Add as a preferred source on Google

New KnowledgeWorks Toolkit Helps School Districts Create a Community-Wide Vision for Personalized Learning

  • 03/01/18

Cincinnati, Ohio, (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) –  When Diane Mankins, superintendent of Marysville Exempted School District in Marysville, Ohio, decided to pursue innovative changes in her district, she held more than 20 community meetings that were open to parents, educators, community leaders, local businesses and other stakeholders. The conversations helped the district pair the interests of students with the workforce needs of the community, resulting in a vision for personalized learning, a partnership with Honda North America and the design of the district’s STEM-focused early college high school.

This example of connecting with the entire community to develop a system-wide vision is one of many found in KnowledgeWorks’ new toolkit Laying the Groundwork for a Community-Wide Vision for Personalized Learning. The toolkit is designed to help school districts engage all stakeholders in crafting and implementing a vision for personalized learning.

“Not every school or classroom is the same, but elevating a common vision ensures that everyone is grounded in the importance of this work,” explained Virgel Hammonds, Chief Learning Officer of KnowledgeWorks. “We want this toolkit to help districts and their learning communities facilitate conversations with one another that lead to meaningful change for students.”

Through interactive worksheets and questions for both district leaders and community members to consider, KnowledgeWorks hopes the toolkit will help district leaders think ahead to how they can engage their entire community to make personalized learning a reality for every student, including:

  • Guidance on crafting a system-wide vision for personalized learning, incorporating diverse stakeholder voices.
  • Questions and considerations for finding the right people to champion the work of personalized learning.
  • Direction on how to identify factors that may impact implementation.
  • Help with creating messaging to introduce their vision with key audiences and sustaining enthusiasm for personalized learning.
  •  

“The sooner districts engage diverse individuals from their whole community, the more successful their efforts toward implementing personalized learning will be,” said Hammonds. “A strong vision for education, shared and designed by the whole community, can create transformational change.”

Download the toolkit to learn more about creating a community-wide vision for personalized learning.

About KnowledgeWorks
KnowledgeWorks is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing personalized learning that empowers every child to take ownership of their success. With nearly 20 years of experience exploring the future of learning, growing educator impact and working with state and federal policymakers, our passionate team partners with schools and communities to grow a system-wide approach to sustain student-centered practices so that every child graduates ready for what’s next. www.knowledgeworks.org 

Featured

  • California High School Starts Construction on STEAM, Music Buildings

    Tamalpais High School, part of the Tamalpais Union High School District, recently broke ground on two new major facilities for its campus in Mill Valley, Calif., according to a news release. The district is partnering with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) and Lathrop Construction Associates for the Science Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) and Music Buildings, both replacing their outdated counterparts.

  • How One School Reimagined Learning Spaces—and What Others Can Learn

    When Collegedale Academy, a PreK–8 school outside Chattanooga, Tenn., needed a new elementary building, we faced the choice that many school leaders eventually confront: repair an aging facility or reimagine what learning spaces could be. Our historic elementary school held decades of memories for families, including some who had once walked its halls as children themselves. But years of wear and the need for costly repairs made it clear that investing in the old building would only patch the problems rather than solve them.

  • Extron, CENTEGIX Partner for Comprehensive School Security Solution

    Professional audiovisual solutions provider Extron recently announced a partnership with CENTEGIX, which provides rapid incident response technology, to integrate two of their top products in the name of school safety.

  • Missouri State University Debuts Construction Education Center

    Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo., recently opened a new 10,000-square-foot addition and renovation to support the School of Construction, Design, and Project Management, according to university news. The Construction Education Success Center, built onto the existing Kemper Hall, provides academic space for the school’s construction managers and cost $9.6 million.

Digital Edition