How one Chicago high school turned the corner using full-time internships
This article highlights the intensive internship program at Chicago Technology Academy. The school, which serves predominantly minority students from low-income families, has committed to month-long, full-time internships for all seniors as part of its turnaround efforts focused on project-based learning. The article discusses the academic and social emotional benefits to students who can build confidence,… Read More ›
Looking Back: The First Year of the Student-Centered Learning Research Collaborative
The Student-Centered Learning Research Collaborative launched last November with over 100 researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and funders coming together to break down silos and advance the field. To celebrate our first birthday, we thought we’d share a run-down of what we’ve been up to since then. Hope you enjoy – and don’t forget to sign up… Read More ›
Charting the Course for the Next Phase of K-12 Competency-Based Education
This webinar will discuss the recent iNACOL report on competency education, Quality and Equity by Design: Charting the Course for the Next Phase of K-12 Competency-Based Education. The report examines four key issues in the field which must be considered to continue to scale up competency education efforts with quality and sustain them over time:… Read More ›
The State Innovator’s Toolkit: A Guide to Successfully Managing Innovation under ESSA
This guide addresses opportunities under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to drive school improvement, challenging states to rethink older, more traditional approaches and support real innovation. It reviews several principals that can help state leaders support districts’ and schools’ change efforts. It also outlines in detail 6 approaches to spark innovation which states might consider. This… Read More ›
Civics Needs a Makeover NOW. How? Keep It Student-Centered, Stupid!
Originally posted on EdWeek’s Learning Deeply Blog on October 11, 2017. Our current political climate and all it portends about our democracy has alerted many Americans to a striking fact: civic education needs a makeover. Currently, only 23 percent of high school seniors are proficient in civics, according to the National Assessment of Education Progress, and just… Read More ›
2017 State of the States: Connectivity
This report was compiled by EducationSuperHighway, a nonprofit focused on upgrading Internet access in every public school classroom in America to ensure equal access of all students to digital learning opportunities. The report looks at ways to connect the remaining 6.5 million students in 40 states that still have limited access. The authors detail three main… Read More ›
How to Engage with School Partners? Tips for Researchers from One Project in Maine
As education researchers, how do we remain responsive to the needs of our partners while maintaining our role as independent observers? In July 2016, with funding from the Student Centered-Learning Research Collaborative, EDC began a two-year research project looking into student-centered learning with 10 partner school districts in rural Maine. In addition to what we… Read More ›
Whole Child, Whole Person Summit: Redefining Achievement, Education, and Well-Being
This event sponsored by ASCD and Boston College’s Lynch School of Education will focus on redefining education to address the whole child and, ultimately, the whole person. The organizers believe that through a more humanistic, whole child approach to education students can become knowledgeable, emotionally and physically healthy, civically inspired, engaged in the arts, prepared… Read More ›
Gateway to Opportunity: Extending Learning into the Summer and into the Workplace
As the school year kicks into gear, it is often a time for reflecting back on summer. I can’t tell you how frequently I bump into students who tell me they were bored and up to “nothing really” over their breaks. With the work that I do, it is hard for this response to not… Read More ›
Personalized Learning for All: Actions for States to Make Aspirations a Reality
This report by the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) looks at the potential of large scale shifts to personalized learning for students with disabilities. Based on interview with close to 100 leaders in Colorado, New Hampshire, and North Carolina, including expert practitioners, researchers, policy leaders, parents, and others, NCLD identified benefits and associated challenges… Read More ›
18 Tips for Making Blended Learning More Student-Centered
This article shares 18 tips from leading schools and providers who have added student-centered strategies, such as boosting student agency and collaboration, to their blended learning plans. The article has links to additional resources and websites throughout. Some tips include: Genius Hour Developing a values-based culture Work -based learning projects Adaptive Learning This article offers… Read More ›
Competency-Based Education: Staying Shallow or Going Deep?
This report examines what it means to be competent in the 21st century. It begins with an overview of competency-based education. It then explores the competencies needed for career and college readiness with attention given to existing personal and deeper learning competency frameworks. The report concludes that competency in the 21st century must include academics as well as… Read More ›