Aurora Institute
Our Work

We Are Rethinking What Is Possible in K-12 Education

Our Theory of Action advances innovation and continuous improvement across K-12 education. We work with practitioners and policymakers to enable approaches that ensure all students develop mastery of the highest competencies to reach their full potential. We conduct research to highlight best practices for education innovations and personalized learning.

Strategic Pillars

Policy & Advocacy

Removing barriers and creating space for education innovations by advancing enabling policies and providing technical assistance, expertise, briefings, and support to policymakers at all levels.

Field-Building & Knowledge Creation

Building the field across networks, creating new knowledge, analyzing field data and sharing the latest research to produce and communicate insights to move the field forward.

Convening & Connecting

Providing unparalleled networking and learning to professionals designing new learning models, our events connect the field’s leading experts and practitioners with the trends, promising practices, and research to shape the future of education.

Strategic Communications

We strive to bring clarity on the field, its history, and future directions through engaging with key stakeholders and media.

Strategic Initiatives

  • Center for Policy

    We work with policy leaders to support a long-range vision to transform education. We offer frameworks and expertise on diverse issues surrounding education innovation to ensure our nation’s education systems prepare all students with the skills to achieve success, contribute to their communities, and advance society.

    Read Our State and Federal Policy Priorities

  • CompetencyWorks

    CompetencyWorks keeps the field informed on the leading edge of K-12 competency-based education through sharing knowledge, providing original research, and offering a variety of perspectives through an informative blog with practitioner knowledge, advancements, emerging issues, and curated resources from across the field.

    Visit CompetencyWorks

  • Action Research Center (ARC)

    Researching emerging tough issues in the field, ARC publishes reports and quality frameworks to equip practitioners to plan, implement and scale personalized, next-generation learning models.

    Action Research Center

  • Events & Webinars

    Our annual symposium is the field’s premiere convening for future-focused, student-centered learning. Educators, practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and students gather to learn on the cutting edge of the field and discuss pressing issues. Throughout the year, we offer additional learning opportunities through webinars led by the field’s leading voices.

    Events & Webinars

     

We Activate Seven Levers for Change

Our work is positioned to drive education transformation forward.

Advancing Policy and Providing Advocacy

We educate policymakers on priorities for education innovation, identify best practices for enabling policy and removing barriers, and articulate a vision for the future of K-12 education based on global best practices.

Highlighting Promising Practices

We profile promising programs and emerging practices in new learning models by sharing knowledge about innovative practices, quality implementations, useful resources, and lessons learned focusing on compelling outcomes and key conditions for success.

Facilitating Networks Embracing Innovation

We build and support networks of practitioners, educators, researchers and evaluators to build a community of innovative practice for designing and developing new learning models.

Shifting Mindsets

We lift up stories and shift the narrative by sharing powerful experiences for teachers, education leaders, lawmakers, policy influencers, parents, and community members.

Publishing Research

We serve as a knowledge-building hub and field-building organization by sharing lessons learned and best practices and lifting up exemplars and leaders driving and implementing new designs.

Building Capacity for Change and Innovation

We create resources and share knowledge across leading institutions and organizations and will develop professional development and training programs, especially around the evolving skill needs for leading highly innovative environments.

Shaping the Public Conversation

We engage with media and other influencers to shape the national narrative around student-centered learning to bring clarity and truth, address opposition, and move the field forward.

We’re thrilled to announce that Laurie Gagnon (@LaurieGagnon98) is joining us today as our new #CompetencyWorks Program Director. Please join us in welcoming Laurie! zcu.io/wwDg #EdLeaders #EdChat

About 8 hours ago from Aurora Institute's Twitter

Our Work in Action
``The world is changing—education must also change. Societies everywhere are undergoing deep transformation, and this calls for new forms of education to foster the competencies that societies and economies need, today and tomorrow.``

UNESCO

``There’s no such thing as an average brain. There’s no such thing as an average cell...What might be the most important insight about the future of education, there’s no such thing as an average student.``

Todd Rose

``Unless you innovate with intention rather than novelty, those already furthest behind will get further behind.``

Russlyn Ali, XQ America and Emerson Collective

25K+

EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS WORLDWIDE SHARING KNOWLEDGE AND CAPACITY-BUILDING

100+

FEDERAL AND STATE POLICYMAKERS SEEKING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ANNUALLY

200

REPORTS, ISSUE BRIEFS, AND INFORMATION MATERIALS PUBLISHED TO RAISE THE FIELD OF PERSONALIZED, COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION

3K

ATTENDEES OF THE ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM

More ABout Us

Center for Policy

Action Research Center