The Future of Education

The Level Up Pyramid (LUP) is an innovative pedagogical framework that proposes a values-based and democratic approach to schooling, integrating principles from humanistic education, Self-Determination Theory, and classroom participatory culture to foster students’ civic consciousness and ethical development. Grounded in the premise that a positive school climate is essential for preventing behavioural issues and disengagement, the present study examines the implementation of the LUP model in a small lower-secondary school in Greece, involving students aged 12–15. The framework is organized into four ascending levels of values—from personal effort to active citizenship—and aims to cultivate empathy, collaboration, self-regulation, and moral awareness. Through systematic observation, individualized feedback, student portfolios, and structured peer-evaluation aligned with the school’s Internal Regulations, the data indicate significant improvements in students’ socio-emotional competencies, particularly in fairness, responsibility, and collective belonging. Students demonstrated increased reflective capacity and a shift from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation, while classroom dynamics evolved from competitive to cooperative. The findings align with broader international frameworks, including UNESCO’s Education for Global Citizenship and OECD’s Learning Compass 2030, suggesting that structured recognition of value-driven behaviors can meaningfully transform the culture of learning. LUP emerges as a sustainable and adaptable educational model that connects personal growth with communal responsibility, offering a holistic contribution to contemporary discourses on education and society and highlighting the potential of values-based frameworks in strengthening democratic and inclusive school environments.