This brief highlights the critical role state education agencies can play in supporting foundational AI integration across districts. It provides specific questions and vetted tools to help SEAs assess local needs, identify gaps, and coordinate meaningful support.
The Mastery-Based Learning Collaborative (MBLC) is a demonstration project taking place in 47 schools in Washington State led by the Washington State Board of Education (SBE). The schools are receiving funding and participating in professional learning and a statewide network to support implementation of mastery-based learning (MBL) and culturally responsive-sustaining education (CRSE), both of which will be described in greater detail later. The initiative’s overarching goal is “to inform future policy by helping decision makers better understand what quality mastery-based learning looks like, how long it takes to implement, and what resources are necessary.” This report presents evaluation activities and findings for the first year of Cohort 2, representing the planning stage of the MBLC initiative.
This tipsheet, created by Racial Equity Tools, helps leaders understand how to work with their staff to create inclusive and equitable planning processes.
This resource from Race Forward examines Racial Equity Impact Assessments (REIAs) and provides considerations for leaders looking to implement them in their unique settings.
This resource from Stanford d.School aims to help teams review prototypes to ensure they are culturally relevant and advance varying forms of equity.
This resource from Equity Meets Design share’s the strategy behind the implementation of an equity pause that impacts a full organization or system.
This theory of change template is designed to be completed collaboratively, allowing for teams and partners to ground their understandings of how their strategies, applied within their context, cause observable or measurable outcomes. Theories of change can grow and iterate over time and serve as an important tool to support data collection and analysis.
The Mastery-Based Learning Collaborative (MBLC) evaluation report offers insights and strategies for anyone working to shift K-12 schools, districts, and states toward more student-centered, equitable, and culturally responsive approaches.
The MBLC is a demonstration project taking place in 47 schools across Washington to help decision makers understand what quality mastery-based (or competency-based) learning looks like, how long it takes to implement, and what resources are necessary. The schools receive funding, coaching, and professional learning as part of a statewide network.
In its first three years, the initiative has led to deeper Mastery-Based Learning (MBL) implementation and has shown positive impacts on early outcomes such as school climate, cultural responsiveness, and student engagement. Almost all school leaders said they would recommend the MBLC to other school leaders.
The Aurora Institute is conducting a six-year evaluation of the MBLC to identify policies, practices, and system changes that can support successful mastery-based and culturally responsive learning. The report shares findings from the first three years of the first cohort of MBLC schools, based on extensive surveys and interviews of educators, school leaders, students, state leaders, and professional learning providers.
The report references the following four surveys:
This activity supports school- and system-level edtech leaders in developing an edtech leadership team to help translate the EdTech Systems Guide: Equity-Driven Selection, Implementation, and Evaluation into action.
This tool accompanies The Learning Accelerator (TLA)’s Virtual and Hybrid Learning Model Design Guide. As you navigate the guide, capture reflections, new concepts, and relevant resources about quality virtual and hybrid program design, as well as next steps to develop or strengthen your virtual and hybrid learning programs.
