Kids Need More Personalized Learning to Keep Them in School
This article was originally posted in Youth Today on April 11, 2018 I recently reconnected with two of my best and brightest former fifth-grade students; let’s call them Maya and Avery. While I have kept up with them via social media, I have not seen them in more than 10 years. Both women are now… Read More ›
Flex Time: Schools Break Out of Scheduling Ruts to Improve Learning for Students, teachers
This resource highlights the importance of tailoring time to students’ needs and using flex time as a key component of personalized learning. Adapting to students and teachers’ schedules can help schools plan, collaborate and develop professional learning for the courses and classroom. This tool can help educators to build in more flexibility and allow for less… Read More ›
Supporting Teacher Leadership in Rhode Island
When I was a 2nd grade teacher at Joseph A. Hardin Elementary School in New Orleans, I had the privilege of working with many amazing educators in my school. We shared strategies for engaging our students, for teaching reading, and best practices for reaching out to our students’ families. At times, these discussions ranged beyond… Read More ›
Innovative Assessments: Widening the Horizon
In this blog article, the Innovation Program Manager at The Council of Chief State School Officers explores the opportunities under ESSA for states to innovate their assessment programs. In particular the author looks at innovations in summative assessments such as the use of performance assessments as part of a state’s summative assessment system and the establishment… Read More ›
How Closing My Competency-based School Led to Learning What Works
This article was originally posted in Youth Today on March 15, 2018 I closed the doors to Missouri’s first competency-based high school after just three years. Our school, based in St. Louis and on the campus of the city’s technical college, served young people ages 17-21 who wanted to finish high school but couldn’t succeed… Read More ›
Frequently Asked Questions About Competency-Based Education
This resource was designed to help district and school leaders communicate effectively about personalized learning with a variety of stake holders in many different settings. It provides answers in plain language to a a list of commonly asked questions such as: Will students spend their whole day on a tablet or computer? What role does… 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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
Visioning Toolkit: Laying the Groundwork for a Community-Wide Vision for Personalized Learning
In this toolkit you’ll find the following resources to help you begin and sustain the work of implementing personalized learning: Guidance on crafting a system-wide vision for personalized learning, incorporating diverse stakeholder voices Questions and considerations for finding the right people to champion the work of personalizing learning Direction on how to identify factors that may impact… Read More ›
Key Teaching and Learning Shifts for Personalized Learning: Preparing for Success
This webinar recording focuses on the key teaching and learning shifts that occur in successful personalized learning settings over time from the perspective of students, teachers, and district and building leaders. It includes a discussion of the specific skills teachers and students use in many personalized learning settings, the key shifts in instructional planning and… Read More ›
Owning His Learning and His Future: Taliq Tillman’s Student-Owned Learning Experience
Originally posted on October 18, 2017 for Youth Today I met Arthur 10 years ago at a principals’ convening. That night, Arthur and I talked about how to make students’ learning memorable and meaningful. Today, Arthur is one of our inaugural Students at the Center Distinguished Fellows. He is now a veteran school leader at… Read More ›