Difference Making

Our challenges and opportunities are shared and it’s never been easier, or more important to make a difference.

From hundreds of school visits and thousands of conversations with students, parents, preachers, policy-makers and the like — making a difference has emerged as the most important way for us to transform learning experiences for young people and build a better future for all. We look forward to continuing to share these experiences with you through our blog and an upcoming book.

Difference Making

Review: The Future of Jobs and Job Training

Katie Vander Ark

Jun 2, 2017

With the emergence of new educational and training programs to suit the changing job market, what does a graduate profile look like? In this post, I look at PEW Research's recent report: The Future of Jobs and Jobs Training.

Difference Making

Novelty & Complexity: 13 Youth Onramps

Tom Vander Ark

Nov 3, 2016

The world is getting more complex, and globalization makes every sector more competitive. Here are 13 ways teachers can prepare students for the novelty and complexity they will face in a new world.

Difference Making

Setting First-Year, First-Generation College Students on the Bridge to Success

Guest Author

Sep 22, 2016

By: Nicole Howard. Summer bridge programs fill in the gap of being college ready, helping first-year, first-generation or any student looking for extra support in a new environment start out on a successful path.

Difference Making

Choosing Camp Counseling for Career Readiness

Guest Author

Sep 10, 2016

By: Olivia Waldron. This summer, instead of taking on the typical office internship, I chose to become a camp counselor and ended up learning many real life skills still applicable to college and career readiness.

Difference Making

Developing Minds Ready for the Innovation Economy

Tom Vander Ark

Aug 21, 2016

The best preparation to help today's students to succeed in a future innovation economy would be non-routine assignments requiring the application of knowledge to challenging problems--also known as project-based learning.

Difference Making

Redefining Career Readiness for an Uncertain Future

Guest Author

Aug 19, 2016

By: Katherine Prince. The world of work is changing rapidly, and those changes will have big implications for how we approach learning and what our education system aims to achieve.

Difference Making

Building Your Personal Brand Through Social Impact

Guest Author

Aug 5, 2016

By: Jeff Edmondson. There are so many ways for an individual to express their individuality, so I encourage #GenDIYers to really set themselves apart and build their personal brand through collective impact in their community.

Difference Making

Student Voices: Moving Beyond “When I Grow Up…”

Guest Author

Jul 25, 2016

By: JoEllen Lynch. A major task for high schools today is to guide students toward postsecondary opportunities, and students should be begin this journey their very first year.

Difference Making

Career Awareness: Start Early, Go Online, Get Work Experience

Tom Vander Ark

Jul 17, 2016

Every young person deserves broad exposure to career options starting in middle school such as access to online resources, good advice, work experiences, career and technical options and maker experiences.

Difference Making

Preparing Students for the Gig Economy, Automation and Uncertainty

Guest Author

Jul 16, 2016

By: Marc Tucker. Today's students will graduate into a much different world than their parents. So today's schools need to provide students with experiences, environments and mentors to prepare them for the new workforce.

	Beginning	Piloting	Implementing
From Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery	BeginningFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Beginning	PilotingFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Piloting	ImplementingFrom Fixed Standards to Competency-Based Mastery Implementing
From One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning	BeginningFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Beginning	PilotingFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Piloting	ImplementingFrom One-Size-Fits-All to Adaptive Learning Implementing
From Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry	BeginningFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Beginning	PilotingFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Piloting	ImplementingFrom Prescribed Knowledge to Innovation & Inquiry Implementing
From Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning	BeginningFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Beginning	PilotingFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Piloting	ImplementingFrom Subjects as Silos to Transdisciplinary, Real-World Learning Implementing
From Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities	BeginningFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Beginning	PilotingFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Piloting	ImplementingFrom Schools as Self-Contained to Schools as Embedded in Communities Implementing
From Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment	BeginningFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Beginning	PilotingFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Piloting	ImplementingFrom Standardized Testing to Meaningful Assessment Implementing
From Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets	BeginningFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Beginning	PilotingFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Piloting	ImplementingFrom Institutional Ownership of Student Data to Student-Controlled Learning Wallets Implementing

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Difference Making