A new approach in Texas, redesigning 9th grade, setting PL wheels in motion, and district videos from our PL summit
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The PL Summit may be over, but the good feelings continue! Thank you to everyone who joined us in SF at the beginning of May for our Personalized Learning Summit. This year we gave out awards to three outstanding districts; please join us in congratulating them:
Commitment to Diverse Learning Environments Award - Kenai Peninsula Borough School District
The Passion for Personalized Learning Award - School District 197
Moving Beyond the Technology Award - Putnam County School District
Here are the videos from 4 amazing districts that we showcased during the Summit:
Want to be in the know about our Personalized Learning Summit 2019? Join our email list and stay informed!
ON OUR MINDS
Defining Success at Fulton
There are more ways to tell a story than there are to bake a cake. After reading a recent article which downplayed the success of personalized learning at Fulton County Schools, we felt compelled to share another perspective. Fulton leaders and teachers have incorporated research-based personalized learning strategies to improve student outcomes, and the proof is in the pudding. The district team is monitoring early indicators, including student engagement and changes in teacher practice. For the earliest adopters of PL in the district, state benchmark test scores are up. Education Elements is proud of the hard work and dedication of the Fulton County Schools team to meet the needs of every student.
Redesigning the 9th Grade Experience
The leadership team at Bulkeley High School in Hartford Public Schools has been working alongside Education Elements to redesign the 9th grade experience for the graduating class of 2022. The data backs up their why: 1) incoming freshmen show literacy and mathematical levels years below grade level; 2) the bulk of disciplinary referrals generate from the 9th grade causing chronic absences. During the month of May, the leadership, teachers, and support staff for the incoming 9th graders spent time using the design process of Odyssey Mapping to identify what instructional moves they want to change in the future. They worked with the driving question, “How might we rethink the instructional moves for student-centered learning environments?” Through reflection, discussion, and exploration, the ninth grade team was able to walk away with initial plans for their instructional time.
Setting the Personalized Learning Wheels in Motion
Are you a school or district leader who wants to personalize learning for students, but feel unable to get the wheels in motion? Maybe you can relate to some of these realities: “Our staff is invested, but we don’t have a plan,” or “We want to personalize for our students but don’t know where to start,” or “We want to move toward deeper personalization but need low cost guidance”.
This is why the team at Education Elements created the Personalized Learning Design and Launch Kit. The “kit” is a plan and set of resources that help district leaders, school leaders, and teachers learn about, design, implement, and improve personalized learning. It helps teams to build alignment around the purpose for PL in your school or district. It facilitates learning and concrete action through a collection of workshops and resources – built with our experience in over 100 districts and 600 schools.
Is Marketing Your School or District a Thing? Part 1: Branding
By Yosr Najjar It is important for schools and districts to remember that in our ever-evolving world, they now need to compete for students, administrative and teaching talents, and community perception. Like other competitive organizations, schools need to set themselves apart from other schools in the country.
Million Dollar Advice: It’s Worth it When You Want To Change Your District
By Amy Jenkins & Nikki Mitchell There are even more ways to tell a story than there are to bake a cake.
Arecent article in Edsurgetold a story about million dollar consultants (us) and some of the districts we support in their efforts to transform teaching and learning through personalization (including Charleston County SC and Fulton County GA). It was one version of the story, with one set of facts and data, and we’d like to take this opportunity to re-tell that story in a way we feel more accurately captures the work, and accomplishments, of those districts, as well as others across the country.