We’re here for the lifelong learners and the change-makers: Leading educators who are ready to swap textbooks for innovative curriculum design and revolutionize the way they teach. We invite you to join our global community of educators and leave traditional instruction behind so you can engage students and empower them to think critically within and beyond the classroom.

Transforming education with cutting-edge curriculum design

About

Before we became a global name in Concept-Based Inquiry, our story started with a teacher. A lifelong learner passionate about education, curriculum design, and her students, she sought professional development through mentorship, learning an innovative approach to teaching—an approach that helped her students make connections, build on previous learnings, and experience aha moments. That approach was Concept-Based Inquiry, and it transformed her classroom.

She connected with a fellow educator and colleague, Carla Marschall, to create a model and practical strategies to support a Concept-Based Inquiry approach, specifically to scaffold students’ thinking based on understanding so they can ignite those light-bulb moments consistently—even predictably.

As you may have guessed, this teacher became our founder, Rachel French. With Rachel’s successes, a mission was born—to transform education through teacher and student agency, making her approach to Concept-Based Inquiry accessible to other passionate educators around the world, so they can replicate her successes in their own classrooms and inspire the next generation of educators.

A story inspired by a teacher like you

OUR STORY

Meet Rachel French

Founder of Professional Learning International and an accomplished international educator, workshop facilitator, consultant, and author, Rachel has been leading innovative curriculum design and transforming how educators teach, and students learn for over 12 years.

Mentored by the founders of Concept-Based Curriculum themselves, Dr. Lynn Erickson and Dr. Lois Lanning, Rachel was entrusted with the exclusive worldwide rights to offer the Erickson and Lanning Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction (CBCI) Trainer Certification Institute—the certification that kick-started her journey into Concept-Based Inquiry and inspired her own approach to the pedagogy.

Today, Rachel’s mission is to help other educators transform their classrooms and schools as she did hers through hands-on programs, immersive events, and free resources.

Our Founder

Meet our Administrative Team

Paul is our very own Tom Ford. When he’s not working away at changing the landscape of the slow fashion industry, Paul moonlights as our tech wiz and automation genius. Young by age, old by spirit, Paul is our in-house tech titan, master of pretty links, and the person we go to when we break stuff.

Although he often only eats yoghurt for lunch, he’s the kind of person we could all do with at least five more of.

He drives for over an hour to work daily, so he must also like us a bit. 

DIGITAL MARKETING AUTOMATION SPECIALIST

Paul Starkey

In her past lives, Debbie has worked as a diamond dealer, a journalist, a kinesiologist, and a hairdresser. She ran an art gallery and also had a brief stint as a journalist for a small town newspaper. Her career vagabond history means she’s got a story for just about everything, which bodes well for her role as our resident wordsmith.

Known for opening three Chrome windows with 41 research tabs in each, just short of getting to that stressful zone where you can’t see the icon on the tabs anymore, she is the smiling pedant we all rely on to make us sound smarter than we really are.

COPYWRITER AND CONTENT MANAGER

Debbie Wilton

Vanessa, the switch witch, started out being the admin queen but in a puff of smoke, transitioned to the head of billing and accounts when we needed it most. 

Our best barista and all-around calming presence in the office, Vanessa, is the quiet overachiever we all wish we could be. 

A greener thumb than Kermit, her garden is her happy place. 

OPERATIONS AND ACCOUNTS

Vanessa Murrell

With major big smoke fashion vibes, Deborah breezed into the office, determined to maintain her lofty couture standards. We smiled wryly, knowing it would not be long before our country bumpkin, slipper wearing ways rubbed off on her through the inevitable office osmosis. 

With her absolute love of a to-do list, ultimate stickler status for deadlines and email responses, she’s the match lighter of the accountability fire we all straighten up for. As such, to save time, we assume she is never wrong.

Lock up your dogs, though. She’s madly on the hunt for a new pet to love. 

Executive Assistant and Customer support

Deborah Higgs

David is our videographer and web expert. Having been a teacher for the past twenty years, he knows the business pretty well. That said, he knows the boss pretty well too. Coincidence? 

He has some secret hoarding tendencies, which we encourage Rachel to work on, and a greater need for a man cave than most.

An extracurricular farmer with a dairy allergy, David is the oxymoron we love to love. 

Production manager and Videographer

David French 

When the typhoons don't take out her internet, Marian is our offshore secret weapon. She's our video editor, graphic design guru, and everything in between. 

No matter how challenging the task may be, Marian can handle it without breaking a sweat—which says a lot, given the climate she’s in.

Marian’s hard work and enthusiasm make her an integral part of our team and serve as a great reminder - not to shop local for everything.

VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Marian Natividad

Lover of green smoothies, a closet vegetarian, and a multitasking wizard. We’re pretty sure Rachel is an actual horse whisperer for educators.

Constantly shaking things up and leading her team on unbeatable paths of success, Rachel reminds us that leadership takes dedication, perseverance, and a healthy dose of risk-taking. 

Seamlessly jumping from one meeting to the next, with the moves of a desert cat, she somehow finds the time to get us all to do work that we’re proud of. Is she actually a unicorn?

DIRECTOR OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING INTERNATIONAL

Rachel French

Our team of passionate educators 

You became an educator because you want to make a difference, right? So do we. Committed to helping your students reach their full potential with transformational Concept-Based Inquiry curriculum design, our team will help you forge the path to a world-class education.

Meet our Coaching Team

  • DIRECTOR OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING INTERNATIONAL
  • ERICKSON & LANNING CBCI TRAINER & CONSULTANT
  • PLI COURSE FACILITATOR, CURRICULUM DEVELOPER

Rachel French

  • ERICKSON & LANNING CBCI TRAINER & CONSULTANT
  • PLI COURSE FACILITATOR & CBCI INSTITUTE SPECIALIST

Tiffanee Brown

  • ERICKSON & LANNING CBCI TRAINER & CONSULTANT
  • PLI COURSE FACILITATOR, CURRICULUM DEVELOPER & CBCI INSTITUTE SPECIALIST

Jessica Humble-Crofts

  • ERICKSON & LANNING CBCI TRAINER & CONSULTANT
  • PLI CURRICULUM DEVELOPER & CBCI INSTITUTE SPECIALIST

Kelvin Sparks

  • ERICKSON & LANNING CBCI TRAINER & CONSULTANT
  • PLI COURSE FACILITATOR & CBCI INSTITUTE SPECIALIST

Nyssa Brown

  • ERICKSON & LANNING CBCI TRAINER & CONSULTANT
  • PLI COURSE FACILITATOR & CBCI INSTITUTE SPECIALIST
  • COACHING CALLS OFFERED IN ENGLISH OR ARABIC

Rasha El-Haggan

  • ERICKSON & LANNING CBCI TRAINER & CONSULTANT

Jo Fahey

Andrea Uhl

Jenny Jin

  • ERICKSON & LANNING CBCI TRAINER & CONSULTANT
  • ELEMENTARY & WORLD LANGUAGE SPECIALIST
  • COACHING CALLS OFFERED IN ENGLISH OR MANDARIN

  • ERICKSON & LANNING CBCI TRAINER & CONSULTANT
  • PRIMARY/ELEMENTARY SPECIALIST

  • PLI COURSE FACILITATOR

Yuanjia Fei

  • ERICKSON & LANNING CBCI TRAINER & CONSULTANT
  • WORLD LANGUAGE SPECIALIST
  • COACHING CALLS OFFERED IN ENGLISH, MANDARIN & THAI

- Liezel, teaching in Oman

“This is truly the best PD session I have ever had… I can't wait to start making changes in my class. Jo (Fahey), you have inspired me. Thank you so much.” 

– Shiva, teaching in Mumbai

“Thank you to the PLI team for your amazing support! This course really got me thinking and reflecting on my practices. What a great opportunity it was to collaborate with teachers from all over the world.”

– Catherine, teaching in Singapore

“Tiffanee (Brown), this has been an invaluable and insightful course, I have taken great treasures from it, and I will enjoy developing my Concept-Based literacy teaching and learning skills."

– Debbie, TEACHING IN New Zealand

“Tiffanee (Brown), this has been an invaluable and insightful course, I have taken great treasures from it, and I will enjoy developing my Concept-Based literacy teaching and learning skills."

Local classroom, global impact

What educators are saying:

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