Courageous and visionary policy actions are needed to advance the transformation of teaching and learning in K-12 education. Each year, we convene state policymakers, advocates, funders, system and school leaders, and educators for an intensive exploration of education policy trends and possibilities. Together, we grapple with issues driving the entry into and deepening of student-centered learning models, learn from states leading the way, and make time for targeted connection among education decision-makers. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we convened the 2020 National Policy Forum virtually with more than 100 education leaders and policy decision-makers.
Our goals were to:
- Set a vision for the future of K-12 education
- Deepening understanding of policies that need addressing, leverage points for change, and recommendations to transform K-12 education systems
- Developing and implementing future-focused education policy and managing the crisis in 2020 toward a call for transformation
- Advancing state policy to support personalized, competency-based education
Speakers at this year’s event included:
- Susan Patrick, President & CEO, Aurora Institute
- Sarah Young, Utah State Board of Education
- Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, Washington State House of Representatives
- Denise Airola, Director, Office of Innovation for Education, University of Arkansas
- Aaron McKinnon, Mastery-Based Education Coordinator, Idaho State Department of Education
- Nick Moore, Education Policy Advisor and Coordinator Governor’s Office of Education and Workforce Transformation
- Paul Leather, Director of the Interstate Learning Community, Center for Innovation in Education
- Rebecca Holmes, President & CEO, The Colorado Education Initiative
- Alyssa Evans, Policy Researcher, Education Commission of the States
Below are recordings of each speaker.
Introduction
National Overview of State Policies to Drive Transformation of K-12 Education Systems
States Snapshots: Advancing Breakthrough Policies
Redefining Success to Ensure All Students Graduate Prepared for the Future: Profile of a Graduate
Utah
Building Capacity for Competency-based Education
Washington
Creating Innovation Zones
Arkansas
Creating Task Forces to Launching Statewide Pilot Programs to Support Education Innovation
Idaho
Aligning K-12, Higher Education, CTE, and Workforce Pathways
Alabama
Developing Balanced Systems of Assessments
National Landscape Scan of States: Balanced Systems of Assessments
Rethinking Accountability Systems for Next Generation Learning
Colorado: Creating Next Generation Accountability Systems for Student-Centered Learning
Slides
Educator Workforce Diversification and Modernization
A Snapshot of State Policies on Modernizing and Diversifying the Teacher Workforce
Slides
Closing