Member Spotlight: Agency by Design

The Oakland Literacy Coalition is ecstatic to welcome Agency by Design to the OLC member network! Agency by Design began back in 2011 as a collaboration between the Abundance Foundation and Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero and worked closely together with Oakland educators to develop a maker-centered pedagogy that improves learning for all learners. They eventually launched their first year-long teacher fellowship in 2017, along with opening a Teacher Maker Space at Oakland International High School. Since then, they’ve expanded– offering additional groundbreaking teacher fellowships. Agency by Design is passionate about empowering educators to cultivate agency within the classroom, so that their students can foster curious and independent minds with them.

We interviewed Paula Mitchell, Executive Director of Agency by Design, about Agency by Design’s role in supporting literacy and educators in Oakland, their upcoming events and workshops, and their Black and Brown teaching apprenticeship:

Oakland Literacy Coalition (OLC): How does your organization support literacy in Oakland?

Agency by Design: Our organization provides playful professional development for Oakland teachers that is rooted in Maker-Centered Learning (MCL). Our organization supports educators to more effectively teach their subject matter through MCL. MCL consists of research-backed strategies, thinking routines, and facilitates mindset shifts that heighten student and teacher joy, engagement, agency, and deep content understanding.

OLC: What sets you apart from other organizations in your community? Or from other organizations with similar missions?

Agency by Design: What sets us apart is our foundation – we are an unapologetically teacher-run and teacher-centered organization with a mission to serve students by first serving teachers. We are grounded in the constructivist approach that is Maker-Centered Learning. By focusing on curiosity-based, experiential learning, we give teachers the space and tools they need to drive their own professional inquiries and develop their own agency. We don’t tell teachers what to do or what to think; curiosity and collective learning are values we put into practice in both our single session workshops and our yearlong fellowships. What makes Agency by Design Oakland different is our commitment to disrupting systems of compliance to bring about greater agency, equity, and joy in education through the use of MCL tools, strategies, and mindsets.

OLC: What’s on the horizon? What community programming or events are coming up that your organization is most excited about and why?

Agency by Design: We have a large cohort in this year’s Teacher Fellowship who will be engaging in inquiry of their own choosing in order to positively impact students at the margins. We’re excited to see the various paths they design to change outcomes for their focal learners. We’re also thrilled to have launched the 4th cohort of our Black and Brown Apprenticeship program to amp up the facilitation and leadership skills of these educators. In addition, we are offering several single session workshops this fall and spring that several graduates of this same Apprenticeship program are facilitating. These workshops range in topics from Afrofuturism, to place based learning, to playful learning, plus much more and offer affordable learning opportunities to educators who would like to get a taste of our approach. Lastly, we love putting on our culminating event that showcases the work of the educators in our programs. The big event will be on May 2, 2026 and is a great way to see what Agency by Design Oakland is all about- learn, make connections, and be in joyful community.

OLC: Is there anything that you wish more people knew about your organization or the issues you are trying to solve?

Agency by Design: Some people have the misconception that we are an organization that solely focuses on arts integration, or on making or creativity. While that is part of what we do, our biggest focus is on shifting mindsets about what is truly possible to accomplish in our learning spaces. We offer highly rigorous and joyful professional development- we know these two things can co-exist. Our wish is for people to join us in this adventure! Come out to one of our workshops and experience the joy of Maker-Centered Learning. We focus on “how” to teach, not “what” to teach so no matter your content area, we have tools, strategies and a highly engaged community available to help all educators be more effective at their jobs and have fun while doing it.

OLC: What are you most looking forward to as a member of the Oakland Literacy Coalition?

Agency by Design: We love learning and are looking forward to filling our learner buckets and enhancing our toolkits. We also look forward to being a part of a community of like-minded folks where we can amplify each others’ work and collaborate & partner when applicable.

OLC: Could you share an anecdote/experience about working with a student or teacher that really stood out for you?

Agency by Design: A few years ago we were in a teacher fellowship session where a 30-year veteran teacher stood in the closing circle and said, “I am proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks.” Her mind was just so blown by how professional learning can look when you give teachers space to play, interact and create. She had a profound mindset shift- moving from a very teacher-centered approach in her classroom to giving students space to make choices about their learning. She ended up joining us for another fellowship year after that.

OLC: The literacy crisis is real and impacts us all at the local, state and national level. With that said, what does Literacy & Justice for All mean to you?

Agency by Design: Literacy has transcended beyond reading in today’s world. It can come in various forms: financial literacy, media literacy, digital literacy, cultural literacy, etc. In a world in which so many interlocking systems were specifically designed to oppress and maintain underclasses of people, literacy is essential in understanding all these parts and pieces. Justice is the underlying goal of literacy, because with a competent populace, we are more likely to not only feel a sense of agency, but to practice agency in our own lives. It also has to be said, there are many societies with strong oral traditions that are also “just.” Literacy does not equal justice; they are both values to strive towards and only with strong intention and action will one impact the other.

Website: www.abdoakland.org