{"id":1299,"date":"2016-04-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/blog\/colorado-commissioner-rich-crandall-on-bringing-personalized-learning-mainstream\/"},"modified":"2022-11-04T17:41:15","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T21:41:15","slug":"colorado-commissioner-rich-crandall-on-bringing-personalized-learning-mainstream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aurora-institute.org\/blog\/colorado-commissioner-rich-crandall-on-bringing-personalized-learning-mainstream\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado Commissioner Rich Crandall on Bringing Personalized Learning Mainstream"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201cMy goal is that a few years from now, every student in Colorado that wants to learn in a personalized learning environment has access to one. That will require that teachers have the resources and parents have the information they need. Instead of a few thousand students benefiting from blended, competency-based learning in small, campfires across the state, many tens of thousands of students will take advantage of these opportunities. They will be engaged and motivated, getting the skills they need to succeed in higher education and in their careers.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/h6>\n
– Richard Crandall, Colorado Commissioner of Education<\/span><\/i><\/i><\/h6>\n
\"RichCrandallFull-v2\"<\/a>
Richard Crandall, Colorado Commissioner of Education<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The <\/span>Colorado Board of Education<\/span><\/a> voted unanimously<\/span><\/a> to appoint Richard Crandall as the state\u2019s new commissioner of education. He brings a wealth of knowledge and <\/span>expertise in state politics and education policy<\/span><\/a>. Prior to his appointment, he led the Wyoming Department of Education and served in the Arizona Legislature, chairing education committees in both the Arizona House of Representatives and the Arizona Senate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Richard Crandall gave a keynote address at the third annual regional\u00a0<\/span>Conference on Blended and Online Learning<\/span><\/a>, organized jointly by the<\/span> eLearn Collaborative<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>iNACOL<\/span><\/a>. In his keynote, he articulated powerfully why he supports personalized learning and outlined his plans to bring it mainstream in Colorado.<\/span><\/p>\n

We recently caught up with Commissioner Crandall to discuss his plans to support and scale <\/span>personalized<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>competency-based<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>blended learning <\/span><\/a>in Colorado schools. The following summarizes our conversation. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is personalized learning important to you and why should we personalize education for each student?<\/h5>\n

Richard Crandall: I want an education system that works for all students, a system that prepares every student to succeed and helps each one to maximize their potential.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The current model of education does work for many students. I have three daughters who all flourished in traditional, academic programs. They graduated with top grades, well-prepared for college.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

There are many students, however, who are more like my son who do not thrive in the current educational model. These students, in particular, would benefit enormously from <\/span><\/i>a more personalized approach<\/span><\/i><\/a> where they have greater control over the path and pace of learning.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I am excited about the opportunities that <\/span><\/i>blended learning<\/span><\/i><\/a> brings. With it, we can help every student by tailoring the educational approach to their individualized needs and interests.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Kids these days are growing up in a very different kind of environment. They have much more control over the shows they watch and the music they listen to than we did growing up. Over time, these same students will come to expect that same level of personalization in education as well.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

What do you envision as the role of the Colorado Department of Education in scaling effective, innovative learning models?<\/h5>\n

Richard Crandall: We do not see our role as to force these transformative approaches onto schools. Our role is to have the resources, expertise, and functions available to effectively support those schools that are ready, that come to us for help.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

We want to be able to help any Colorado school move to whatever type of model they want to implement.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

We are making internal changes to help department staff collaborate across functions to better support schools. One reason we are excited about the<\/span><\/i> Every Student Succeeds Act<\/span><\/i><\/a> is that it eliminates many of the silos, in programs and funding streams, so that we can better support schools in a more coordinated manner. We think this will align nicely with our efforts to support school transformations to personalized learning.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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Announcing April #Leadership<\/a> Webinar: Next Steps Under the Every Student Succeeds Act https:\/\/t.co\/eY6PPEX0pC<\/a> @SusanDPatrick<\/a> @lillianpace<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 iNACOL (@nacol) March 21, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n