New Report from Aurora Institute Charts Path for Education Leaders Centering School Redesign Around Learner Agency

Washington D.C. (Nov. 3, 2021) – Today, the Aurora Institute (@Aurora_Inst) released Agency by Design: Making Learning Engaging, a new report offering guidance – including practical advice – to education leaders and teachers in reimagining education by centering on learner agency, shifting the ownership of learning, and increasing student engagement.

The global COVID-19 pandemic pulled back the curtain on the growing need for greater student agency and student engagement. As we rethink the future of education in a post-pandemic world, learner agency must be at the center of new designs and learning models so that we can support students anytime, anyplace, and at any pace.

In Agency by Design: Making Learning Engaging, authors Derek Wenmoth, Marsha Jones, and Joseph DiMartino provide clarity around the definition and meaning of learner agency and address the implications for high-quality practices in new learning models.

“The pandemic has emphasized the need for students to have voice and choice in how and where they learn. Students need to be actively involved in building their learning path and not passive recipients of content,” said Susan Patrick, President and CEO of the Aurora Institute. “This report equips educators and school leaders with the guidance they need to empower students, engage students authentically in taking action in the learning process, and develop skills for lifelong learning.”

For more information, please contact the Aurora Institute ([email protected]). 

About the Aurora Institute: Aurora’s mission is to drive the transformation of education systems and accelerate the advancement of breakthrough policies and practices to ensure high-quality learning for all. Aurora is shaping the future of teaching and learning for more than 14 million students through its work in policy advocacy, research, and field-building/convening. We work on systems change in K-12 education, identify root causes in structures, promote best practices, examine policy barriers, and make recommendations for change. Aurora has a national and global view of education innovation and lifts up promising policies and practices that yield improved outcomes for students. Aurora envisions a world where all people are empowered to attain the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to achieve success, contribute to their communities, and advance society. For more information visit www.aurora-institute.org.