Quality Counts 2020
Every year, Education Week releases a Quality Counts report which examines state-level efforts to improve public education and pulls together a large number of statistics to create a picture of progress in each state. A National Summary Report and State Highlight Reports rank each state using the Chance-for-Success Index, which looks at 13 family, school,… Read More ›
How Systems of Assessments Aligned with Competency-Based Education Can Support Equity
This report from the Aurora Institute and Center for Assessment looks at ways in which state leaders can build balanced assessment systems that support mastery-based education. In assessment systems aligned with competency education, assessments are coherently linked to target competencies and learning progressions, provide a range of evidence for each student, and monitor progress over… Read More ›
The National Standards for Quality Online Learning
More and more students are taking part in some type of online learning. To guide educators, families, and students, the Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance and Quality Matters have created new national standards for virtual education. This is the first revision of these standards, originally written the Aurora Institute (formerly known as iNACOL), in ten years. … Read More ›
The State Education Agency’s Role in Supporting Equitable Student-Centered Learning
This guide was designed to help state education agencies empower local districts to create student-centered learning environments. State agencies have a large role to play in the transformation process and this tool provides guidance and relevant examples, highlighting ways to gather support for a state-wide vision, align curriculum, assessment and funding policies with practice; and… Read More ›
State Policy Framework for Personalized Learning
This framework will help states and stakeholders define and navigate their pathway from the exploratory phase of system design, where a limited number of districts engage in personalized learning practices, to statewide transformation. The State Policy Framework for Personalized Learning includes: Four strategies for systems design Four core commitments states should be mindful of for quality… Read More ›
From a Nation at Risk to a Nation at Hope
The National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development was created to engage and energize communities in re-envisioning learning to encompass its social, emotional, and cognitive dimensions so that all children can succeed in school, career, and life. This culminating report draws on the information gathered over two years from conversations, meetings, and site visits… Read More ›
What Student-Centered Schools Look Like
This Education Week special report offers practical examples of student-centered strategies to help schools better meet the personal and academic needs of learners. Strategies highlighted include making classroom content more engaging; helping students forge bonds with each other; prioritizing students in the school’s professional development and discipline approaches; supporting students’ lifestyle needs including mealtimes, sleep, and… Read More ›
Moving Toward Mastery: Growing, Developing and Sustaining Educators for Competency-Based Education
Building off examples of effective teaching, professional development and practice across the nation, this CompetencyWorks report explores how communities can work together to prompt and sustain complex systems change. To support a shift to student-centered education systems, the teaching profession must be equity-oriented, learning-centered, and focused on life long learning. This report is a must read… Read More ›
Quality Principles for Competency-Based Education
As states, districts and schools re-design education systems to move from more traditional approaches to a system focused on success for every student, the 16 design principles outlined in this book provide a cohesive framework that offers a set of guideposts for schools and districts. This book will be useful to all district leaders and educators working… Read More ›
Navigating the Future of Learning
Navigating the Future of Learning is a ten-year forecast on the future of learning from KnowledgeWorks. This report presents the ways in which current societal shifts could shape education over the next ten years and beyond. Specifically it looks at the following drivers of change that may impact learning: Automating Choices: Artificial intelligence and algorithms are automating many aspects… Read More ›
Individualized Learning Plans for College and Career Readiness
This report from National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), in partnership with Hobsons, examines how states and schools are using Individual Learning Plans (ILPs). ILPs developed by students in collaboration with educators to support their academic and career futures through goal setting and tracking, are being used in schools around the country. The research summarized… Read More ›
Supporting Youth Organizing: A Tale of Unexpected Insights
This brief, written by Algorhythm and funded by the Nellie Mae Education Foundation, discusses the ways in which grantmakers can effectively support successful youth-adult partnerships. The report presents findings from an evaluation of 8 grantees and synthesizes lessons learned from the foundation’s youth organizing work over five years. Through this report, leaders at other philanthropic organizations interested… Read More ›