Convenings & Conferences
TLab is creating space for conversation and shared learning through academic and practitioner-oriented conferences and convenings. Our inaugural conference will highlight formative education across contexts and disciplines.
- Host TLab鈥檚 first academic conference on formative education in Fall 2026
- Participate in GRACE 2026, focused on global Catholic education
- Bring together voices from diverse fields to inform holistic education
Building Strategic Partnerships
Collaboration is at the heart of TLab. We are cultivating partnerships with schools, universities, and organizations that are developing holistic educational approaches. Through these relationships, we aim to co-create and scale successful models of formative education.
- Develop cross-sector and community-based action research partnerships
- Engage schools in co-designing formative education practices
- Foster networks for mutual learning and sustained innovation
Establishing TLab as a National Hub
Through sustained collaboration, strategic communication, and values-based inquiry, TLab is positioning itself as a national leader in formative education. This includes the launch of our digital presence, a strong visual identity, and continued engagement with thought leaders.
- Launch official TLab website to share research, tools, and stories in Fall 2025
- Finalize TLab branding and logo through community-driven design
- Onboard postdoctoral fellow to deepen research and collaboration