Students LEAD

This online course was designed for high school students by the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at NC State University to help them understand and advocate for their own learning needs.  Specifically, the course will help students: Understand their own learning and learning differences Develop and apply strategies to strengthen their own learning Gain strategies for… Read More ›

Playing Games with Formative Assessment

This article in Education Leadership looks at ways teachers can use games to conduct formative assessment. The article discusses the difference between as well as the benefits of two instructional approaches: game-based learning and gamified instruction. It provides several classroom examples of how to use games to measure student’s learning progress. This article provides a list… Read More ›

Kettle Moraine’s Approach to Personalized Learning

This series of articles provides an in-depth look at how personalization works in Kettle Moraine School District in Wisconsin. Articles cover the history of the shift to personalized learning in the district, pillars of teaching and learning, professional development for teachers, and distributed leadership, amongst other topics. Read all together, these articles provide a look… Read More ›

Why Seeking Purpose Matters for Opportunity Youth

This piece, originally posted in September 2016, remains relevant to the conversation about  non-IQ competencies such as self-regulation and “grit”. The intersection of “grit” and equity remains an opportunity for further discussion and analysis. I recently read an article in The New York Times by Angela Duckworth entitled Graduating and Looking for Your Passion: Just… Read More ›

ESSA and Personalized Learning: State by State

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides states with significant flexibility to advance personalized learning and improve equitable outcomes for students. This resource highlights emerging ideas as states leverage this flexibility through their implementation plans. The interactive map shows states that have released their plans for public comment and provides a summary of the personalized… Read More ›

Disengagement Problems Disguised as Discipline Problems

In this article, a long-time principal discusses her school’s work to decrease behavior incidents by increasing student engagement. The school created an Incident Reduction Plan which included efforts to deescalate incidents as well identify and change punitive policies and practices that inadvertently contributed to incidents. The staff recognized that many incidents were the result of… Read More ›

High Tech High Network Profile

At High Tech High schools in San Diego, students are evaluated on mastery of content-not time spent in class. Students engage in multi-disciplinary and field-based learning opportunities to build skills like critical thinking, problem solving and communication. Each teacher works to develop a personalized school culture, which is supported externally by a network of community… Read More ›

Building a High-Quality System of Assessments to Advance Deeper Learning

Originally posted on February 1, 2018 as a Learning Deeply Blog for Edweek Are today’s students terribly over-tested, as many educators and observers argue—or, is it actually possible they’re not tested enough? This issue has been debated for decades. Finally, there’s an answer that makes sense, and it’s gaining ground across the country. Schools, students,… Read More ›

State Strategies to Develop Teacher Capacity for Personalized, Competency-Based Learning

This issue brief outlines state policy recommendations and action steps to modernize educator preparation and development systems to bring student-centered learning environments to scale. To transform the K-12 education system, states must build teacher capacity for personalized, competency-based education. This brief highlights four strategies for states and school districts to prepare teachers with the skills… Read More ›

Education Week Spotlight on Formative Assessment

This collection of articles was selected by the Education Week editors to provide a range of insights on Formative Assessment. The articles cover topics such as: Improving on-the-spot assessments and instructional decisions in the classroom Creating opportunities for students to self-assess Using students’ formative data to create a dynamic learning environment How students can show evidence of learning Read… Read More ›

10 Principles for Building a High-quality System of Assessments

The Ten Principles for Building a High-Quality System of Assessments, a collaborative effort led by Jobs for the Future (JFF), and endorsed by 19 organizations and experts from education, research, workforce, and policy fields, provides a comprehensive roadmap for school leaders to improve current assessments and systems, focus on equity, and develop a learner’s academic proficiency, career skills, and civic aptitude. Ten Principles… Read More ›

Student-centered Learning Reflects Science of Learning for All Youth

Originally posted in Youth Today My 6-year-old is obsessed with baseball stadiums. All summer his attention was captured by stadium history, especially for our local team the St. Louis Cardinals. Every day this summer, he constructed stadiums from magnet tiles and blocks. Before bed, he gave me tours of his elaborate structures and explained the… Read More ›