Technical Education

In 2010, the New York City Department of Education created an Office of Innovation, or iZone, to introduce personalized learning and blended learning programs in district schools. This report presents lessons learned from implementation from 2012 to 2014 and lays out steps districts can follow to successfully implement innovative practices and reshape procurement processes necessary to develop new instructional tools and instructional practices.

This case study focuses on Talledega School District, a high-poverty, rural district in Alabama, and its transition from a traditional school curriculum to a project-based curriculum integrating technology. The case study outlines how the district prepared for the new model: retraining teachers, redesigning school facilities, and engaging with the community. Performance results and graduation rates in the district have continued to improve following implementation of the new system.

The first in a series of four papers from iNACOL—the International Association for K–12 Online Learning—on online learning, this report looks at how blended learning is being used in education today to improve educational outcomes and personalize the learning experience for students.

This white paper examines why teacher shortages exist in the United States at certain grade levels, subject areas, and geographic areas, and highlights some of the barriers to improving teacher supply. The authors suggest that online learning may provide some solutions to these issues by offering alternative models of learning with increased flexibilities.

This study, commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, surveyed more than 4,600 teachers seeking to understand how teachers use data to tailor instruction and the challenges they encounter with the tools intended to support data-driven instruction in the classroom. Although 91 percent of teachers agreed that data tools play an important role in today’s classrooms, they generally reported feeling overwhelmed by the amount of data available, and sought more nuanced data results and greater guidance.

This brief summarizes findings from a May 2014 CompetencyWorks convening of technical assistance providers with expertise in the implementation of Next Generation learning models. The report aims to shed light on the steps that districts need to take to transform their traditional education systems to competency-based systems that optimize the use of blended learning.