Why do we learn? What’s the purpose of education?
For nearly 20 years, Remake Learning and its network of educators, students, and partners have been asking these questions and searching for answers together. Along the way, we’ve discovered that education doesn’t have to be an either/or choice: either personal success or civic responsibility, either skills or meaning.
It can be both.
That’s the focus of Both/And, a new publication that explores Education for Human Flourishing, an international framework for helping every learner thrive not only as a student, but as a person and a member of their community.
Moving Beyond Either/Or Thinking
The concept of Education for Human Flourishing builds on the work of Michael Stevenson, coordinator of the OECD’s High Performing Systems for Tomorrow initiative. Stevenson’s framework reimagines education as a driver of happiness, purpose, and well-being for individuals, communities, and entire societies.
At its core are five key competencies learners need to thrive today and in the future:
- Adaptive problem-solving to navigate new, complex challenges.
- Ethical competence to guide decisions and actions.
- Understanding the world through experience and knowledge.
- Appreciating the world in all its complexity and beauty.
- Acting in the world to make a positive difference.
“We’re no longer talking about education for jobs,” Stevenson shared at Remake Learning’s Forge Futures summit in Pittsburgh. “We’re talking about education for human flourishing—life and work. That takes deeper skills, adaptive problem-solving, aesthetic reasoning, and a wide range of learning experiences. Always a learner, always learning.”
Flourishing in Action
Both/And brings this framework to life with stories of how educators and communities around the world are putting these ideas into practice:
- Avonworth High School (Pittsburgh, PA): In a dialogue-driven English course, teacher Scott Tuffiash helps students explore what it means to lead a flourishing life. Through reflection, conversation, and guest speakers ranging from veterans to artists, students create their own definitions of a life well lived.
- Delhi, India: The Happiness Curriculum, launched across thousands of schools, shows how emotional well-being and academic success go hand-in-hand. Mindfulness and relationship-building exercises have improved both student engagement and mental health.
- Florida’s Suncoast Region: The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading connects literacy with broader community health. From free laundry events with reading nooks to flu shots and fresh produce, this initiative demonstrates how supporting families holistically leads to stronger learning outcomes.
- Doncaster, UK: As a city in transition, Doncaster has created a community-wide roadmap for education and skills development, emphasizing both social cohesion and economic opportunity.
These examples show that when education nurtures both the heart and the mind, learners are better prepared to live meaningful, connected, and empowered lives.
Why This Matters
Education for Human Flourishing isn’t about choosing between knowledge and character, or between science and spirit. It’s about cultivating all of these together to help young people grow into curious, compassionate, and capable adults prepared for real life, citizenship, and success in a modern economy.
Both/And invites educators, policymakers, and communities to rethink what learning can be and to take steps, big and small, toward a future where every learner has the chance to flourish.
Download Both/And today and join a growing global movement to create learning experiences that are as rich and complex as the learners themselves.