In collaboration with the Mission Bay School and the engagement tool co-created by Multistudio, CAST, and UDL-IRN, The Deck of Spaces, Director of Research Dr. Michael C. Ralph and Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Schools Cohort 5 for SFUSD, Dr. E’leva Hughes Gibson, wrote a white paper titled A Framework to Scaffold Project Visioning for Inclusion for the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE). A4LE is an interdisciplinary association of professionals working at the intersection of learning and place to drive the evolution of learning environments.

Dr. Michael C Ralph is a STEM educator passionate about helping others connect with the world around them. He taught in high school and collegiate classrooms and now works as the Director of Researcher for Multistudio, collaborating nationwide across the studio’s projects. He strives to connect state-of-the-art methods of measurement to the lives and stories of teachers and students in schools. His research applies quantitative methods to issues of equity and inclusion, with a focus on gender equity.

Dr. E’leva Hughes Gibson is a product of SFUSD and Bay Area universities, has served as a teacher, adjunct professor, school site administrator, central office, district leader, and as a parent. As an Assistant Superintendent, she oversees Cohort 5 in SFUSD, which is comprised of 17 schools in the district. She is dedicated to closing the achievement gap/opportunity gap, providing equitable opportunities for children and families, promoting innovation and 21st-century learning, and supporting teaching the “whole child.”

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) represents a multi-decade effort by educational designers to create more flexible and inclusive experiences for students. Multistudio designers and architects have used the UDL-based Deck of Spaces to facilitate engagement that identifies essential priorities with direct connections to space design on projects like the Mission Bay School in California. The Multistudio team, in collaboration with researchers and educators across the UDL network, developed the UDL Deck of Spaces to facilitate conversations with project stakeholders about creating more inclusive school environments.

Follow the links below to read more about Dr. Ralph and Gibson’s research.