Tag: Policy

Aurora Institute’s Federal Policy Priorities: Charting a New Path for America’s Learners

The Aurora Institute’s Federal Policy Priorities: Charting a New Path for America’s Learners new report issues a call-to-action for federal education policy makers and provides eight recommendations. These future-focused, student-centered learning policy recommendations are informed by the input of hundreds of nationally recognized educators, leading personalized learning and competency-based education scholars, community advocates, and a diverse set of students who support uplifting education innovations while also prioritizing educational equity.

Federal policymakers who want to drive transformation to support the future learner can use these recommendations to learn about key issues to address, entry points, policy levers, and a vetted path forward to revolutionize student-centered learning. This document provides deep contextual knowledge and actionable recommendations to advance future-focused, student-centered learning policies and transform education, including:

Create Learning Ecosystems Across K-12, Higher Education, CTE, and the Workforce
Modernize the Educator Workforce
Diversify the Educator Workforce
Bridge the Digital Divide
Support COVID-19 Learning Recovery
Advance Educational Equity
Redesign Assessments
Rethink Accountability

Calls for a redesigned education system are growing in number and volume, in part due to the impact of COVID-19, but also because our current antiquated education system has not shifted to appropriately serve each learner. Now, more than ever, is the time to rethink the purpose of education and redesign learning ecosystems so that each child has robust opportunities and pathways for a thriving future.

To view the report, please click here.

October 18, 2021

Innovation Zones: Policy Flexibility to Reimagine and Modernize K-12 Education Post-COVID-19

Innovation zones represent an important policy lever states can use as K-12 reimagines its future post-COVID. Innovation zones are created through state legislation to give schools and districts freedom from burdensome administrative regulations. This flexibility gives schools and districts a chance to modernize teaching and learning.

This updated policy brief examining policy language from 10 states that have innovation zones. The brief is authored by Fred Jones, director, and Alexis Chambers, policy associate, at the Aurora Institute Center for Policy. An accompanying webpage contains a map detailing the current landscape of innovation zones, and a set of frequently asked questions.

Innovation zones have long been part of the policy priorities Aurora Institute advocates at the state level. As schools reopen, with leaders now mindful of how much more is possible with K-12 education, it’s helpful to remind, or make them aware of, an important option that many have had all along. More than 25 states with existing innovation zones are using them to better meet the unique needs of their learners through new instructional models, professional development practices, mastery-based learning, providing flexibility in the use of time and talent, and other strategies.

June 2, 2021

Determining Attendance and Alternatives to Seat-Time

Attendance looks dramatically different in the COVID-19 era. Many states and districts have sent us requests to support the alignment of policy with a more innovative imagining of attendance that moves away from the old-fangled definition based on seat-time. We’ve responded with a new offering for the field, Determining Attendance and Alternatives to Seat-Time.

While COVID-19 offers numerous opportunities to advance systems change and free K-12 of its limiting factory-model structures, schools and districts are grappling with very real and present issues in ensuring students can access learning and progress along their learning journey. Our analysis shows that states can best remedy this issue by allowing the flexibility of districts and schools to develop an attendance policy using a combination of options. These options include, but are not limited to:

Time on task (can include engagement);

Participation;
Evidence of student work; and
Competency-based attainment with demonstrations of building skills, competencies, and knowledge.

The issue brief contains 10 examples for creating attendance policies for learning remotely, including competency-based attainment. In addition, we offer policies from four states using seat-time alternatives as one of many policies to advance toward personalized, competency-based education.

November 12, 2020

Education Policy Issues for the COVID-19 Era: Policy Actions and Responses to Leverage the Moment for Future Readiness

As school districts deliberate over reopening schools with the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing, we’ve developed this report with strategic guidance on how to harness our current opportunity to transform K-12 education.

Education Policy Issues for the COVID-19 Era: Policy Actions and Responses to Leverage the Moment for Future Readiness offers insights and recommendations on 10 critical issues identified through our technical assistance in the field and work with education policy decision-makers around the country. These include:

Using Blended, Competency-Based Learning as an Entry Point for Innovation
Moving Away from Seat Time Credits to Awarding Credit Based on Demonstrated Mastery
Re-Examining Grading Policies
Rethinking Assessment and Addressing the Need for Balanced Systems of Assessments to Measure Student Learning
Examining the Purpose of Accountability
Creating Flexibility and Multiple Pathways for Graduation Requirements
Ensuring All Communities Have the Necessary Technology Infrastructure and Internet Access
Supporting Students with Disabilities
Ensuring Students Have Continued Access to Meals during School Closures
Prioritizing Future Readiness for Pandemic Preparedness and Continuity of Learning

Building the capacity for educators to redesign toward a competency-based, learner-centered system is no easy task with the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Education Policy Issues for the COVID-19 Era concludes with a 10-point program with principles that lay the groundwork for the reforms our system urgently needs.

August 21, 2020

Federal Policy Priorities to Accelerate Education Innovation

The Aurora Institute’s 2020 Federal Policy Priorities are an equity-driven and future-focused set of recommendations designed to ensure the nation’s education system is fit for purpose. The priorities are intentionally constructed to support moving states and localities forward from their current state of education to future systems capable of preparing all graduates with the knowledge, abilities, and dispositions necessary to achieve success, to contribute to their communities, and to advance our society.

Policymakers at all levels are positioned to take advantage of existing law and policy—or adopt effective strategies being piloted around the country—to move K-12 education toward its higher purpose. At the federal level, these priorities call on national leaders to:

Prepare Educator-Leaders for the Future,
Increase Access and Affordability to Diversify Educator Talent Pools,
Expand the Innovative Assessment Pilot, and
Increase Access to Broadband Connectivity.

For more information or technical assistance, connect with our Center for Policy.

April 7, 2020

Future Focused State Policy Actions to Transform K-12 Education

State policymakers are in a unique position to enable the innovations in education necessary to prepare students for a rapidly changing world. Working with 8,500 educators nationwide, the Aurora Institute identified the top issues to address in state policy for transforming our K-12 education system, with a special issue dedicated to continuity of learning in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

Guided by values of educational equity and future-readiness for all learners, this publication is a set of 11 opportunities to make the nation’s education system fit for purpose. At the state level, the Aurora Institute Center for Policy is supporting policy analysis and making recommendations governors, state legislators, education agencies, school leaders, and other policymakers to work together with their communities to:

Establish Profiles of a Graduate
Launch Innovation Zones
Create Competency-Based Education Task Forces & Pilots
Offer Credit Flexibility
Make Credentials Meaningful
Align the pathways between K-12, higher education, career and technical and education, and the workforce — and make them competency-based
Modernize the Educator Workforce
Diversify the Educator Workforce
Produce Balanced Systems of Assessments
Create Next-Generation Accountability Systems
Ensure Continuity of Learning

Taken together, these policy priorities challenge lawmakers and education decision-makers to wield their influence and take advantage of existing opportunities to disrupt the traditional one-size-fits-all model of K-12 teaching and learning and unleash learning from the confines of place and time.

April 7, 2020