We have been tweaking the system for decades. So, what if it were about time we redesigned it? Not from scratch, but from what we know works.
The Education by Design podcast explores the architecture of learning environments—how schools are designed, not just operated—how culture is disrupted to make way for innovation and reaching potential.
Join Phil Evans as he presents innovators who untangle the complexity of educational systems to align with shared values, common practices, and a common language to create powerful, human-centered learning experiences.
Host of the Education by Design Podcast
Phil Evans, Washington, D.C. - United States
Phil Evans
🎙️ Meet Phil — an educational architect, documentary storyteller, and curiosity catalyst. He’s the creative force behind Education by Design, where podcasts meet purpose and systems thinking sparks school-wide change.
“What are we doing today to create the conditions in which every learner can flourish, contribute, and help shape a better future? Not the future we predict — the one we create through the choices we make, the relationships we build, and the opportunities we extend to one another every day. ”
That question first took hold while I was teaching in a public magnet school in Richmond, Virginia. It continues to shape my work at the International Baccalaureate, where more than a decade of partnering with schools adding 300+ programmes and over 140 school communities expanding IB education to more than 26,000 students who might not otherwise have had access has shown me: lasting change rarely comes from isolated initiatives. It emerges when people discover shared purpose, build trust, and connect ideas, disciplines, and communities into greater coherence. And coherence, I've come to believe, isn't simply an organizational quality. It's a human one.
That inquiry now sits at the heart of my work. The Schoolwide IB partnerships I've helped lead are evolving into School & System Vitality, an emerging focus within the IB's Centre of Excellence and Innovation exploring how schools and systems build the capacity to thrive over time. It also shapes Education by Design, my podcast and writing platform, where educators, researchers, students, and leaders wrestle with the same questions about learning, leadership, and the future we're already creating.
If one conviction guides me, it's this: the future isn't something we wait for. It's something we become. If you're exploring how your school, system, or community can build capacity for meaningful change, fI'd love to continue the conversation. Every meaningful step in my own thinking has begun by listening and working alongside others. I believe that's how lasting change happens.
Phil the Founder and Creative Director of the Education by Design Collective.