OUR APPROACH
Empowering Clients with Innovative Learning Solutions
We are consultants, coaches and analysts who will collaborate with your team to create unique learning experiences that foster creativity and develop future-forward skills for all youth.
Consulting & Design
We provide strategic planning, technical support, program design and curriculum writing for youth-serving organizations focused on creating exceptional learning experiences.
Professional Learning
Our learning and development team supports capacity building through training and coaching supports for educators and practitioners on a wide-range of evidence-based topics and practices. Our services are engaging, youth-centered, and based in the science of effective learning.
Research & Evaluation
We’ll support your continual improvement efforts and the efficacy of your organization’s programs through analysis and by delivering actionable insights.
CASE STUDIES
- Mercedes Benz Stadium: STEAM Curriculum
- EarthX: STEAM Curriculum
- Window On a Wider World
The Mercedes Benz Stadium (MBS) in Atlanta, GA partnered with us to build out STEAM based curriculum for grades 3-12 that meets Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE). This Educational Program provides teachers with curriculum that can be included in their lesson plans prior to and after their tour takes place.
The tour allows students to see all four levels of the state-of-the-art facility and learn about:
- What makes MBS a LEED Platinum Certified Building
- Reviews the MBS partnership with SCAD and the art pieces throughout the building
- The remarkable Architectural and Engineering elements
- What makes MBS one of the most technologically advanced stadiums in the U.S.
Check out sample curricula.
For EarthX, which is hosted here in Dallas, TX each year, we helped develop free K-12 Lesson Plans and Environmental Science STEAM Curriculum that are aligned to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills standards (TEKS). Lesson Plans are available for each grade from Kindergarten through 8th Grade. High School Lesson Plans are a single set that can be used for any grade from 9-12.
The downloads are available to all accredited teachers and educators who register with EarthX.
Window On a Wider World is dedicated to enriching the education of Texas Panhandle students through arts, science and cultural experiences. Its primary goal is to integrate arts, science and cultural programming into the core curriculum of Math, Science, Language Arts and Social Studies. This allows teachers to use this programming to teach the state standards: Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS).
Leveraging Big Thought’s Learning Partners model, Window on a Wider World is able to maintain a dynamic arts and cultural education program that magnifies the impact of every child’s learning experience in and out of the classroom. The Big Thought Institute team is proud to have consulted on this program which benefits children in rural areas.
Our Impact
Since 2020, we have supported 90+ projects representing over 50 different clients. Through these, we have impacted more than 500,000 youth and 50,000 adults.
27
Local Education Agencies
16
Nonprofits and Institutes of Higher Education
10
Corporations and Venues
6000+
Professional learning hours delivered
72.5
Net Promoter Score indicating excellent client satisfaction
50+
Clients served locally, regionally and nationally
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
“You worked with us to provide exactly what we needed for our professional development, tailoring your presentation to fit the needs of our program. Thank you!”
“Feedback from educators has been tremendous. The alignment to national learning standards has made our product and experiences easy to communicate to our teachers and easy for them to get approvals. Thank you for assisting us in legitimizing our program.”
“You have passionate staff who give the best of themselves to solve problems. Looking forward to many more collaborations.”
“Absolutely outstanding from start to finish. Incredibly flexible, given the interruption of our work due to the pandemic. Very personable, engaging staff.”
“I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Big Thought Institute for the past 5 years. The drive to share excellence across the community is palpable and the partnerships with the staff are so influential.”
Resources & NEWS
Big Thought Institute regularly creates and curates resources that help our partners create exceptional, innovative and engaging learning experiences. View our latest research reports, guides, case studies, blogs and more.
Six Dimensions of Quality Teaching & Learning
BTI Whitepaper & Reports
Q & A
How do I get in touch with the Institute to see if you can help us with a project?
We’d be happy to discuss your project and it’s easy to get in touch with us. Just fill out the contact form on this page and someone from our team will follow-up with you promptly!
How is the Big Thought Institute structured?
Big Thought has staff experts in a variety of categories. Additionally, we can identify and retain experts to support individual aspects of your project who will work alongside our staff.
How does your pricing model work?
Each project we work on is unique. Our process involves us listening to your core needs and deliverables, and then coming back with a few options to help you best meet your timeline and budget goals, alongside your stated objectives.
How do you measure the success/impact of your projects?
At Big Thought Institute, we measure our success and impact based upon our ability to help you achieve your core objectives. We work to develop a strong understanding of your goals, outputs and outcomes and then put together a plan to achieve those goals.
Where do the funds go from the Institute’s work since Big Thought is a non-profit?
As with any non-profit organization, raising funds to support our deep organizational goals and community needs is an ongoing effort. Big Thought is able to reduce the costs to families of our best-in-class programs by diversifying our revenue streams. This enables Big Thought to better safeguard itself against economic downturns that can negatively impact traditional fundraising, while maintaining high quality, broad reaching programs.
KEY CONTACTS
Shannon Epner
Director of Impact & Advocacy
