Q.E.D. Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing training, coaching, and strategic consulting in the re-engagement of disengaged learners, effective design of engaging learning, youth voice, democratic practices, assessment for and of learning, equity, data collection and analysis, and math literacy coaching. In addition to working with schools and community organizations throughout New England, Q.E.D. provides a variety of online resources, accessible from www.qedfoundation.org, The Five Freedoms Project (www.fivefreedoms.org) and the Five Freedoms Project online community at network.fivefreedoms.org. For additional information, contact Kim Carter, Executive Director, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 603-554-7511.

Q.E.D. Foundation has its roots in the Monadnock Community Connections School (www.MC2school.org). The school Advisory Committee, which consisted of the MC2 principal, an MC2 teacher, student, and parent, a principal from a district elementary school, a school board member, and a local businessperson, agreed on the desirability of starting a nonprofit organization to champion the student-centered learning philosophy and structures of MC2. As a result, the Q.E.D. Foundation was founded in July, 2007 by the MC2 principal. The Q.E.D. Board is comprised of educational leaders from around the country who have collaborated with MC2, and Q.E.D. consultants have been MC2 staff, graduates, students, and parents.

MC2 opened in 2002 with 27 9th grade students, 21 of whom were males, and 29% of whom were eligible for free and reduced lunch. Shortly into the first year, the SAU was awarded a five-year Voluntary Public Schools of Choice grant, which included tuition and transportation costs for out-of-district students. Over the next five years, MC2 students hailed from as many as 17 communities at one time, with students from Keene, Hinsdale, and Winchester usually leading enrollment numbers. When the grant was not renewed, the Monadnock Regional School Board initially voted to accept out of district students to MC2 on a tuition basis. In the spring of 2009, the school board voted to discontinue accepting out of district students.

Numerous budgetary, staffing and physical changes impacted MC2’s enrollment, at the same time, district administration remained committed to integrating MC2 practices within MRHS, transitioning from being an off-site program to becoming a school-within-a-school.  Meanwhile, through Q.E.D, the MC2 community continues to share, coach, and advocate for student-centered practices and pedagogy, within the Monadnock Regional School District and SAU, and throughout the state and country.

Q.E.D. Foundation is a multigenerational organization of adults and youth working together to create and sustain student-centered learning communities. Our work is based on relationships and practices that first and foremost impact students’ growth and learning while simultaneously bringing change to our communities and the health of our society.

Our mission is to help our clients – K-12 schools and community organizations across the United States – empower each individual with the knowledge and skills to use his or her unique voice effectively and with integrity in co-creating our common public world.

Bringing synergy to the relationships of educators, families and young people provides powerful energy for revitalizing our schools and our communities. Grounded in extensive research and practice, Q.E.D. brings practical applications, diverse expertise, accomplished student voice and valuable family perspectives.

Our philosophy is that young people are our most important resource for the future. As we have learned from experience, when students work in concert with adults who are deeply invested in their success, they bring powerful voice and vision to the work of redesigning our school communities. Their participation in the work empowers and sustains their voices and vision.

Underlining our philosophy is a shared commitment to four guiding principles:

1. All learning is both personal and social
2. Choice (aka personal control) matters
3. Advocacy needs to be balanced with inquiry
4. A commitment to honoring every voice is essential

To achieve its mission, QED will concentrate on the following core strategies:

1. Share our stories and lessons to provide inspiration and vision
2. Consult with national, state, and local education organizations to provide expertise, coaching and support
3. Offer tools and applications that provide organizational structures and practical protocols that support a school culture of “choice and voice”
4. Fund seed grants in schools that support the development of shared commitment to the power and potential of youth voice

Our story is one of experience. It is also a story of hope, innovation, community and the power of choice. The youth of Q.E.D. are not unique; they have been provided with the space and support to use their voices “effectively and with integrity,” and have developed the ability and desire to speak out in favor of change that empowers others as they have been empowered. Through their perspectives and stories, they continually help us improve our practices, structures and tools.