iNACOL PLUGGED IN | 03.08.2019 – iNACOL Testifies Before Minnesota Senate, Symposium Proposals Due Today

March 8, 2019

iNACOL Plugged In Newsletter

Plugged In
Mar. 8, 2019

iNACOL Policy Team Testifies in Minnesota to Support Competency-Based Education

iNACOL Policy Team and Partners testify at Minnesota Senate in Support of Competency-Based Education

The Minnesota Senate Committee on E-12 Finance and Policy held a hearing this week to consider SF 485, a bill which would specifically and explicitly recognize competency-based education models in Minnesota.

iNACOL Vice President for Federal and State Policy Maria Worthen and Policy Director Natalie Truong testified in favor of the bill, joining the bill’s sponsor, E-12 Finance and Policy Chair Senator Carla Nelson, and representatives from Education Evolving, KnowledgeWorks, and the Minnesota Association of School Administrators. Several school districts implementing competency education also submitted letters of support to the committee. Jason Berg, Executive Director of Educational Services at the Farmington Area Public Schools wrote that personalized, competency-based education “allows districts to make equity our pedagogy.”

The following is an excerpt of testimony that iNACOL Policy Director Natalie Truong and I delivered to the committee:

“Competency-based education systems move away from the traditional seat-time-based, one-size-fits-all model of schooling. Competency-based education models will ensure students are ready for a 21st-century economy and can succeed in college, career and civic life."

iNACOL & Partners Discuss Leading the Field of Personalized Learning at SXSW EDU

iNACOL President & CEO Susan Patrick joined Dana Borrelli-Murray of Highlander Institute, Elisabeth Stock of PowerMyLearning, and Beth Rabbitt of The Learning Accelerator for “CEO State of Play in Personalized Learning” at the ninth annual SXSW EDU in Austin, Texas, this week. Together on Wednesday, they shared insights from building the fast-growing field, including the challenges and opportunities embedded in defining personalized learning, the spread of new learning models across the nation, and what lies ahead. The following quotes are highlights of the discussion, courtesy of our partners at New Profit Inc., and other friends engaged in the conversation.

Reminders

Today Is the Deadline to Submit a Proposal to Present at the 2019 iNACOL Symposium

Tonight at 11:59 p.m., the Request for Proposals for the iNACOL Symposium will close. You have just a few remaining hours to add your proposal for consideration. Please visit our RFP site for instructions and to submit. This year's Symposium will be held at the Palm Springs Convention Center in Palm Springs, California, on October 28-31, 2019. The theme is: Shining a Light on the Future of Learning. For tips on submitting your presentation proposal, we have an archived webinar that explains the process and timeline for proposal selection, and highlights ways to design interactive sessions that generate meaningful collaboration and foster engagement. In addition, this recently posted blog answers frequently asked questions about the Symposium and the RFP process.

SUBMIT

Capitol Hill Forum on Competency-Based Education Set for March 22, 2019

Join us on Friday, March 22nd, for a Capitol Hill forum, Competency-Based Education: Promising Policies and Practices for the Future of K-12 Education. Presenters include:

Susan Patrick, President & CEO, iNACOL
Maria Worthen, Vice President for Federal & State Policy, iNACOL
Bill Zima, Superintendent of Schools, Regional School Unit 2,
Kelly Brady, Director, Instructional Support for Student-Centered Learning, Idaho State Department of Education
Latoya Dixon, Director, Office of School Transformation, South Carolina Department of Education
Virgel Hammonds, Chief Learning Officer, KnowledgeWorks

New from iNACOL's Blog: Education Domain

Lessons from South Carolina and Utah on Funding Innovation in Education

As states, districts and schools around the nation begin redesigning education systems that to better support students to thrive in the future, they are naturally operating in different landscapes to launch their work from different entry points.

One issue that several states contend with is how to fund their transformation efforts. In our recent issue brief, State Funding Strategies to Support Education Innovation, we described the work underway in South Carolina and Utah, two states leading the nation in developing future-focused, student-centered learning environments.

- Maria Worthen and Natalie Truong

Lessons from South Carolina and Utah on Funding Innovation in Education

Considering Equity in Education During Black History Month

As we come to terms with how rapidly the world is changing around us and as we recognize that our country’s economic, political and civic engines depend on strong, adaptable and capable citizens, we must ask whether our education system is fit for the purpose of preparing all our students for the future, or whether we are satisfied to continue reinforcing those structures and elements that leave learners of color disadvantaged, disenfranchised and in deficit mode.

- Ashley Jones

Future-Focused Education Innovations: Insights from Global Leaders

The New Zealand Education system’s vision is described as a “highly connected, interdependent education system that equips students with skills for the future, fosters students’ identity, language and culture, and prepares students to participate as successful citizens in the 21st century.” iNACOL hosted a webinar with education leaders from New Zealand to discuss the future trends in global systems, further explore deeper learning and learn about the CORE Education Positioning System (EPS).

WATCH

BONUS: Wrap-Up on the New Zealand Series

Plugged In Headlines: News about Education Transformation

3 Myths of Personalized Learning
Andrew Miller, Edutopia

Linda Darling-Hammond at City Club Cleveland
The City Club of Cleveland

This Educator’s Philosophy Is Anything But Textbook
Micah Materre, WGN

Report Finds $23 Billion Racial Funding Gap for Schools
Laura Meckler, Washington Post

NYC Schools Using 'Mastery-Based' Learning Also Support Integration Goals
Amadou Diallo, WNYC News

3 Critical Conversations We Must Have Around the Future of Personalized Learning: Equity, Technology & Balancing Individual vs. Collective Learning Experiences
Beth Rabbitt, The 74

(NM) Public Education Department Plans to Scrap A-F Grading System
Dillon Mullan, Santa Fe New Mexican

Why Education Needs a 'Whole Child' Approach
James Comer and Linda Darling-Hammond, Governing

Rubin — A Personalized Approach to Personalized Learning: How This 5-Step Pathway Is Helping School and Districts Experiment the Smart Way
Shawn Rubin, The 74

MSU, State Partner to Study Competency-Based Education
Katharine Strunk, MSU Today

iNACOL in the News

Taking Personalized Learning to Scale
iNACOL defines personalized learning as “tailoring learning for each student’s strength, needs, and interests—including enabling student’s voice and choice in what, how, when and where they learn...Read More.

Analysis — The Future of School Governance: How Will Innovative Education Systems Balance a Need for Experimentation With a Parent’s Right to Make Informed Choices?
For advanced thinking on measurement issues in a nimble education system, see iNACOL’s recent report, Fit for Purpose: Taking the Long View on Systems Change and Policy to Support Competency Education...Read More.

Patrick — Personalized Learning on the Rise: What I’ve Learned After Visiting 80 Schools Where Teachers and Principals Are Rethinking Their Classroom Culture
I regularly visit schools as part of my work at iNACOL, but over the past two years, my 80-plus visits have been part of an investigation on the transformation of instructional practices toward personalized learning...Read More.

SAVE THE DATE

Policy

The iNACOL Center for Policy Advocacy leads the multi-stage evolution of policy necessary for the growth of effective personalized learning models toward the goals of high quality, equity, access and dramatically improving student learning to close the achievement gap and ensure every student has access to high-quality, world-class learning opportunities.

CompetencyWorks

CompetencyWorks is an online resource dedicated to competency education in K-12 education. CompetencyWorks shares original research, knowledge and a variety of perspectives through an informative blog with practitioner knowledge, policy advancements, papers on emerging issues and a wiki with resources curated from across the field. Bookmark this resource and check often for frequent updates.

Resources

Working collaboratively with diverse experts in the field, iNACOL produces reports, books, policy briefs, blog posts, webinars and related resources on key topics and tough issues that equip and empower educators and leaders to catalyze and scale personalized, next generation learning models. Use our web-based library to freely access and share materials.


iNACOL.org \| Contact

The mission of iNACOL is to drive the transformation of education systems and accelerate the advancement of breakthrough policies and practices to ensure high-quality learning for all.

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