Schools Worth Visiting

The Getting Smart team visits hundreds of schools each year and is grateful for the opportunity to see high-quality teaching and learning in action. This series features stories of schools that share best practices, lessons learned and next-gen teaching practices that support high-quality, personalized, project-based learning for all students.

Leadership

How to Reduce Barriers to Family Engagement

Guest Author

Mar 25, 2017

In a recent survey, 18,000+ parents and guardians were asked to share more about their barriers to engaging with their child’s school. Here are the most common barriers nationwide, and potential next steps for addressing these challenges.

EdTech

Why We Use Digital Badges at Del Lago Academy

Guest Author

Mar 23, 2017

By: Alec Barron. Here is why educators at Del Lago Academy, an Applied Science focused high school, developed a digital badging system for our students.

EdTech

Elementary & Middle Schools Worth Visiting

Getting Smart Staff

Mar 21, 2017

Here at Getting Smart, we think school visits are the best form of professional learning. Based on a couple thousand school visits, and with help from colleagues and readers, we’ve compiled this list of elementary and middle schools worth visiting.

Schools Worth Visiting

The Technologies Reshaping Life and Livelihood

Tom Vander Ark

Mar 21, 2017

AI is rapidly reshaping the employment landscape, and given the opportunities and challenges this creates it is a topic every school community should be discussing with students.

Equity & Access

Improving Connectivity to Create Powerful Learning Experiences

Guest Author

Mar 20, 2017

By: LaShona Dickerson. Lafayette Parish School System is the sixth largest district in Louisiana, and our outdated network made it impossible to provide connectivity for so many. Here is how we addressed our challenge and the lessons we learned along the way.

Competency-Based Education

Holacracy: Organizing For Change At District 51

Chris Sturgis

Mar 17, 2017

Holacracy is a system for self-organizing, so that as context changes, so can the organization. Here is more on how Mesa Valley County School District 51 is implementing this model internally as they shift to a competency-based education system.

Future of Learning

Student-Centered Design Focused Learning at a Student-Led School

Tom Vander Ark

Mar 15, 2017

One Stone students and educators share their thoughts on what really sets this student-led and directed nonprofit high school apart and what they feel really worked for them this first year.

Schools Worth Visiting

7 Critical Components to Empower Student Success

Guest Author

Mar 13, 2017

By: Lori Vandeborne & Steve Vanderhoff. Here are the 7 Critical Components to Empowering Success we implement at Rushmore Academy to ensure we remove any and all barriers to learning for our at-risk student population.

Leadership

Student 3D Printing That Helps Make A Difference

Guest Author

Mar 13, 2017

By: Joy Schwartz. Students thrive when asked to solve real problems that have the power to make a difference, as demonstrated by my high school students while designing and building a working prosthetic arm to donate to a local seven-year-old girl.

EdTech

Professional Learning: The Power of School Visits

Emily Liebtag

Mar 7, 2017

School visits can be a powerful part of a professional learning plan and a critical part of a school transformation effort. Here are five specific reasons we feel school visits are a must-have item for community leader and school member participation.

	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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Schools Worth Visiting