Preparing for Liftoff: The Summer Learning Arc for Educators at Rocketship

At Rocketship, summer school isn’t just for students.

Every year, our Program team designs a summer learning journey for educators and leaders, built around the priorities that will make the biggest difference for Rocketeers. This summer, that meant strengthening ELA instruction (particularly small-group reading and personalized literacy), investing in authentic systems of coaching and feedback, and continuing to build a staff culture of excellence and belonging.

The summer journey is designed to move those priorities from ideas to action. It begins with National School Leader Launch, where leaders build connection and a shared foundation; continues through Regional School Leader Launch and all-staff gatherings, where teams deepen the work in their own context; and culminates in school-based professional development, where learning becomes practice.

Each stage builds on the one before it, bringing the work progressively closer to the classroom.

First, connect as One Rocketship

At National School Leader Launch, leadership teams from across the network come together for three days of connection and professional learning.

The summer learning journey begins with National School Leader Launch, bringing school and regional leadership teams from across the network together for several days of professional development, collaboration, and connection.

The Program team built Launch around opportunities to learn across regions, practice new skills, and prepare for the year ahead. A simple framework runs through much of the skill-building: See it. Name it. Do it. Leaders don’t just hear about a new skill. They practice it, receive feedback, and try again.

Portia Hunter, principal of Rocketship Transformation Prep in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is already an experienced coach. But when a Launch session introduced a new coaching tool, she practiced it in earnest alongside her assistant principal. “I’ve been coaching for a long time, but there’s always more to learn,” Portia said. “That’s why I wanted to practice this one. A new tool gives you another opportunity to get better.”

Next, make the learning local

School leaders from Rocketship Infinity Community Prep discuss their annual priorities and commitments.

Back in their regions, the questions become more specific: What does this mean for us?

Regional School Leader Launch gives leaders time to practice together, explore regional priorities, and strengthen how they work with one another.

In Tennessee, school leaders studied The Opposable Mind and practiced integrative thinking: namely, when two options compete, look for the third one. They also used the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI) to better understand their own motivations and strengths — as well as those of their colleagues — and how those differences can shape the way they work together.

Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., school leadership teams took a different approach, translating broad priorities into concrete commitments for the year ahead. Each school team defined what success would look like and what they would hold themselves accountable for accomplishing together.

Then, bring the whole team into the work

Alumna Aranza Gomez (left) alongside her mother Carmen (right) shared how her teachers, including Jason Colón (center), never gave up on her.

At regional all-staff gatherings, the circle gets wider. Regional and school-based staff fill one room. They learn the priorities for the year ahead and find the inspiration to carry them out.

In California, that inspiration came from a family.

Aranza Gomez and her mother, Carmen, spoke about their years at Rocketship Mateo Sheedy. When Aranza arrived in 3rd grade, she could not read in English. Today, she is a college graduate preparing for a career in biological research or genetic counseling.

She spoke directly to the educators in the room: “Somewhere in California, in one of your classrooms, there’s a third grader who can’t read in English yet. Meet her exactly the way this community met me—not with judgment, but with belief.”

Finally, get ready for day one

The summer learning journey ends where the work matters most: in school-based professional development, where educators and leaders turn what they’ve learned into practice.

At Rocketship Redwood City Prep, Principal Genzel Tolentino has made rehearsal with peers a key part of his team’s learning. “When you’re actually teaching the lesson, you only have one opportunity to make an impact on your students. That’s why it’s so important to be prepared,” he said.

Published on agosto 17, 2026