Resources to help educators and leaders implement personalized, competency-based learning were valuable to you this year. But it takes systemic shifts to be able to do that and mindsets shifts to get others on board for the transformation journey. Here are the top 10 resources from 2024. Knowing this can help us bring you what you find useful in 2025.
Personalized, competency-based learning needs student-centered classroom management. Here’s why.
We interviewed 10 different education leaders about the relationship between school discipline, classroom management and personalized, competency-based learning. The result? A list of nine essential components to guide student-centered classroom management practices in your school district, school or classroom. Read now »
Envisioning Educator Roles for Transformation
In this publication, KnowledgeWorks looks ahead 10 years to imagine future educator roles that help education systems support all students. Explore eight potential educator roles and a template to help your learning community create your own future educator roles. Read now »
Shifting the Thinking to Learners with Authentic Voice and Choice
Authentic student voice and choice is more than offering choice board or playlists. It’s about helping students understand themselves as learners, how to make choices and how to advocate for what they need. Here are ways to get started. Read now »
What a Portrait of a Graduate Is – and How You Can Operationalize Them
What we mean when we say Portrait of a Graduate? Here are five ways learning communities are making their Portraits a part of the way they do business. Read now »
From Theory to Practice: Cross-State Themes in Student-Centered Systems Change
This comprehensive cross-state research analysis examines the implementation of personalized, competency-based learning in Arizona, North Dakota, Ohio and South Carolina with valuable insights for education leaders, policymakers, researchers and funders navigating the complexities of education systems transformation. Read now »
The Skills and Mindsets of Transformational Leadership
What does it take to develop the capacity of education leaders to support systems-level change? To find out, a group of educators are collaborating to create the Portrait of a Leader, a framework that shows what skills and mindsets student-centered education leaders need. Read now »
A Systemic Shift to Standards-based Grading
To change a district’s grading practice requires a fundamental shift in thinking about student work, grading and assessment at every level of the institution. Get the core characteristics of a school community for systems change, the essentials of a standards-based grading manual, a sample manual and a sample implementation timeline. Read now »
How Personalized Learning Practices Impact Chronic Absenteeism
In South Carolina, students in districts with a more traditional approach to education are nearly 4% more likely to be chronically absent than students in personalized, competency-based learning districts. South Carolina’s Lexington 3 district focuses on building relationships to help prevent absenteeism, fostering a sense of belonging through student ownership and agency. Read now »
Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence in Education
A conversation with Steve Nordmark reveals that for generative AI, there seems to be two major chunks of opportunity: one associated with teacher productivity and creativity and the other being student tutors. We should start thinking, Nordmark says, about AI not serving as a solution but as an accelerator of systems transformation. It will also accelerate concern about what is “truth.” Read now »
Why It’s Important to Align Your Master Schedule to Your Vision
Get tips for how learning communities can rethink their use of time in service of their vision for teaching and learning and how some are already doing it. Read now »
