Education in the Balance: Tensions Affecting Education’s Future

strained systems

Education leaders at all levels need to grapple with key issues and tensions as they strive to meet learners’ needs, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to understand how to support and empower school systems in tumultuous times, we explore three topics in the series Education in the Balance: Tensions Affecting Education’s Futures: leadership… Read More ›

A Need to Evolve: The Impact of Strained Education Systems

strained systems

Education systems’ capacity to address the complex problems they face is limited. Will new approaches and funding address looming challenges? Or will systems continue to rely on inadequate approaches and structures? KnowledgeWorks’ Lillian Pace, vice president of policy and advocacy, and Rita Pello, program manager for impact and improvement, join Jason Swanson, director of strategic foresight, to… Read More ›

Greater Cincinnati Remake Learning Days

Remake Learning Days logo

Remake Learning Days Across America is an innovative learning festival for families and youth. Taking root in more than 17 regions, these hands-on and engaging events are designed for kids of all ages at libraries, schools, tech centers, museums, play spaces, community centers and more. KnowledgeWorks and the Catalytic Fund are excited to be sponsoring Greater Cincinnati Remake… Read More ›

Maintaining an Equity Focus During the COVID-19 Pandemic

maintaining an equity focus

Principal Arria Coburn and classroom teacher, Ellen Foley, sat down with us to reflect and discuss what it’s been like to keep schools and classrooms student-centered and focused on producing and sustaining equitable outcomes. Arria Coburn is a principal of the Springfield Renaissance School, a 6-12 EL Education School in Springfield, Massachusetts. She’s serving her… Read More ›

How Our School Shared Student-Centered Learning With Families

STEAM

Over the past four years, the Winship School’s instructional focus has been to create student-centered learning environments for all students, all the time. This focus has been a major driver of our school’s success. As a result of this intentional focus and our aligned efforts, we were able to enhance our capacity to meet students’ academic,… Read More ›

Guidance on Culturally Responsive Remote Education

As millions of students across the United States transition into remote learning, now is the time to critically engage the systems we’ve set up to implement these online educational opportunities. Given how this pandemic is exacerbating pre-existing vulnerabilities in our communities, it’s critical that we establish systems capable of reducing rather than widening educational inequities. To… Read More ›

The Critical Importance of Youth-Led Research

youth researcher with colleagues

Youth-led research plays a critical role in advancing student-centered education. It provides the opportunity to elevate student voice and transform an inequitable education system. Research, at its most powerful, combines methodological rigor with the openness to inquire from our lived experiences. Inhabiting this vulnerable place is necessary to provoke us to venture into uncomfortable spaces… Read More ›

Lesson Study: Resources for Administrators, Educators and Guardians

lesson study online

In order to improve student learning, teachers need opportunities to observe and discuss instruction. Lesson study provides a structure for teachers to collaborate around pressing problems of practice and to engage in cycles of inquiry to explore the intersection of pedagogy and student learning. School Administrators Are you a school leader or department head who wants a… Read More ›

Diversity Talks

Diversity Talks is a Rhode Island organization dedicated to bringing students to the forefront of conversations about race and equity. This group, founded by two students and a teacher, trains students to lead teacher professional development around race and diversity. The founders believe that to help schools address issues of inequality in education, students’ own voices… Read More ›

Tools for Scaling Best Practices: Windows, Bridges and Roadmaps

Our last two articles (here and here) explored the scaling of Work-Study Practices (WSPs, a.k.a., deeper learning competencies) in New Hampshire, the growth of this education innovation in the state and the role of a statewide, nonprofit intermediary, the New Hampshire Learning Initiative (NHLI) as a scaling agent. There is another driver of scale observed… Read More ›

Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships

This tool is an update of the groundbreaking framework for family-school partnerships, designed in 2014 by researcher and family engagement expert Karen Mapp, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education and the Southwest Educational Development Lab. The revisions were made after several years of research which point to the pivotal role of trust in… Read More ›