What is a Logic Model?

A logic model is a visual framework that explains how a program works. It helps answer the question: If we do these things, what results can we expect? A strong logic model usually includes:

• Problem Statement: The challenge or need that the program addresses.
• Inputs: What resources are provided to support implementation.
• Activities: What participants do with those resources.
• Outputs: The immediate products or evidence of participation.
• Outcomes: The changes that occur in the short, medium, and long term.

In short, a logic model shows the journey from action to impact.

The Problem We Are Addressing

Problem Statement: Inquiry-based pedagogy holds enormous promise for students in terms of building content knowledge, disciplinary literacy, and engagement. However, few teachers use or have access to high-quality instructional materials that enable them to effectively implement inquiry in the social studies classroom. inquirED’s Inquiry Journeys addresses this need with an inquiry-based social studies curriculum that centers students and builds their knowledge and disciplinary literacy over a series of sustained, structured investigations.

Inputs: What inquirED Provides

Inquiry Journeys offers a comprehensive set of resources and supports, including:

• A social studies curriculum that supports student-centered instruction and sustained, structured inquiry.
• Teacher materials that provide Curriculum-Based Professional Learning (CBPL) through daily lesson plans, slide decks, planning guidance, and embedded supports for differentiation and implementation.
• Student materials, including diverse sources, handouts, and manipulatives.
• Live, in-person, and asynchronous onboarding and professional learning resources that model inquiry-based teaching strategies and successful implementation.
• Digital teacher and student-facing applications to support instruction.
• Guidance for school leaders in creating conditions for success.
• Periodic collaboration opportunities for district leaders to reflect on implementation and plan next steps.

“We wanted materials that would be both student-centered and literacy-rich... Inquiry Journeys gave us a curriculum that engaged students’ curiosity while strengthening the reading, writing, and critical thinking skills they need across subjects.” — Nikhil Laud, History-Social Studies/Ethnic Studies Coordinator

Students: From Activities to Outcomes

Activities: Students engage with sources, participate in structured discussions, complete formative and summative assessments, and take part in feedback cycles.

Outputs: Lessons completed, sources analyzed, assessments administered, Inquiry Walls built.

Short- and Medium-Term Outcomes:

• Students build schema for concepts and vocabulary that transfer across topics.
• Students use disciplinary literacy to analyze multiple perspectives and draw evidence-based conclusions.
• Students develop metacognitive skills for reflection and self-regulation.
• Students become more motivated and curious about social studies.

Long-Term Outcomes:

• Students transfer schema and disciplinary literacy to novel contexts inside and outside of school.
• Students achieve grade-level proficiency in social studies.
• Students demonstrate increased proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
• Students consider multiple perspectives in diverse situations.
• Students demonstrate sustained engagement in historical, geographical, economic, and civic issues.
• Students are informed and engaged civic participants.
• Students consistently use metacognitive strategies to monitor and adapt their learning with minimal assistance.

“Inquiry Journeys has helped my 3rd graders become really independent thinkers...” — Tricia Cunningham-Barnes, 3rd Grade Teacher

Teachers: From Activities to Outcomes

Activities: Teachers use lesson plans, implement assessments, engage with professional learning, and differentiate instruction.

Outputs: Lessons taught, assessments administered, professional learning sessions attended.

Short- and Medium-Term Outcomes:

• Teachers understand the purpose and benefits of inquiry-based instruction.
• Teachers implement with increasing fidelity.
• Teachers use assessment data to adjust and differentiate instruction.
• Teachers reflect on and refine their practice.

Long-Term Outcomes:

• Teachers internalize inquiry-based approaches that transfer to other disciplines.
• Teachers advocate for inquiry beyond their own classrooms.
• Teachers successfully differentiate instruction to meet diverse student needs.

“Our district prioritized PD that went beyond a single training… teachers had real support over time.” — Elizabeth Schmocker, Instructional Technology Coordinator

Leaders: From Activities to Outcomes

Activities: Leaders provide onboarding, implementation guidance, and opportunities for reflection.

Outputs: Number of teachers supported, professional learning sessions offered, implementation plans developed.

Short- and Medium-Term Outcomes:

• Leaders understand the role of inquiry-based curriculum.
• Leaders provide consistent implementation supports.
• Leaders use data to guide decisions.

Long-Term Outcomes:

• Districts sustain inquiry-based social studies across grade levels.
• Coherence is built across classrooms and schools.
• Implementation leads to equitable access to high-quality social studies for all students.

“It’s very exciting to find a curriculum with this level of coherence...” — Jan Rogenski, Assistant Superintendent

Connecting the Dots: From High-Quality Instructional Materials to Lasting Change

High-quality instructional materials are the spark that sets the journey in motion. But the logic model reminds us that materials alone do not create lasting change. What matters is how those materials are used, supported, and sustained across classrooms and schools.

It begins with inputs: a curriculum intentionally designed for inquiry, professional learning that equips teachers to use it, student materials that make the work engaging and tangible, and leadership guidance that ensures implementation is consistent and supported. These resources provide the foundation, but they are just the starting point.

With these inputs in place, activities unfold every day. Students dive into sources, ask questions, and construct meaning together. Teachers facilitate structured routines, reflect on their practice, and adapt lessons for their students. Leaders provide coaching, ensure time for professional learning, and build coherence across schools. The daily rhythm of teaching, learning, reflecting, and leading is where the logic model comes alive.

The next layer is outputs: the tangible signs of participation and progress. Classrooms complete lessons, students engage with texts and artifacts, teachers administer formative assessments, and schools host professional learning sessions. These outputs show that the system is moving, but they are not the end goal.

From there come the outcomes. In the short term, students build schema and disciplinary literacy, teachers gain confidence with inquiry, and leaders refine implementation supports. In the medium term, students transfer knowledge across topics, teachers differentiate instruction more effectively, and leaders strengthen systemwide alignment. Each outcome builds on the last, creating momentum toward transformation.

The story culminates in impact. Over time, students achieve grade-level proficiency in social studies and literacy. They demonstrate curiosity, critical thinking, and engagement with the world around them. Teachers sustain inquiry practices that transfer across disciplines. Leaders embed inquiry-based instruction into the fabric of the district. The result is not just better lessons, but lasting change: young people who are prepared to understand the past, engage with the present, and shape the future.

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Explore the Full Logic Model

This blog is a guided tour, but the full logic model is available to download and explore. Open it in another window to see the detailed research citations, outcomes, and indicators that power Inquiry Journeys.