CBE 360 Survey Toolkit
Competency-based education (CBE) allows students to master skills and knowledge at their own pace. This toolkit, developed by American Institutes for Research (AIR) features surveys from a recent AIR CBE study which schools can administer to gain a comprehensive picture of CBE implementation in six research-based core areas: learning targets, measurement of learning, instructional approaches and supports,… Read More ›
Behavior Management Tools Might Not Be Best for Student-Centered Learning
This blog is the first in a series on the practical side of cultivating student ownership of learning, produced by JFF’s Student-Centered Learning Research Collaborative. High-quality learning is often messy. It can be noisy and nonlinear and full of surprises. That may be why many of us seek to control it. We establish rules, plans,… Read More ›
Pioneering the New Way of Learning: Learner Agency and Opportunity
This article introduces a framework that explores learner agency and student motivation. The article is written by two students from the Leadership Board of GripTape, a youth-led organization that works to build a network and share the message that all youth have the potential and capacity to learn anything they want. The framework discusses the factors… Read More ›
The Role of Noncognitive Factors in Student Success
This short research brief and accompanying video, produced by the UChicago Consortium on School Research, highlight some of the big ideas from their research on noncognitive factors. It outlines the importance of the following five factors to student success in the classroom and beyond and examines the importance of student’s environments in the development of these factors… Read More ›
How Maker Mindsets Can Be An Easy Fit For Rural Schools
This article explores how rural schools are adapting to the maker movement in ways that are unique to their rural environments. The blog highlights maker projects – like building air sensors to help assess and ultimately alleviate air pollution in a town in rural Montana–that can be adapted in other schools, or used to spark… Read More ›
How to Artfully Enroll Parents in Learner-Centered Transformation
This article from the Principal of Red Bank Elementary School in South Carolina, shares successes and failures the school faced while building family support for student-centered changes. The author asserts that for successful school transformation, parents must be “artfully enrolled” in the process. This began with challenging parents to grapple with tough questions about traditional schooling.… Read More ›
Digital Promise Research Map
This database managed by Digital Promise brings together thousands of research articles on key education practices. The database is searchable and organized to allow the user to see relationships between topics and subtopics. The database includes student-centered learning topics such as: Student motivation, Cognition and learning Online learning The website features an “Ask A Researcher” section… Read More ›
How to Combine Rigor with Engagement
This article, written by two prominent researchers in the deeper learning world, offers solutions and strategies to the question “How do we go beyond basic skills and infuse instruction with opportunities for authentic investigations and risk taking?” The article highlights that many teachers are yearning to infuse their classrooms with greater rigor and vitality. Based… Read More ›
To Engage Students and Teachers, Treat Core Subjects Like Extracurriculars
This article shares varied examples from schools across the country that have implemented a project-based learning model in which core classes mimic extracurricular projects and activities. Researchers Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine have been observing school systems over six years to try to understand what promotes deeper learning. They found that in many school environments students were… Read More ›
Innovating School: A Denver High School’s Journey Towards Personalized Learning
Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design (DSISD) is an innovative competency-based school founded in 2015 with a mission to support and grow young people as future innovators and leaders. This case study provides a peek into the day-to-day experiences of students in this unique learning environment and describes the design phase, vision of the… Read More ›
Five Resources to Help You Learn About Social-Emotional Learning in the Classroom
In this article, Kate Westrich from KnowledgeWorks shares five resources on social-emotional learning. She suggests watching or reading the resources together to gain background, and provides short descriptions of how each resource can benefit the reader: Social-Emotional Learning: What It Is and Why It Matters “When Social and Emotional Learning Is Key to College Success” Spring… Read More ›
Atlanta Educators Reflect on Lessons From Personalized Learning Initiative
This article shares the experiences of educators implementing personalized learning in Fulton County School District in Georgia. It explores the teacher’s five-year journey to find the approach to personalization that worked for them and their students. Key lessons learned include: The importance of support for teachers throughout implementation The need to have a common language around… Read More ›