A New Home on the Web for the Aurora Institute

We’re delighted to announce the launch of Aurora-Institute.org, the newly designed website of our rebranded organization. The new site continues the rebrand we announced at the 2019 Symposium when we changed our name from iNACOL to the Aurora Institute.

The new site is responsive, fast, and dynamic. It represents a vision born 13 months ago when we assembled a team to re-imagine every facet of our old website and present our information resources in a clearer and more compelling way.

We envisioned a new site that was modern, functional to the field, and illustrative of our mission, vision, and values. Today, we’re proud to offer several new features, including:

• A Brand New Home for the Aurora Institute Symposium. We’ve redesigned our symposium website for new and returning attendees to find the most essential information quickly and easily. You’ll find details regarding presentation opportunities, sponsorship, registration, extended learning opportunities, and a fuller description of the features and structure of the symposium. Our Call for Presentation Proposals is now open. Visit the symposium site to submit.
• Integration of CompetencyWorks. CompetencyWorks.org has been a long-term initiative of our organization but had maintained a separate site since its founding in 2012. Driving K-12 systems change to incorporate competency-based education is at the heart of what we do, so the site has “come home” and is one of the most actively curated pages on the new website. You’re invited to contribute by contacting Aurora Institute Research Director Eliot Levine.
• Interactive Competency-Based Education Policymaking Map. Since 2012, our policy team has tracked state legislation and policymaking that make room for competency-based education; legislation that, for example, creates innovation zones, credit flexibility, or task forces. We update the “Snapshot of K-12 Competency Education State Policy Across the United States” each time there is new legislation or when a state progresses from an emerging level or developing stage. Now the map lives on the site permanently, and visitors can click on individual states to see the legislation or policymaking in use. Visit the Center for Policy to interact with the map.
• Our Focal Areas Explained. We envision 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. We have identified nearly 30 priorities in federal policy, state policy, and K-12 practice that offer important levers for systemic change. They are our issues, and they help us and the field align around shared goals to advance student-centered learning. Each issue contains a description, along with a set of resources that dive deeply into that subject.

In addition, the new site includes:

• A Learn & Network section to showcase our events and webinars and opportunities to become part of our community of 8,500 educators, administrators, practitioners, school and district leaders, advocates, researchers, and policymakers;
• The Education Domain Blog which publishes regular features driving the narrative around K-12 education systems change and the transformation toward student-centered learning;
• Improved search and filtering functionality allowing visitors to find the most relevant blog posts and resources by specific issues in the field.
• Our most Frequently Asked Questions about competency-based learning and education policy;
• Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and a
• Glossary of Terms defining what we mean when we use specific terminology in our publications, events, and resources.

We built Aurora-Institute.org in service to the field of education innovation. As with our name change, we desired a new site that better communicates all of who we are and all of what we do. In keeping with our collaborative spirit, we owe a debt of gratitude to the multiple stakeholders who helped us craft our early vision for the site, including our board members and partners.

We will update the site frequently, so please check back often. Moreover, we value your opinion. We welcome comments and feedback about the new site. Please direct your message to [email protected].

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Andy Schwartz is Vice President of IT and Digital Strategy, and DeQuendre Bertrand is Director of Communications at Aurora Institute.