Audience: Policymakers

Promising State Policies for Personalized Learning

This report from The iNACOL Center for Policy Advocacy provides state policymakers with an overview of the policies that support student-centered personalized learning. As schools and districts look to grow student-centered initiatives, they may encounter policy barriers such as seat-time restrictions, graduation requirements, licensure requirements, funding rules, curriculum policies, and assessment and accountability requirements. The… Read More ›

When Celebrating Learning Differences is at the Heart of School Culture

This article explores how Individualized Education Programs (IEPS), typically created for special education students, can be a used as a model for all students and make personalization on a large scale easier and more accessible to all students. When special education teachers create IEPs for students with learning differences, a variety of professionals come together with… Read More ›

Scholars: Better Gauges Needed for ‘Mindset,’ ‘Grit’

This article, explores the concepts of “growth mindset” and ‘grit,” the reasons why these concepts are vital to modern education, and the potential errors in research methods when identifying these qualities in students. Growth mindset—the belief that intelligence and other skills are not fixed, but can be improved through effort— and grit—the ability to sustain interest over a long period… Read More ›

Deeper Learning Under ESSA: Seven Priorities

This post originally appeared on Education Week’s Learning Deeply blog on behalf of Jobs for the Future. Authored by Rafael Heller, principal policy analyst for Jobs for the Future.   Ask three policy wonks what they think of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and you’ll likely get four or five answers. At recent meetings and… Read More ›

How Effective Are ‘Career Academies’?

This article, written by Melinda Anderson, explores the benefits and the disadvantages of career academies. The article asserts that while these schools-within-schools blend traditional and technical courses to smooth the transition from high school to working life, they may be inadvertently propagating inequality. Career academies embrace many positive approaches such as strong personalized-learning environments, a… Read More ›

The College and Career Readiness of U.S. High School Graduates

This report, one of the annual 50-state reports on each state’s adoption of college- and career-ready (CCR) policies as reflected in state standards, graduation requirements, assessments, and accountability systems. Having the right policies is necessary to ensure that students graduate academically prepared for college and careers, but policy alone is insufficient– implementation of policy matters. So… Read More ›

Financing Personalized Learning: What Can We Learn From First-Generation Adopters?

This paper takes the first systematic look at costs associated with implementing personalized learning schools, how leaders of these schools choose to allocate their funds, and what it might take to make personalized learning financially sustainable on public dollars. Researchers at the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE), in partnership with Afton Partners, studied 16… Read More ›

National School Counseling Week

National School Counseling Week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association, highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. National School Counseling Week is always celebrated the first full week in February. Check out archives from 2015 National School Counseling Week!

District Redesign Centered around Student Learning

This 12-minute video introduces the basic ideas involved in a district-wide shift to student centered learning and explores the specific efforts undertaken in Pittsfield. It features the superintendent, principal, teachers, parents, and students. The video focuses on personalized extended learning opportunities for students, community involvement efforts, the student-led site council, and the advisory program. This video… Read More ›

What is Flipped Learning: Flipped Learning Definition

This two page overview developed by the Flipped Learning Network gives an excellent definition of flipped learning, suitable for introducing the concept to any audience. It lays out the components of successful flexible learning, detailing each of the four pillars: creating a flexible learning environment, shifting to a student-centered learning culture, providing intentional content to… Read More ›