From Accreditation to Online Academy:
How MSA Launched a Professional Development Program in Weeks
CHALLENGEReimagining Professional Development for Real-World Impact
Middle States Association (MSA) accredits and supports over 3,100 schools across 117 countries. For more than a century, it focused on institutional improvement, but as generative AI and other emerging technologies began disrupting an already resource-strapped profession, MSA saw a clear opportunity to extend its impact by serving educators directly.
“If we only did accreditation and limited ourselves to it, we’d hit a tight local maximum,” said Christian Talbot, CEO. With 28 years of school experience—including two stints as Head of School—Talbot saw a deeper truth: It’s the people, not the systems, who drive real school improvement. That insight sparked a change in direction for the organization centered around educator professional development, credentialing, and a new initiative called Evolution Academy.
Traditional professional development—graduate programs, in-person workshops, etc—are often expensive, time-consuming, and disconnected from what educators need the most. Evolution Academy delivers an engaging learning experience built for how modern, time-strapped educators work and learn in an increasingly complex technological landscape.
“We wanted to create the opposite of existing professional development opportunities,” said Talbot. “Fast, nimble, and responsive to the market.”
SEARCHFinding a Platform Aligned with Vision
MSA tested virtual workshops, but ran into limitations. “It’s tricky to get educators in Africa, the US, and Asia on a live call for 30 minutes,” said Amber Berry, VP of AI and Strategy. “We were managing everything with spreadsheets and video links. We needed a scalable and human-centered solution.”
To transform its existing content into engaging, asynchronous courses, MSA partnered with Honor Education.
The choice wasn’t just about features—it was about philosophy. “We knew we could look at legacy platforms, which screamed school, or we could look at a learning experience for the real world,” said Talbot. “We knew we wanted a platform that solves the very real challenges our audience is facing, and Honor is built for real-world learning.”
As a former teacher and school administrator, Berry appreciated the platform’s simplicity and elegance. “It’s the Apple experience—no fluff, no noise, just focus,” she said, citing Honor CEO Joel Podolny’s previous experience as Founding Dean of Apple University.
SOLUTIONScalable, Branded Courses Built in Minutes
MSA launched a pilot program using Honor to deliver a new AI credentialing initiative called Responsible Artificial Intelligence (RAIL). Moving from spreadsheet-based delivery to Honor’s platform was a significant shift with immediate impact.
“People loved the bite-sized content,” said Berry. “A 3-minute video, a quick reflection—it fits into the life of an educator.” The asynchronous format empowers users to learn on their schedule while still providing opportunities for reflection and connection.
Behind the scenes, the experience was just as smooth. “It’s really easy to build courses. I almost don’t want to say how easy it is since my bosses are on the call,” joked Morgan Mifflin, AI Project Manager. “I can turn videos and transcripts into a course in 10 minutes. It’s that fast.”
Beyond speed, the team appreciated the ability to fully brand the experience—“it really feels like Evolution Academy,” and the hands-on support from Honor’s customer success team.
MSA launched a full course marketplace as part of the initiative, without outside technical support. In just weeks, they went from concept to launch, offering educators around the world a central hub for discovering, enrolling in, and completing professional learning aligned to MSA’s evolving goals.
OUTCOMELearning that Extends the Mission—and the Business Model
This shift to professional development wasn’t just mission-aligned—it created a path to deepen MSA’s impact and build a more sustainable business model.
The organization now offers a growing catalog of branded, credential-granting courses, with plans to roll out a subscription-based model. Evolution Academy is central to MSA’s long-term strategy, creating recurring revenue and deepening member engagement.
“Almost everything we do now leads to Evolution Academy,” said Talbot. That includes converting live accreditation trainings to asynchronous courses, repurposing content from conferences, and future professional learning pathways.
And the platform itself continues to shape what’s possible.
“Honor has opened up entirely new ways of thinking about our business. At the end of the day, our purpose is to inspire wise change. Honor is already helping us do this while revealing new paths we hadn’t considered before.”
– Christian Talbot, CEO of MSA