XQ Expert Series: Technology and Learning for an Interconnected World

This video podcast series, created by XQ America, a national movement to rethink high school, and hosted by Michelle Cahill, a distinguished fellow in education and youth development for the National Center for Civic Innovation, gives an opportunity to listen in on conversations with leaders in education as they discuss a wide variety of education related… Read More ›

Insights on Advancing Competency Education in New England

This webinar is intended for district leaders and policymakers seeking to introduce competency-based education within their states.  The webinar will discuss findings from the CompetencyWorks report titled Reaching the Tipping Point: Insights on Advancing Competency Education in New England, which explores the core concepts of competency education, provides insights in policy and practice across six… Read More ›

Starting Small and other Takeaways for Advancing Student-Centered Learning

Last week, I attended the Advancing Student-Centered Learning Forum in Devens, MA. This forum was hosted by the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy. It provided a platform for school and education leaders to discuss the landscape of education in Massachusetts, and how educators with supportive policy can help students excel through personalized, student-centered… Read More ›

Educator Advocates in the Know

ASCD Logo

This webinar is an interactive conversation with Jonathan Martin, author, consultant, and expert in assessment involving social and emotional competencies. Martin, who was featured in ASCD’s most recent issue of Policy Priorities: A Bright Future with SEL, will share his perspective on social and emotional measures related to ESSA’s accountability requirements. Participants will have plenty… Read More ›

The Student-Centered Learning Podcast

Created by Students at the Center Distinguished Fellow Arthur Eduardo Baraf, this podcast explores the many facets of student-centered learning. In this featured episode, Baraf interviews Courtney Jacobs, a veteran teacher and coach who works with schools through the Great Schools Partnership in New England. They discuss the “what” and “why” of competency-based learning, and the “how” of… Read More ›

Competency Education and Personalized Learning

This short video produced by KnowledgeWorks provides an introduction to the concepts and need for competency-based learning. The video discusses students’ learning differences and shows the potentially negative impact of the traditional system in which students can advance from grade to grade without mastering all the foundational skills they will need for the next grade… Read More ›

Launching the Student-Centered Learning Research Collaborative

Originally Posted on Competency Works, November 11, 2016 There is increasing evidence supporting the growth of student-centered learning (competency-based learning is one of the four elements) to promote success for all students and drive equity in education. Yet, work remains. How can we curate research-based best practices for implementation? How can we scale student-centered learning,… Read More ›

3 Tips For Introducing Competency-Based Learning Into K-12

This article shares three ways, based on feedback and interviews from teachers and researchers of competency-based learning (CBL), to introduce competency-based learning into a new environment. CBL refers to the notion of allowing learners to acquire credits based on goals they hit rather than the amount of time they spend in a chair, often referred to as… Read More ›

Introducing the Student-Centered Learning Research Collaborative

Jobs for the Future (JFF), in partnership with the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, announced today the launch of the Student-Centered Learning Research Collaborative. The Research Collaborative is a new effort to investigate and evaluate what we know about student-centered learning and leverage that knowledge to effect meaningful change at scale. The first-of-its-kind research initiative will… Read More ›

Catalyzing Mastery-Based Learning: NYC’s Mastery Collaborative

This article describes the Mastery Collaborative created by the New York City Department of Education. The Collaborative consists of 40 schools, eight of which are Living Lab schools. Living Lab schools share resources and tools with other members and are open for visitors to see what mastery-based education looks like and learn from fellow educators. The… Read More ›

What Happens to Maine Students Who Don’t Meet Proficiency Standards?

This article explores possible impacts of the new Maine state laws that require proficiency-based diplomas for graduation. It discusses the concern of some educators about students who may not be ready to demonstrate the needed proficiencies due to language barriers, behavioral issues, or because they were previously passed from grade to grade without demonstrating true… Read More ›

Three Videos About The Future of Learning You’ll Want to Watch Now

So much has changed over the past hundred years. Technology has transformed the way we communicate and do business. We’ve made significant strides in medical research, disease treatment and quality of life. Yet, our education system, the system that is meant to prepare students for jobs in these fields, has remained largely the same. At… Read More ›