Aurora Institute Symposium 2020 Registration Is Open
Attendee registration is now open for the Aurora Institute Symposium, running October 25-28, 2020, in San Antonio, Texas. This year’s theme is “A New Dawn for Every Learner.”
The Aurora Institute’s Symposium is the field’s largest convening of professionals dedicated to student-centered learning, covering the greatest depth of practice, policy, and research. It is an unrivaled opportunity to meet like-minded professionals and allies, form relationships with others at the front lines of next-generation learning, and add the field’s foremost thought leaders to your professional network.
Innovative educators and experts come together at the Aurora Institute Symposium to learn together, identify solutions to their toughest challenges, and share the latest trends and innovations in future-focused education.
Register to attend the Aurora Institute Symposium by 11:59 p.m. ET on September 9, 2020, to receive special early-bird discounts on attendee registration.
For questions, please contact the Aurora Institute Symposium team. We look forward to seeing you in San Antonio. |
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New Federal and State Policy Priorities
With a goal to ensure our nation’s education system is fit for purpose; oriented for anytime, anywhere learning; and better able to prepare students for the future, we announced a broad-based education policy agenda in Future-Focused State Policy Actions to Transform K-12 Education and Federal Policy Priorities to Accelerate Education Innovation. The briefs offer 15 policy actions, including a special recommendation to ensure continuity of learning—made particularly relevant by the current COVID-19 school closures. Taken together, the policy priorities challenge lawmakers and education decision-makers to wield their influence and take advantage of existing opportunities to disrupt the traditional one-size-fits-all model of K-12 teaching and learning and unleash learning from the confines of place and time. |
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A New Home on the Web
We’re delighted to announce the launch of Aurora-Institute.org, the newly designed website of our rebranded organization. The new site continues the brand transformation 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. Click the button below to read a description of some of the new features and options on the website. |
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| From the Education Domain Blog |
Transforming Virginia K-12 Education for Deeper Learning and Future Readiness
The Aurora Institute 2019 Symposium TED-style keynote address, delivered on October 29th by Virginia State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. James Lane. One of three TED-style talks from school leaders who were transforming learning, Dr. Lane shared how his state shifted culture and built capacity for equitable deeper learning. He also shared the tenets of the Virginia Is for Learners initiative, the work of the state’s innovation networks, and steps other states can take to achieve similar results. View Video |
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2020 Aurora Institute Symposium Planning and Coronavirus Response
Susan Patrick, President and CEO of Aurora Institute recently released a statement regarding Aurora Institute Symposium (formerly iNACOL Symposium) planning and our plan of action in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Right now, we are planning and currently have every expectation the Aurora Institute Symposium 2020 will proceed as expected Oct. 25-28, 2020, in San Antonio. Registration is now open and our call for requests for presentation proposals is running now through May 1, 2020. Read statement |
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COVID-19 Continuity of Learning Resources
While there is no playbook for an event of this scale and magnitude, we aim to support school leaders and educators at the front lines of the crisis. Planning for student success in the wake of COVID-19 starts by recognizing that some students are particularly vulnerable when schools close. By tending to their needs, we can ensure all students continue their learning journeys, and the disruptions caused by the pandemic don’t exacerbate inequities.
We’ve created this resource page to supply educators, school leaders, and education policymakers at all levels with helpful resources to navigate the challenges presented by the coronavirus outbreak. |
Plugged In Headlines: News About Education Transformation
Grading Students During the Coronavirus Crisis: What’s the Right Call?
Stephen Sawchuk, Education Week
Survey: Teachers support school closures, worry about students falling behind
Linda Jacobson, Education Dive
The invisible blizzard and the importance of e-learning
Tony Smith, The Hill
Representing 21st Century Skills in Curricula: A New Study
Dirk Hastedt and Esther Care, Brookings
What Coronavirus-Stricken Schools Want From the Feds Next: Online Learning Help
Andrew Ujifusa, Education Week
The Lost Senior Year: Credits, Proms, Sports All in Jeopardy
Sarah D. Sparks, Education Week
Amid school closures and social distancing, finding hope in a crisis
Arne Duncan, Brookings
Congress Needs To Ensure Educational Equity in the Wake of the Coronavirus Pandemic
Viviann Anguiano, Marcella Bombardieri, Neil Campbell, Antoinette Flores, Steven Jessen-Howard, Laura Jimenez, and Simon Workman, Center for American Progress
FCC Announces Extensions of E-Rate Program Deadlines Due to COVID-19
Federal Communications Commission
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos Authorizes New Funding Flexibilities to Support Continued Learning During COVID-19 National Emergency
U.S. Department of Education
Education Groups Seek Over $200 Billion in New Coronavirus Emergency Aid
Andrew Ujifusa, Education Week
Over 8 in 10 Parents Now Say Child Is Learning Remotely
Megan Brenan, Gallup
Coronavirus Relief: These States Have Received Education Spending Waivers
Evie Blad, Education Week
Early Remote Learning Lessons and the Future of Education
XQ
Darling-Hammond: COVID-19 brings ‘central importance of public education back to people’s minds’
Linda Jacobson, Education Dive |
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Aurora Institute in the News
When to Teach Online Classes Live and When to Let Students Learn on Demand
The first distance learning programs were all correspondence programs in the ‘50s and ‘60s and ‘70s,” meaning that students were sent materials and assignments in the mail and then they sent back their homework and exams, says Susan Patrick, president and CEO of the Aurora Institute and the former director of the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education. Read More
Virtual Education Dilemma: Scheduled Classroom Instruction vs. Anytime Learning
Asynchronous communications, like emails and text messages, can be useful for teachers setting deadlines, offering instructions or even launching a discussion question. Synchronous communication works better for brainstorming or more spontaneous conversations, said Susan Patrick, president and CEO of the Aurora Institute, formerly the International Association for K-12 Online Learning. Read More
E-Learning Overload: 8 Tips Educators Can Give Frustrated, Anxious Parents
“I’m hearing more and more from parents around the country that they’re not sure what to do,” said Susan Patrick, president and CEO of the Aurora Institute, formerly the International Association for K-12 Online Learning. “They don’t have clear guidance.” Read More |
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Call for Proposals Open Until May 1, 2020
From March 23, 2020 to May 1, 2020, at 11:59 pm Eastern Time, the Aurora Institute is accepting proposals to present at the 2020 Symposium. Educators, practitioners, school and district leaders, researchers, policymakers, advocates, students, and community leaders at the leading edge of transforming K-12 teaching and learning are invited to submit session and workshop proposals to share your knowledge and ideas. We invite potential presenters’ best and highest thinking that can make the greatest impact on the lives of attendees. |
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CompetencyWorks.org Now Lives on the Aurora Institute Website
CompetencyWorks has been a long-term initiative of the Aurora Institute but had maintained a separate website 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 our new rebranded website. You’re invited to contribute to the CompetencyWorks blog by contacting Aurora Institute Research Director Eliot Levine. |
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| Our Center for Policy Advocacy leads the multi-stage evolution of policy necessary for the growth of effective student-centered learning models toward the goals of high-quality learning and equity. Our policy priorities are designed to ensure the nation’s education system is fit for purpose and help move states forward from their current state of education to future systems. |
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| 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. |
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| The Aurora Institute hosts a resource library containing more than 200 materials. Working collaboratively with diverse experts in the field, the Aurora Institute 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. |
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Aurora Institute
The mission of Aurora Institute 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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