Facilitated Release Days

Big ideas, real impact.

Tuesdays at CVEDC

Accelerate your team’s progress with a Facilitated Release Day at CVEDC. Ready to supercharge your team's impact? A Facilitated Release Day at CVEDC gives educators, administrators, and school teams the ultimate space to design, refine, and collaborate on your biggest projects. We handle the design-thinking roadmap and provide external facilitation so you can focus entirely on what matters: your students and your schools. We are running these sessions almost every Tuesday of the school year, but dates fill up fast. Find a Tuesday with open availability and register your team today!

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What to Expect

Here is what you can expect when your team joins us at CVEDC: We provide freedom from the daily distractions of the school day to give you a dedicated environment focused entirely on your goals. With an energetic external facilitator leading the way, your team will dive into custom design-thinking frameworks built to spark creativity and collaboration. You will have the time and support needed to brainstorm, align your vision, and build together. Best of all, you won't leave with just ideas, you will walk out the door with actionable next steps for your project, whether big or small.

Who: Any and all school and district teams

Date(s): Tuesdays throughout the 2026-2027 school year. (with a few exceptions)

Time: 9:00am - 3:00pm

Location: CVEDC Classroom 150 Kennedy Drive, South Burlington

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Sample Schedule

The day’s agenda is designed through the lens of Allison Zmuda’s philosophy of Personalized Learning and Students at the Center. In Zmuda's style, we don't just "attend meetings"; we engage in design-based thinking to solve "wicked problems."

  • Establishing a "Worthy of the Attempt" mindset. A brief provocation on the evolution of the modern classroom and the power of Habits of Mind.

  • The Clarity Phase: Teams define a "wicked problem" or a transformative goal. We aren't looking for a task; we are looking for a mission. Is your goal challenging, possible, and relevant?

  • Item descriptionThe Evidence Phase: Teams dive into resources, case studies, or digital tools to find "best-fit" strategies. This is about finding the fuel for your specific design.

  • The Cross-Pollination Phase: "Speed-dating" style feedback. Teams pair with educators from other schools to offer "warm" and "cool" feedback on design drafts.

  • The "Monday Morning" Test: Defining the first "micro-step." Closing reflections on how this work creates real engagement for students.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? Take a look at the FAQ or reach out anytime: info@cvedcvt.org. If you’re feeling ready, go ahead and sign up!

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  • We host Facilitated Release Days almost every single Tuesday throughout the school year. However, spots are limited each week, so we highly recommend checking our calendar and registering early to lock in your preferred date.

    You can absolutely sign up for more than one! Many school teams book multiple sessions throughout the school year to work on different phases of a major project, check in on progress, or tackle entirely new goals.

  • These days are designed for any group that needs to collaborate! This includes grade-level teams, department heads, administrative cabinets, curriculum committees, or cross-functional school personnel working on a shared initiative.

  • To get the most out of the collaborative design-thinking process, we recommend a minimum team size of 2 people. We can comfortably accommodate up to 20 people per session in the classroom.

  • Think of your facilitator as your project navigator. They don't dictate your content; instead, they provide the structure, keep your energy high, guide you through design-thinking exercises, and help your team work through logistical roadblocks so you stay focused and productive.

  • Not at all! You just need a goal, a problem you want to solve, or an initial idea. Whether you are starting from scratch ("We need a new A.I. policy") or refining an existing system ("We need to fix our current MTSS workflow"), we will meet you exactly where you are.

  • Bring your laptops, chargers, any existing data or notes related to your project, and an open mind! We provide the whiteboards, design-thinking materials, charts, and sticky notes.

  • We know educators run on coffee and fuel! We provide complimentary coffee, tea, and morning snacks to keep your team energized. You are welcome to bring your own lunches and we can recommend local spots to get lunch near the office.