Student-Centered Learning: Functional Requirements for Integrated Systems to Optimize Learning
This paper illustrates the technical requirements and functionalities that learning management systems need to shift toward student-centered instructional models. This comprehensive framework will help districts and schools determine what systems to use as they begin their journey toward student-centered learning, as well as how systems integration aligns with their organizational vision, educational goals and strategic plans.… Read More ›
Putting it Back Together Again: Reframing Education Using a Core Story Approach
This memo describes the research conducted on current public understanding of education and lays out a new storyline that can better motivate members of the public to become involved in education reform, supporting student-centered approaches to learning. It outlines the default cultural models the public holds regarding key aspects of education such as the education… Read More ›
The Brainwaves Video Anthology
This video anthology is produced and filmed by Bob Greenberg. The Brainwaves series contains short videos (5-10 minutes long) on ideas and topics of education relevant to student-centered learning in the 21st century. Source Organization: Brainwaves Video Anthology Visit the Resource
Building Consensus and Momentum: A Policy and Political Landscape for K-12 Competency Education
This report by KnowledgeWorks’, with support from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, addresses three policy areas to focus on in building an educational system that supports competency education. By focusing on these areas, states would be given the flexibility needed to innovate, evaluate, and build systems that positively impact student achievement. Competency education cannot be… Read More ›
Telling Stories Out of School: Reframing the Education Conversation Through a Core Story Approach
This toolkit is designed to help leading voices in the education sector to build support and cultivate demand for an excellent public school system by building public understanding of issues such as assessment, instruction, and systemic supports and reforms. This set of materials is intended to support communicators in explaining many of the central issues… Read More ›
The Deeper Learning Planning Guide
This tool offers practical guidance on the conditions that have to be established for schools to truly change their practices to ensure students leave school with the sophisticated content knowledge and skills needed to be critical thinkers, problem-solvers, collaborators, and communicators. The Planning Guide is designed to be a resource and tool that can be… Read More ›
Teaching ELA: Evidence & Arguments Series
This video series highlights a student-centered approach to teaching the ELA core standard “Evidence and Arguments.” Three videos follow the lesson planning, teaching, and post-analysis. The lesson includes many ways to experience a text through close reading, group work, group feedback, a Socratic discussion, and writing a persuasive blog post. An experienced teacher discusses the… Read More ›
OER Commons
This website, Open Education Resource (OER) Commons, is a database of over 50,000 open educational resources and free digital content tools including lesson plans, electronic textbooks, and interactive mini lessons. The database is searchable by subject, grade, and material type. Each entry includes clear terms of use and access to the alignment tool to evaluate… Read More ›
Youth On Board
This website, a program of YouthBuild USA, facilitates/co-facilitates a number of groups to develop young leaders and give them a voice in education reform. Of note, the Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC) involves representatives from each local high school in decision-making at Boston Public Schools, addressing issues such as small school design, school safety, graduation… Read More ›
Young Voices
This website works to empower low-income urban youth to become leaders in communities across Rhode Island, advocating for policy changes. At the district and local levels students conduct research, make policy recommendations, and work with school leaders to increase graduation and attendance rates. At the state-level youth have testified at hearings on state education funding… Read More ›
Student Voice Rubric
This rubric is designed to help schools assess their inclusion of student voices in six key areas such as school governance and classroom culture. It also helps schools think through the qualities of student voices, including real leadership roles and appealing to students’ interests. The tool is the culmination of one year of research by… Read More ›
Competency Education: Frequently Asked Parent Questions
In this short article, the principal of a school that has been using competency-based education and assessment for five years shares their answers to several questions parents often ask. It includes a basic overview of the ways in which competency-based assessment differs from a more traditional educational approach. It also clarifies the use of reassessment… Read More ›