Henry Ford Learning Institute

HFLI mobilizes and works with organizations around the world – organizations that share our vision of advancing equity and excellence in education. We sustain this level of innovation leadership by investing in our unique blend of capabilities: HFLI’s team, partnerships, approach, and tools. And we live the mindsets that we nurture in learners. That steady attention to learning, growing, and improving engenders the confidence and trust essential in our role as your strategic ally.

HFLI leverages its extensive experience in education and a dedication to Deeper Learning by Doing™ (culturally responsive and restorative practices + design thinking + high leverage instructional practices) when developing learning models for transformational change in communities.

There is no one definition of design thinking. Over time and with experience, we've evolved our definition of design thinking as "a collection of mindsets that enable/allow us to explore problems creatively, then reframe and act on them." A key point: it involves action, or “design doing,” as well as design thinking. HFLI approaches design thinking in a way that:

• Is open to and inclusive of other disciplines and methods.
• Is non-linear.
• Acknowledges the complexity involved in the process and doesn’t oversimplify.
• Introduces essential tools and strategies in an accessible way.
• Continually evolves and expands.

More than 97% of surveyed participants would recommend their HFLI learning experience to a colleague. 100% of respondents from HFLI's 2022 Summer Design Thinking for Deeper Student Learning reported an increase in their knowledge, resources, confidence, and ability to use design thinking to address school/organizational challenges.