NHLI | New Hampshire Learning Initiative
All Students Deserve a Quality Education
Ellen Hume-Howard
Executive Director
Ellen Hume-Howard has served as Executive Director of the New Hampshire Learning Initiative (NHLI), a leading organization dedicated to advancing innovative, student-centered learning practices since 2017. A visionary leader and champion for competency-based education, Ellen has played a pivotal role in transforming instructional practices in New Hampshire and influencing educational reform nationwide. Under her guidance, NHLI has become a model for designing equitable and personalized learning systems that prepare students for future success. With a career spanning decades in public education, Ellen is known for her ability to empower educators, foster collaborative partnerships, and inspire systemic change that resonates far beyond state lines.
/ January 28, 2026
5 tips for high-impact, student-centered math professional learning
Curriculum alone cannot close math gaps. Instruction closes gaps. And instruction improves when teachers have access to high-quality, research-based professional learning grounded in how students actually learn mathematics.
Continue Reading
/ December 29, 2025
Rethinking Grading Part 2: When the Gradebook Drives the Bus
Choosing a Reporting System That Actually Supports Competency-Based Learning In a lot of districts that say they’re “doing competency-based learning,” you can see two very different realities: Too often, districts […]
Continue Reading
/ December 29, 2025
Rethinking Grading, Part 1: When Feedback Leads, Learning Follows
Designing Grading Practices That Reflect Growth, Development, and Classroom Reality Few topics in K–12 education spark as much debate—and confusion—as grading practices. School systems and structures often demand that grading […]
Continue Reading
/ September 5, 2025
Reimagining Professional Development: Putting Educators at the Center of Change
If we want students to be curious, capable, and future-ready, we must invest in the educators who guide them. Professional development isn’t an add-on—it’s the engine of educational change.
Continue Reading
/ June 23, 2025
PreK-12 Generative AI Framework for NH Schools
Dear New Hampshire Educational Leaders, We are excited to announce the release of the New Hampshire PreK-12 Generative AI Framework, developed by the New Hampshire AI Education Collaborative (NHAIEC). This document serves […]
Continue Reading
/ May 16, 2025
From PACE to PLACE: How New Hampshire is Redefining School Accountability Through Classroom-Aligned Innovation
In the national conversation about education reform, New Hampshire has quietly—but powerfully—paved the way for a new vision of school accountability. At the heart of this vision lies a transformative […]
Continue Reading
/ February 3, 2025
Staying Committed to Competency-Based Learning
Empowering Students Through Competency-Based Learning: Staying True to Proven Practices in a World of Quick Fixes Educators and administrators often navigate a complex web of choices, initiatives, and pressures in […]
Continue Reading
/ May 31, 2022
NHLI Welcomes Two New Team Members
Hampton, NH — June 1, 2022 — The New Hampshire Learning Initiative announced that NH educators, Scott Laliberte and Brian Stack will join NHLI starting on July 1. “We look […]
Continue Reading/ February 25, 2021
Portrait of a Learner: The District Catalyst for Deeper Relationships and Partnerships
NHLI Is Re-Imagining Portrait of Graduate: Many districts have created their community Portrait of a Graduate. At NHLI we have broadened this process to deepen district, school, family and community partnerships.
Continue Reading