The Future of Learning Challenge (FOLC), created by Teach For America’s Reinvention Lab, is a groundbreaking program that brings project-based learning to life through sneaker design. This initiative reimagines how education organizations express their vision for the future—not through white papers or presentations, but through the storytelling power of custom-designed sneakers. At its core, FOLC is about making big ideas tangible and accessible, while promoting creativity, equity, and student-centered innovation.

Over the course of four weeks, 14 education-focused organizations from across the country participated in a fast-paced design sprint. These organizations were invited to reflect deeply on what learning should look like in the future and to translate that vision into the form of a sneaker. The process was fully immersive, including workshops on branding, storytelling, and product design—elements not traditionally associated with education work, but essential to modern forms of engagement and innovation.

Participants were supported by expert mentors from the design and sneaker industries, including creative leads from Ninety Nine Products and experienced product storytellers. These guides helped teams shape not just a visual identity for their sneakers, but a meaningful narrative about the educational values and experiences they represented. The program encouraged teams to think expansively while grounding their ideas in the lived realities of the students and communities they serve.

Beyond the competition, the Future of Learning Challenge stands out as a model of project-based learning done right. It empowered participants to engage in sustained inquiry, authentic design work, and iterative feedback, all while working toward a real-world outcome. The sneakers weren’t just symbolic—they became powerful tools for conversation, fundraising, and movement-building around educational change.

By merging design, culture, and community, the program proves that project-based learning can happen anywhere—even in a sneaker. It illustrates how creativity and collaboration can help educators and students tell their stories, challenge outdated systems, and build bold new visions for what school can be.