Learner Agency: Students Driving their Own Learning

In the past year, more students have engaged in self-directed, independent learning than ever. One organization, Griptape, has been perfecting their approach to cultivating Learner Agency through their work with over 12,000 students during Learning Challenges since 2015.  After completing an application describing their passion project, selected students (teens ages 14-19, most of whom are Read more about Learner Agency: Students Driving their Own Learning[…]

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I-Flex: A New Teaching Modality for Post-Pandemic Recovery

If there is one thing the pandemic has taught us, it is that in-person learning is not the only way to “do” school. During the past year, most districts have experimented with fully Virtual Learning modalities, as well as Hybrid Learning, and some college campuses have also perfected the Hyflex model. Moving into post-COVID recovery, Read more about I-Flex: A New Teaching Modality for Post-Pandemic Recovery[…]

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Young People’s Experiences Navigating the World of Work

A report released by The YES Project at America’s Promise Alliance provides key insights into young people’s conceptions of the changing employment landscape and what it means to be ready for, connected to, and supported within today’s world of work. Drawing from interviews with 65 young people, ages 16-28, who are participants in one of Read more about Young People’s Experiences Navigating the World of Work[…]

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Working to Learn and Learning to Work: A State-by-State Analysis of High School Work-based Learning Policies

Bellwether Education Partners has released a new policy scan titled, “Working to Learning and Learning to Work: A State-by-State Analysis of High School Work-based Learning Policies.” Excerpts from the report appear below:  Work-based learning – including internships, youth and pre-apprenticeships, and cooperative education programs – allows students to gain work experience while in high school. Read more about Working to Learn and Learning to Work: A State-by-State Analysis of High School Work-based Learning Policies[…]

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National Student Support Accelerator Offers Website, Toolkit for High-Impact Tutoring

Launched by a diverse community of education experts and scholars from around the country, the National Student Support Accelerator is building a comprehensive set of tools and resources for tutoring organizations, schools, and districts that will make it possible to implement high-impact tutoring at scale. Research shows that high-impact tutoring — tutoring delivered three or Read more about National Student Support Accelerator Offers Website, Toolkit for High-Impact Tutoring[…]

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Predicting Students’ Academic Trajectory from Third Grade Test Scores

Dan Goldhaber, Malcolm Wolff, and Timothy Daly recently published a CALDER working paper titled, “Assessing the Accuracy of Elementary School Test Scores as Predictors of Students’ High School Outcomes.” They employ datasets from Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Washington to track sixteen cohorts of students from third grade through high school, enabling them to investigate how Read more about Predicting Students’ Academic Trajectory from Third Grade Test Scores[…]

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The effects of social-emotional development on academic achievement

Olivia Piontek of the Fordham Institute recently wrote a piece reviewing the research on the effects of social-emotional development on student academic achievement. Excerpts appear below: Can attending schools that promote social-emotional development boost a student’s chance of postsecondary success? A recent study from researchers at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University suggests that Read more about The effects of social-emotional development on academic achievement[…]

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Six Steps to an Effective Learning Process

Science tells us that learning is not a byproduct of natural intelligence, but a process dependent on skills like focusing and centering your attention, planning and sticking to a program, and tenacity.  The precise process or method used for learning has been shown to consistently predict success. Depending on which learning process students used, scientists Read more about Six Steps to an Effective Learning Process[…]

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Supports for SEL in American Schools and Classrooms: Findings from the American Teacher Panel

Schools across the nation are embracing social and emotional learning (SEL) to help students build skills like setting goals, working together, and making good decisions. But what do teachers think about the SEL-related efforts in their districts and schools? How do they see these efforts affecting their students and themselves? Do they feel they are Read more about Supports for SEL in American Schools and Classrooms: Findings from the American Teacher Panel[…]

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Improving Eligibility Requirements for Dual Enrollment

The College in High School Alliance (CHSA) has released the first in a series of policy snapshots. These resources are designed to explore specific policy issues impacting college in high school programs such as dual enrollment and early college high school. CHSA’s first snapshot concerns Improving Eligibility Requirements for Dual Enrollment Programs. The snapshot provides: Read more about Improving Eligibility Requirements for Dual Enrollment[…]

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The “Gifted Gap” Was Already Growing Before the Pandemic

Writing for the Fordham Institute, Chris Yalumaby reviews the “gifted gap” between low- and high-income students and the compounding effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. Excerpts from the piece appear below: The Covid-19 pandemic has further exposed the inequities that have long existed in the K-12 education system. School closures due to the outbreak are particularly Read more about The “Gifted Gap” Was Already Growing Before the Pandemic[…]

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Do Programs for Advanced Learners Work?

Writing for the Fordham Foundation, Jonathan Plucker reviews the research on programs for advanced learners. Excerpts from the piece appear below: Advanced learning programs are effective, and we have reams of research to support that conclusion. What follows is a rough summary of intervention research, listed from more to less evidence of effectiveness. For the Read more about Do Programs for Advanced Learners Work?[…]

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Why Curriculum Matters

Writing for redefinED, Ashley Berner recently released a four-part series on the power of high-quality curriculum. Excerpts from the first article are below, and links to all four posts appear at the bottom of the page: It is a truth universally acknowledged that high-performing school systems around the world require students to master serious academic Read more about Why Curriculum Matters[…]

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Cleveland Schools Considering ‘Mastery’ Learning Initiative That Would Scrap Grade Levels

Recently The 74 reported on a new initiative in Cleveland designed to confront Coronavirus learning loss by focusing on mastery learning. Excerpts of the piece appear below: A bold proposal in Cleveland could set the tone for how schools around the country could restart in the fall, one that takes into account students’ vastly different Read more about Cleveland Schools Considering ‘Mastery’ Learning Initiative That Would Scrap Grade Levels[…]

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May Issue Brief: Competency-Based Learning

It sounds simple—award credit based on student learning. But as schools grapple with how to determine what students have learned during this period of social distancing and how to award credit for this learning, questions have arisen about the best way to go about implementing competency-based approaches. Complexities related to student grouping, curriculum design, scheduling, Read more about May Issue Brief: Competency-Based Learning[…]

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For Student-Centered Learning to Work, Schools Must Rethink How to Assess Learning and Award Credit

Thomas Arnett, writing for the Christensen Institute, recently reflected on the necessity of mastery-based grading to facilitate personalized learning. Excerpts of the piece appear below: Student-centered learning offers enormous potential to better meet each students’ individual learning needs. By varying the time, place, path, and pace of learning, student-centered learning helps those who struggle, those Read more about For Student-Centered Learning to Work, Schools Must Rethink How to Assess Learning and Award Credit[…]

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