Plugged In | 04.23.21 – Rethinking What’s Normal, New Webinar Announcement, and More

April 23, 2021

 

Aurora Institute - Plugged In
 

Rethinking What’s Normal in Meeting This Moment in K-12 Education
By Susan Patrick

The American Rescue Plan will provide a much-needed $122 billion boost to U.S. schools, and it might tempt many to think we’re on our way back to normal. Exams, alarm bells, report cards and life as we knew it before the pandemic.

Those relics are hallmarks, however, of a K-12 education system that was built for the industrial age, a declining system that is rife with inequities, achievement gaps, ranking and sorting, and failing to prepare all learners for the rapid changes that are afoot in our economy and culture. To go back to that normal would be to fail our nation’s youth once again.

We can rethink normal.

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Announcing Aurora Institute Internships
Aurora Institute Internships
Our new internship program is designed as a fully immersive experience for motivated undergraduate and graduate students who seek to support national advocacy, policy, communications, and event work in the nonprofit sector. Selected interns will be exposed to the intricacies and nuances of building a better K-12 education system for the nation’s youth. The internship will include work on targeted projects and multiple learning and networking opportunities. Interns will receive structured support, mentorship, and professional development opportunities for the duration of the internship. We are currently recruiting for Summer 2021 interns. Applications are due by April 30, 2021.
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Upcoming Events
Aurora frequently hosts webinars and convenings with the field’s leading experts to explore trends, tackle pressing problems of practice and policy, and share emerging knowledge from research. The following opportunities to learn and network are open for registration.
Deepening Project-Based Learning: Lessons from Powerful New Research and Practice

Deepening Project-Based Learning: Lessons from Powerful New Research and Practice

May 20, 2021 | 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT
As we seek to shift the U.S. system of education toward competency-based education, project-based learning (PBL) offers a powerful strategy for greater student engagement and more authentic learning inside and outside the classroom. But does it work? And what are its implications for change at the school and district levels?

Please join a presentation and discussion on Thursday, May 20, 2021, at 2 – 3 PM ET / 11 AM -12 PM PT to hear from Lucas Education Research, the Aurora Institute, school and district leaders, and educators at the forefront of future-focused learning about powerful new evidence of the impact of project-based learning across grades, subjects, and subgroups. Gain insights to advance project-based learning practices in your school, district, or other setting. Highlights will include:

New Evidence

Four newly released, peer-reviewed research papers show that rigorous project-based learning in U.S. public schools has a strong and positive impact on student outcomes across content areas, grade levels, and various subgroups of students.

Equity

Researchers conducted these studies in diverse districts with large percentages of traditionally underserved students, indicating that project-based learning can be a powerful lever for improving equity in U.S. schools.

Systems Change

Adoption of project-based learning challenges the present modes of teaching, curriculum, assessment, accountability, and more. What does the new evidence contribute to our understanding of how to set and support the conditions for competency-based education at the local, district, and state levels—especially as we look ahead to promoting better in-person learning experiences post-pandemic?

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Featured Resource

Aurora Institute 2020 National Policy Forum

Aurora Institute National Policy Forum

Held annually in close proximity to the Aurora Institute Symposium, the National Policy Forum convenes education policymakers and system leaders to surface issues and exchange ideas on key policy issues in K-12 education. The most recent forum included a national overview of state policies to advance education innovation, a series of state snapshots highlighting bellwether exemplars, and presentations on key issues from national education leaders. The recordings and slides from the forum are available for review.

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Plugged In Headlines: News About Education Transformation


Innovative School Models

From Pandemic to Possibility: Now is the Time to Consider Competency-Based Education
Getting Smart

Begin With The End: What’s The Purpose Of Schooling?
Forbes

It’s Time To Reimagine the K-12 Content Map
Getting Smart

Black Mothers on Parent Activism, Self-Determination and the Fight for Educational Change Post-Pandemic
The 74

Wipe the board clean: Post-pandemic, we must radically reimagine K-12 education
Daily News

Re-envisioning Education to Be Human-Centered
KnowledgeWorks

COVID-19

FEMA Will Cover Some COVID-19 Staffing Costs for Schools
Education Week

Now is the Time to Future-Proof Schools Against Outbreaks
FutureEd

Ed Dept details rules for maintaining state K-12 funding under COVID-19 relief
K-12 Dive

How 5 superintendents are planning the 2021-22 school year
K-12 Dive

How to get back a school year lost to the pandemic (Podcast)
Politico

Covid-19 changed education in America — permanently
Politico

Education Policy

Biden proposes $20B Title I funding increase for FY 2022
K-12 Dive

Family engagement is critical to student success—especially now
Fordham Institute

Standardized tests aren’t the problem, it’s how we use them
The Brookings Institution

The implications of testing flexibility on measuring student growth and learning trends
K-12 Dive

Education Research

Working to Learn: New Research on Connecting Education and Career
Harvard Project on Workforce

Students Say Supportive College and Career Pathways Kept Them Engaged Through COVID Shutdowns. How Schools Can Use Federal Funds to Help
The 74

Girls may get a science education boost when they learn outside
Futurity

‘Doomed’ By 8th Grade: Underserved Students Thrive In College, But Disparities In Access Start Early & Persist Insidiously, New Report Reveals
The 74

Project-Based Learning or Lectures? Our Research Shows PBL Helps Low-Income Students Do Better in AP Classes, Earn College Credit
The 74

Broadband Connectivity

Biden’s infrastructure plan could transform broadband in the U.S.
Fast Company

Most Students Now Have Home Internet Access. But What About the Ones Who Don’t?
Education Week

Educator Workforce

WATCH: What Does Teacher Diversity Look Like Post-COVID?
The 74

Residencies are a key tool to diversifying the nation’s teacher force
The Hill

Educational Equity

How to help students navigate anti-Asian racism
K-12 Dive

Here’s How Culturally Sustaining Curriculum Roots Students in a Legacy of Strength
Education Post

‘Bottom Up Change is Lasting Change’
Walton Family Foundation

Derek Chauvin Trial

Education Week: 4 Ways George Floyd’s Murder Has Changed How We Talk About Race and Education

Chalkbeat: After Chauvin verdict, classroom discussions turn to racial justice and remembrance

Big Picture Learning: A Changed World?

Education Evolving: Our statement on yesterday’s verdict

Latinos for Education: Statement on the Verdict in the Trial of Derek Chauvin

​​​​​​​Statement from New Profit and America Forward on the Chauvin Trial Verdict

Barr Foundation: Regardless of What Happens, Structural Racism Persists

Kresge Foundation: Any other verdict would have been a travesty, but work for full justice continues

​​​​​​​Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

Bush Foundation

Aurora Institute in the News


COVID-19 Reminds Me of 1994 Report, ‘Prisoners of Time’ – via Government Technology

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Our Center for Policy 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.
CompetencyWorks
CompetencyWorks is an online resource dedicated to K-12 competency-based education. Drawing on lessons learned by innovators, we share knowledge through a practice-focused blog, research reports on emerging issues, policy advocacy, and resources curated from across the field.
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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