Next month, E.L. Haynes Public Charter School will step onto a national stage at a pivotal moment in our story.
We are proud to share that we have been selected as a Top 10 finalist in the ASU+GSV Education Innovation Showcase, one of the country’s leading forums for new ideas in teaching and learning. As the only school from Washington, DC invited to compete, we will represent our city while sharing how our community is reimagining what inclusive, future-ready education can look like.
Returning to Purpose — and Reimagining the Future
Since our founding more than twenty years ago, innovation has shaped who we are. We began as an expeditionary learning school grounded in mathematics and science, named in honor of Dr. Euphemia Lofton Haynes, the first Black woman to earn a PhD in mathematics — a legacy that continues to inspire our belief in rigor, opportunity, and access.
Over the last 20 years, as our PK–12 community grew, our academic focus broadened. At the same time, we built a vibrant arts program that became a powerful connective force across our intentionally diverse school community.
This year, under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Toni R. Barton, we began listening to our community deeply — hosting conversations with students, families, and staff about what our next chapter should be. Again and again, our community expressed a desire to return to a strong STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) identity, while building a model that reflects the realities and aspirations of today’s learners.
Designing an Inclusive STEAM Innovation Model
In response, we are bringing together several efforts already underway: strengthening STEAM learning across grade levels, developing future innovation labs and makerspaces, and establishing the Inclusive Learning Collaborative: a new approach that embeds co-teaching and universally designed instruction into interdisciplinary lab environments.
Taken together, these initiatives are helping us shape a one-of-a-kind inclusive STEAM innovation model.
“This work is deeply aligned with our mission,” CEO Toni R. Barton reflected. “E.L. Haynes serves a large population of students with disabilities, and we are committed to ensuring that innovation is not reserved for a few, but accessible to all.” By blending ability inclusion, artificial intelligence literacy, hands-on design experiences, and whole-school redesign, we are working to create learning environments where every student can explore, apply, and ultimately specialize in their passions.
Growing National Recognition
The opportunity to present at the ASU+GSV Education Innovation Showcase reflects more than a single milestone—it signals growing national recognition of the direction E.L. Haynes is taking.
Over the past year, this work has begun to surface in multiple spaces: through Toni’s participation as a Google Global Silicon Valley (GSV) Education Innovation Fellow, through selection as a Top 10 Showcase finalist, and through continued engagement in national conversations about the future of teaching and learning. Not only will E.L. Haynes take the stage during the Education Innovation Showcase, CEO Toni Barton will be featured during three additional ASU+GSV events:
- Google-GSV Fellowship Showcase.
- Multiple Choice Reception.
- Panel on “The End of Average: AI and Learner Variability”.
Taken together, these moments point to something larger. They suggest that the work underway at E.L. Haynes is not only relevant within our own community, but part of a broader effort to rethink how schools can better meet the needs of today’s students.
Momentum for Our Community — and Beyond
For our students and families, this milestone reflects a transformation already underway: a cohesive PK–12 experience that helps learners explore early, apply their knowledge in formative years, and specialize in preparation for college and careers.
As we prepare to take the national stage, we see this moment as more than recognition. It is an opportunity to deepen partnerships, attract new investment, and continue building a model that can expand what is possible for public education — in Washington, DC and beyond.
Follow us on social media to follow along with our ASU+GSV journey!
