The last year has been deeply challenging. As schools have shifted to distance learning, some educators have embraced that, now more than ever, student-centered learning approaches are needed—to enable students to learn at their own pace and place, according to plans personalized to their needs.
In 2021, we are launching a year-long research blog series to better understand the power and potential of student-centered learning during Covid-19—and beyond. We are looking for school and district partners willing to share their stories, lessons learned, and evidence of what works.
The series, which will feature one to two blog posts per month throughout 2021, seeks to answer four research questions:
- What elements of student-centered learning have schools and districts implemented during this pandemic era?
- How are they documenting evidence and measuring success (including, for example, academic achievement, engagement, social and emotional learning, and other local measures)?
- What evidence have they gathered and results have they produced on those measures?
- How have they ensured equity and accountability in this period?
Our research will focus specifically on schools and districts using student-centered practices to advance educational equity. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated inequity in many troubling ways, as evidenced by a number of recent reports. At the same time, it has fundamentally reconfigured how many students experience school, allowing some to find success they were previously denied in traditional environments. These are the stories we hope to highlight throughout this series.
Partner benefits and asks
We want to hold up the great work your school or district is doing and the lessons you are learning. The main benefit will be wide recognition for your work, in blog posts as well as potentially presentations, op-eds, and other media. Participant schools and districts will also be given a $500 stipend as a token of appreciation.
Concretely speaking, participating includes the following, with an estimated 8 to 12 total hours of time asked of you and your team:
- Designate one person at your school or district to be our main point of contact.
- Connect us with an additional 2 to 3 educators and 2 to 3 students at your school/district to participate in either individual and/or group conversations.
- Share with us the types of evidence and data you are collecting and, at the end of the school year, some of your deidentified results.
Nominating criteria
We are looking for public schools and districts that meet three criteria:
- Are using personalized, student-centered learning to serve students during the pandemic (as defined per Education Evolving’s Seven Principles of SCL).
- Hold a commitment to educational equity and the belief that Covid-19 presents a unique—if incredibly challenging—opportunity to reimagine learning for students who were denied success in traditional school environments.
- Have a culture of documenting evidence, and collecting and using data, including on academic achievement, engagement, but also (and especially) other measures important to their community.
We welcome nominations that fit these criteria using the button below. Submissions requested by February 5, 2021. We also encourage schools and districts to nominate themselves! And please contact info@educationevolving.org with any questions.