Distinguished Fellow’s Leadership Produces Results
One of the Student-Centered Learning Research Collaborative’s six Distinguished Fellows, Arria Coburn, was recently featured on WBUR’s On Point program. Coburn is the Principal of the Springfield Renaissance School in Springfield, MA, which WBUR notes has “attracted national recognition for raising the achievement of students from low-income families and students of color.” Principal Coburn has led multiple efforts that have helped produce these amazing… Read More ›
We’re Thankful for our Educators, Researchers and Funders
The end of November is always crunch time. Between finishing projects, producing research, educating students, fighting for social justice and planning for the holidays, it’s never quiet. Recognizing this reality makes the team at KnowledgeWorks’ Student-Centered Learning Research Collaborative especially grateful for our inspiring Distinguished Fellows, researchers and funders who came out to New York City to ask and answer some of the biggest questions about student-centered learning. We were lucky… Read More ›
Asking Big Questions
Driving home from grocery shopping the other day, my seven-year-old released a long, dramatic sigh and proceeded to tell me that, “Sometimes my head is just so tired by the end of the day because it’s spent all day thinking and asking questions. Like…What is a dream when you dream it? Can you stand flat in space?… Read More ›
Thank You for Your Feedback on Educator Competencies for Personalized, Learner-Centered Teaching
Please take this short survey by October 25th to help us understand the current use of the competencies in the field and recommendations to increase use.
Educator Professional Development Through Public Research Lesson Events
Have you been looking for an educator professional development structure that builds teacher leadership and inquiry capacity, develops robust content and pedagogical knowledge, and centers on deeply understanding student thinking? If so, we invite you to explore Lesson Study – a collaborative inquiry structure that can transform professional learning communities (PLCs) or discipline meetings into… Read More ›
iNACOL Symposium 2019: Shining a Light on the Future of Learning
The iNACOL national conference this year will be held on October 28-31, 2019, at the Palm Springs Convention Center in Palm Springs, California. At this event, experts, practitioners, educators, policymakers and researchers gather and work to transform education. This year’s theme is “Shining a Light on the Future of Learning” and we’ll be presenting alongside many… Read More ›
Student Voice-Transformative or Symbolic?
Francis is the student body president. She has a 4.3 GPA. She is enrolled in honors and AP classes and has gained early admission to Stanford University. She is a regular contributor to the school newspaper and a member of the varsity tennis team. She has also won two state championships in speech and debate.… Read More ›
Student-Centered Approaches to Equity, Empathy and Engagement in School
How does a predominantly White, middle class, rural high school in Vermont prioritize racial justice and educational equity? Mike McRaith, former principal of Montpelier High School and current assistant executive director for the Vermont Principals’ Association, shares five tips for how his former school approached this challenge: Know thyself Do the homework Use data Interrupt… Read More ›
Transforming Research by Having Students Lead the Investigations
In the education world, well-intentioned adults often gather to discuss evidence-based instructional techniques they intend to implement to improve student outcomes. Educators, administrators, non-profit leaders, and policy officials huddle—sometimes together, sometimes separately—to consider best practices and greatest impact. They ask questions like “How can we reach all students? How can we prepare for them for… Read More ›
Critical Civic Inquiry: Students Master Academic Content through Action Research Projects
When I was starting out as a youth worker in San Francisco’s Mission District in the 1990s, I saw powerful examples of multiracial youth organizing: young people, often working with young adults, investigate damaging or unjust education policies, develop promising solutions, and press for policy change in their schools and communities. These groups are not… Read More ›
Linking Equity to Practice: A User-Friendly Tool to Document How Educators Center Students
Research is a tool that can be used to deepen our understanding about getting to equity. Although researchers are often thought of as academics squirreled away at universities or research centers, teachers should also take on research as part of their responsibility to advance equity in schools. Research can often be most impactful when it… Read More ›
Awareness, Knowledge, Action: One Middle-School Classroom’s Journey to Empowerment
College pennants hang on the walls of a charter middle school and shout the names of academic institutions far from this western US city. “HARVARD,” one reads in big, block letters. “MICHIGAN,” “TEXAS,” “WILLIAM & MARY.* The charter school has gone all-in on college. Students start the day by gathering in a large room the… Read More ›