iNACOL Releases New Report on Promising State Policies for Personalized Learning

Washington, D.C. – Today, the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) released a new report: Promising State Policies for Personalized Learning. This report provides state policy exemplars for policy leaders seeking to help enable educators advancing personalized learning environments in K-12 schools.

This report is a valuable resource for state policymakers—whether they are seeking to create conditions in state policy to support personalized learning, moving forward with initiatives to develop personalized learning pilot programs, hosting task forces to explore policy issues and needs, or taking a comprehensive policy approach for supporting advanced personalized learning models. Personalized learning is where instruction is tailored to each student’s strengths, needs, and interests—including enabling student voice and choice in what, how, when, and where they learn—to provide flexibility and supports to ensure mastery of the highest standards possible.

State policymakers can become partners with practitioners in identifying and removing system barriers to launching and supporting personalizing learning models to ensure each student’s success. In 2016, states have a historic opportunity to create flexibility to enable powerful, personalized learning experiences with the reauthorization of the federal K-12 education law, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Susan Patrick, iNACOL President and CEO, said, “High-quality personalized learning instructional models enable educators to co-design with students and provide life-changing, personalized learning opportunities that prepare them to succeed in college, career and citizenship. The promising policies outlined in this report will help states remove barriers and create conditions to enable and scale personalized learning.”

To download a full copy of the report, please visit iNACOL.org.

Featured

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • California K–12 District Finishes Renovations on Multi-Sport Stadium

    The Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) in Alameda, Calif., recently announced the completion of a renovation project on the Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School stadium, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) and Bothman Construction on the facility, and funding came from Bond Measure B.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.