The Morningside Model of Generative Instruction

“Children will gain at least 2 grade levels in their skill of greatest deficit in one school year, or their money back.” - The Morningside Guarantee

A documentary film and course based in Seattle, Washington, USA.

Created by Ryan O'Donnell, MS, BCBA
Behavioral Scientist and Filmmaker

What's included in the full-length course on The Morningside Model of Generative Instruction?

28 Parent & Student Perspectives

Students and families were invited to share their deeply personal stories of how they stumbled upon The Morningside Model and the tangible changes they have seen in their child as a result. Hear generational stories of how Morningside Academy has changed lives, and see actual results of how much growth children made in the school year (spoiler: it was at least two years!)

26 Founder, Faculty & Advocate Perspectives

The Morningside Model of Generative Instruction was developed through the tireless efforts of countless people in educational psychology over the course of 45 years. Lead by Dr. Kent Johnson, learn about the origins of Morningside through his beginnings at 9 years old, and hear from his colleagues who built the systems and technologies used to transform educational experiences.

Overview of the Six Pillars of The Morningside Model of Generative Instruction

While The Morningside Model of Generative Instruction was created in the laboratory school located in Seattle, Washington, USA, it has been deployed and scaled far beyond the Pacific Northwest. Learn from the pioneers of the educational model about how they have successfully incorporated the model to over 150+ partnership sites worldwide.

"Every year when it's end-of-the-year testing for us, it's like Christmas for us... there's nothing more exciting than seeing the two, four, six-year gains in some of these kids."

Nicole Erickson
Teaching Faculty

"They're constantly demoralized by the way the education system scores them... at Morningside, she got daily feedback, and the only person she was up against was herself... It turned what was an educational experience that was always demoralizing to one that she came home and said, 'I'm not stupid.' That's my story, but I bet it's the story of many, many, many families that end up finding Morningside and seeing that transformation."

Roslyn Duffy
Previous Parent of Morningside & Previous Board Member

Access includes:

115+ self-paced video lessons of The Morningside Model of Generative Instruction, including:
The founders' stories of how, through close observation and decades of refinement, the 6 pillars of The Morningside Model were discovered.
Teacher interviews, samples of class lessons and fluency blocks.
An overview of the various teaching technologies, including instructional design and measurement practices, that are the heart of the 2-year guaranteed growth that Morningside Academy can reliably produce.
An overview of the organization's structure and how The Morningside Model has been translated into over 150 partner sites worldwide.
Parent and student interviews, where they share their perspectives on The Morningside Model and the data-backed growth they see in their children.

A total of seventeen (17) BACB® Learning CEUs are available in the full-length course.

SEE COURSE SAMPLES OR REGISTER

Featuring

Listed in alphabetical order:

Morningside Representatives: Adam Stretz, Amy Kim, Andrew Bulla, Andrew Keita, Bailee Scheuffele, Blue Lazarou, Daniel Carroll, Deb Brown, Geoffrey Martin, Joanne Robbins, Julian Gire, Kaili Sandico, Kathy Fox, Kent Johnson, Kris Melroe, Leah Herzog, Marshall Wells, Michael Nevarez, Nicole Erickson, Nicolle Simon, Roslyn Duffy, and Shiloh Isbell-Floyd.
Parents/Students: Bishop, Deanna, Deyo, Eric, Gabriella, Harrison, Henry, Jamie, Jenifer, Jonathan, Kai, Kathleen, Kristyn, Lisa, Maximus, Maxine, Mia, Noele, Rachel, Rian, Regis, Roger, Rudy, Ryley, Sebastian, Summer, Teddy, and Zoe.
Friends, Advocates & Supporters: Abigail Calkin, Carl Binder, Kelly Ferris, and Trina Spencer.

A very special thank you to Cody Blomberg, the Standard Celeration Society, and Morningside Summer Institute Attendees.

COMING SOON: A FEATURE-LENGTH FILM

Film Synopsis

The Morningside Model delves into the transformative journey of a unique educational model pioneered by Dr. Kent Johnson and his colleagues in Seattle, Washington, USA. This independent film takes viewers through the 2023-2024 school year, providing an intimate look at the groundbreaking methods and impactful stories within Morningside Academy. Through interviews with Dr. Johnson, his colleagues, teachers, parents, and students, the film explores the academy's core programs occurring in the Seattle laboratory school and the Morningside Teacher's Academy outreach program.

Director, writer, executive producer, editor & cinematographer: Ryan O'Donnell, MS, BCBA

Run Time: 2 hours 16 minutes

Currently under review at four international film festivals.

Watch The Film Trailer

Thank you from the creator, Ryan O'Donnell, MS, BCBA:

Filmmaking is like building a puzzle; however, you have no reference image to look at, and there aren't a clear number of pieces to the puzzle. This is part of what I love about the niche I've grown into in content creation in behavior analysis. It's a process of discovery, shaping, and ultimately stimulus control. Along the way, I learn, and the image becomes clearer and clearer as more effort is put in. Below is the over 6000 pieces to this film - by far the largest puzzle I've discovered and put together to date in my career.

I am forever indebted to Kent and his colleagues for opening their doors and allowing me the unfeathered access to explore the Seattle, Washington-based laboratory school. There were so many useful and essential conversations along the way, too. Contributors to The Morningside Model, faculty and leadership at the laboratory school, consultants for the Morningside Teacher's Academy... thank you from the bottom of my heart for your time and guidance.

Please know that everyone involved on camera or mentioned in this project volunteered their time. No money was exchanged for the creation of this project. The entire production budget was my responsibility, funded through hard work in other areas of my professional life. I believe that the "magic" of The Morningside Model of Generative Instruction, as told in both the course and this film, is as pure, honest, and life-changing as the introduction on this page suggests. They truly deliver two years of growth—life-changing outcomes—through a beautifully designed and well-implemented process that everyone involved clearly respects and enjoys.

Thank you for your time, and I hope this helps you and those you serve in some capacity.

Ryan O'Donnell, MS, BCBA