Most Likely To Succeed Videos and Prompts

The film Most Likely To Succeed (MLTS) has been used by many communities as a catalyst for discussion about the future of education in their community. After receiving ideas and feedback from viewers, the developers have used clips from the film to create a series of prompts to help school communities delve further into the… Read More ›

Going Back to School with the 2016 EdSurge Fifty States Project

This tool, an EdSurge initiative, features articles written by educators and to showcase how they support learning by using technology. During 2016, EdSurge collected stories written by teachers, edtech coordinators, librarians, superintendents, and others from all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Articles are written for fellow educators and organized into four… Read More ›

District Conditions for Scale: A Practical Guide for Scaling Personalized Learning

In this toolkit by KnowledgeWorks the authors begin to explore how to move from isolated school models of student-centered learning to whole systems designed around personalized learning. Researchers at KnowledgeWorks examined existing research in the field and conducted primary research through interviews of more than 30 district superintendents and leadership teams from across the country… Read More ›

Putting Students at the Center: Research Shows Student-Centered Approaches Result in Achievement and Engagement

This article, written by President and CEO of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF), Nicholas C. Donohue, discusses the positive impact of student-centered learning practices on the achievement gap. He reviews several studies of school programs that show students in learner-centered classrooms outperform their peers in more traditional school settings; with the highest gains occurring… Read More ›

Blended Learning Magnifies a Teacher’s Power

In this article, Cindy Elsberry, the former superintendent of Horry County Schools in South Carolina, a high-poverty district which won national acclaim for its digital transformation, discusses the importance of blended learning. First, she outlines the six main types of blended learning models used to combine online learning with direct instruction to create a personalized… Read More ›

How One District Improved Its Personalized Learning by Failing Forward

In this article, a professional development provider working with teachers at the Ben Davis Extended Day (BDED) blended learning program at Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township, Indiana, describes her experience working with teachers in a dynamic new way. Michele Eaton, the author, applauds the mindset of the teachers who when presented with the failure of a… Read More ›

School Redesign in Action Conference

The 8th annual School Redesign in Action conference will be held on March 27 & 28, 2017 in Hartford, CT. The School Redesign in Action conference is the New England Secondary School Consortium’s annual conference for educators and stakeholders to share success stories, exchange best practices, and continue to build momentum and public support for… Read More ›

Reaching the Tipping Point: Insights on Advancing Competency Education in New England

This paper explores K-12 competency-based education policy and practice across six New England states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It examines the core concepts of competency education, detailing the limitations of the traditional system, and outlining how competency education is designed explicitly for equity and student success. Next, the author addresses… Read More ›

Online Learning Day: 8 Trends Improving Student Options

This article begins with a brief overview of the types of online learning available in states across the country as well as the reasons full and part-time online learning can provide a learning pathway for certain student populations not well-served in traditional school settings. The article outlines eight positive trends in online learning. These include… Read More ›

Maine Voices: Casco Bay High Shines as Joyful Example of Learning’s Expedition

In this post, Derek Pierce, Principal of Casco Bay High School in Portland, Maine writes about his school’s student-centered program and the state’s transition to a proficiency-based model for all schools. Casco Bay High School embraces a competency-based learning environment focused on interdisciplinary group projects. This model school continues to achieve a high retention and… Read More ›

Investing in Shared Leadership

This post is part of a series of posts related to the 2015 report, Implementing Competency Education in K-12 Systems: Insights from Local Leaders, which looks at implementation strategies districts are using to convert traditional education systems into environments for dynamic personalized learning. This post looks at the need for superintendents and principals to develop collaborative… Read More ›