Areas of expertise
- Educator leadership capacity building
- Cross-sector education systems thinking
- Personalized, competency-based learning design and implementation
- Developing, strengthening and maintaining strategic education constituent partnerships
As a director of teaching and learning, Syd Young helps educators and school systems turn visionary ideas into everyday practice. She supports learning communities across the country in building, scaling and sustaining personalized, competency-based learning that places students at the center. Her work focuses on strengthening leadership capacity, removing barriers and increasing flexibility so that K–12 public school systems and postsecondary pathways can better translate aspirations into reality. Syd holds a strong belief that meaningful, learner-driven change comes from both vision and action and works with educators to cultivate both.
With a science teaching background, I often view challenges through the lens of a scientist — spotting patterns, testing ideas and drawing parallels between education systems and scientific models.
Before joining KnowledgeWorks, Syd served as an education specialist at the Utah State Board of Education, where she led statewide efforts to expand personalized, competency-based learning. Her passion for creating the right local conditions for change dates back to her early career as a science teacher and school administrator.
Syd enjoys time with her family, a well-pinned insect, the life cycle of deciduous tree leaves, pollen morphology, hiking, snorkeling and well-deserved high-fives.
Featured work
Syd Young is a leading advocate for learner-centered systems transformation, frequently guiding districts and states through the complex process of designing and scaling personalized, competency-based learning. She has presented to educators, administrators and policymakers at state and national gatherings, sparking conversations on leadership capacity, instructional innovation and systems change.
Portrait of a Leader in Action: Syd shares strategies for how districts can prepare leaders to sustain learner-centered systems over time.
An Inside Look at One State’s Journey to Transform Its School System: Drawing from her experience in Nevada, Syd is quoted in this article about creating an environment where educators feel empowered to lead transformation.
