Reimagining Learning Spaces
Designing Educational Environments for a New Generation
- Sue Ann Highland - National Education Strategist, School Specialty
Your blueprint for student-centered environments that foster well-being and success.
Today's classrooms must do more than accommodate students. They need to inspire creativity, nurture emotional well-being, support neurodiverse students to thrive, and foster a sense of belonging for all. Reimagining Learning Spaces provides actionable strategies for designing inclusive, flexible, and emotionally supportive educational spaces that promote both academic excellence and social-emotional development.
Leveraging her decades of experience as a school and district administrator and an industrial/organizational psychologist, author Dr. Sue Ann Highland offers research-based guidance on how to provide innovative learning spaces designed for collaboration, creativity, and inclusivity. Additional features include
- Evidence-based design principles tailored to support student engagement, emotional well-being, and academic success
- Practical tools and frameworks, such as self-assessments and worksheets, to guide planning and implementation
- Expert insights into creating adaptable environments that grow with the demands of modern education
- Examples from real schools that have successfully transformed their learning spaces
Following the strategies presented in this book, school leaders and educators can reimagine their learning environments to better serve their students and staff so that students feel supported, educators feel empowered, and everyone can thrive.
I have long admired Sue Ann Highland’s transformative influence in the field of learning space design. This book is a vital contribution, offering a clear, research-informed framework that demystifies educational design. Its guiding principles and practical tools will empower educators to create engaging and impactful learning environments.
I’ve seen firsthand the impact Sue Ann Highland makes when she believes in a vision—she brings it to life. Her passion for transforming learning environments isn’t just theory, it’s lived practice. This book reflects the same bold spirit and belief in possibility that has empowered so many students and educators across the country.
Reimagining Learning Spaces is a must-read for educators seeking to transform classrooms into spaces that inspire collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity. Highland offers practical ways to meet the needs of today’s students through intentional design.
This handbook on learning environments will ensure students will thrive within them. It is a book you will not want to put down.
This book is a must-have for practitioners who are looking to impact student success. The concepts and actionable ideas will create tremendous learning environments where all students can achieve at their highest levels.
Understanding the ways teachers and students learn is a huge step towards preparing students for future success.
This book does a fantastic job of providing school staff the research-based and logical explanation behind learner-centered spaces.
A must-read for educators and school leaders looking to transform their learning spaces into environments that foster student engagement, wellbeing, and academic success. This book provides both research-driven insights and practical strategies, making it a powerful guide for rethinking how we design schools for the future.
With clarity, insight, and deep experience, Sue Ann invites us to reimagine what is possible when we design spaces that truly support the whole learner—intellectually, emotionally, and socially. I encourage everyone involved in the redesign of learning spaces to read this book!