Windsor Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Noha Abdel-Hady held a press conference, introducing the Windsor Early Learning Model (WELM), a new K–2 curriculum that will be implemented in the 2026-2027 academic year. WELM limits technology use and emphasizes hands-on learning. Together with Taran Gruber, Elementary School Principal, Vanessa Barton, Grade 1 Teacher, and Keva Griggs, K-2 Instructional Coach, the district leadership discussed the implementation steps for the new curriculum and the research behind WELM.
The new Windsor Early Learning Model aims to shift the focus from performance to development, emphasizing foundational literacy and oral language, handwriting and fine motor skills, play-based and outdoor learning, project-based exploration, and social-emotional learning. It is based on decades of neuroscience, literacy science, and child development research, and reflective of practices used in high-performing education systems around the world.
“Picture a kindergarten classroom in Windsor this coming September. A child walks in with mud on her shoes from the outdoor learning block before lunch. There's a bearded dragon in a terrarium by the window that the class named together and takes turns feeding. On the rug, a small group is deep in a pretend grocery store they built out of blocks and cardboard—and if you listen closely, you'll hear them counting, negotiating, taking turns, and solving problems, completely unprompted.
That is not recess. That is not free time before the real learning starts. In a Windsor classroom this fall, that is the curriculum,” said Dr. Hady in her speech while addressing journalists during a press conference this Wednesday.
According to the Windsor Superintendent of Schools, handwriting and cursive are returning to every K–2 classroom, with dedicated daily instruction time. This change is based on ample research showing that the physical act of forming letters by hand activates brain networks associated with memory and language processing in ways that typing does not. Children who write by hand remember more of what they write.
Windsor Public Schools will sharply decrease individual screen time. District elementary schools are eliminating several K–2 software licenses that had children working alone on tablets for parts of the day and redirecting the funding to other classroom materials. This decision is based on the recently revised guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics. These and many more changes will be implemented on the first day of school in Windsor.
“Children are natural scientists, researchers, and builders. When we force learning solely into rigid worksheets and passive listening, we slow down that natural drive. But when we anchor learning in curiosity—asking big questions, building models, testing hypotheses, and learning through hands-on exploration—students don't just memorize information for a test. They master it," said Taran Gruber, Oliver Ellsworth Elementary School principal.
“This model also expands the ways students learn about responsibility, empathy, and their connection to the world around them. Through experiences such as tending a garden bed, caring for living things, or observing nature, students learn that their actions have an impact. These experiences allow teachers to connect classroom learning to real-world applications while helping students develop as thoughtful members of their community,” added Vanessa Barton, Grade 1 teacher and a member of the WELM committee.
“I know the next question in the room, so let me answer it directly: are we still measuring how children are doing? Yes - unequivocally, yes. We are not walking away from data, and we are not walking away from accountability. We are walking away from the idea that a single standardized test score should be the primary lens through which we see a child's year. We will continue to track academic growth carefully, through classroom-embedded assessment and consistent benchmarks. We are simply refusing to let a standardized test be the only story we tell about a child's progress," assured the district’s Superintendent.
The Windsor Early Learning Model is a bold reimagining of what early childhood education can be, grounded in neuroscience, backed by research, and designed to give every child the strongest possible start. Windsor Public Schools is committed to creating classrooms where students are engaged, challenged, and empowered to become confident lifelong learners.
