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.

Because Being a “Good School” Isn’t Good Enough

Guest Author

May 9, 2018

By: Andrew Rubin. We instinctively tend to think that schools with big problems require major turnarounds, and that schools that operate smoothly and successfully - the typical “good school” - only need minor course corrections each year. The first part may be true. The second part isn’t.

Project-Based Learning

Community Defined Projects at Health Leadership High

Tom Vander Ark

Apr 24, 2018

A visit to project-based Health Leadership HS, a talent pipeline and advocacy organization for a healthier community in Albuquerque, NM.

Competency-Based Education

Evidence That Makes it Evident: Improving Assessment by Emulating the Trades

Guest Author

Mar 14, 2018

By: Elliot Washor and Charles Mojkowski. The expanded vision of the graduate has widened the gap between the competencies educators want for all graduates, and the evidence of competence educators are actually collecting. Here's one way we can begin to change that.

Future of Learning

Whittle School & Studios: Transforming Education for Global Good

Getting Smart Staff

Feb 9, 2018

To develop the Whittle School, a world-class staff, informed by a global academic advisory board and leading-edge partners, developed a school model that incorporates 10 important innovations that set the new standard for quality education. Learn more here.

Place Based Education

A Place-Based Micro-School in the Heart of D.C.

Emily Liebtag

Feb 5, 2018

Whether at the early childhood or the high school level, we see that leaders are listening to their students and developing responsive microschool models. Have a good learning idea? Try it with six kids tomorrow.

Leadership

How Michigan CoOp Connects Leaders to Improve Education

Guest Author

Dec 25, 2017

By: Marsha Myles Bahra. The Michigan CoOp is a network of school districts that are early adopters of successful, efficient, and effective learning models. Members leverage each other’s strengths to create new opportunities for student learning.

Schools Worth Visiting

Using Design Thinking to Disrupt for Good

Adam Kulaas

Dec 19, 2017

One Stone is an innovative high school in the heart of Boise with a mission of “making students better leaders and the world a better place.” Learn more about how they incorporate innovation and disruption into their curriculum here.

EdTech

How to Talk to Parents About Your School’s EdTech

Erin Gohl

Nov 21, 2017

It's only natural for parents to feel some concern over the use of EdTech in their children's schools. Here are some tips for educators and EdLeaders who are facing these concerns, along with some tools you can use to demonstrate EdTech's potential efficacy.

Schools Worth Visiting

Don’t Doubt Detroit

Emily Liebtag

Sep 25, 2017

There are incredibly dedicated educators and families in Detroit working to revive their schools and communities. The heart and resilience of the people in Detroit is palpable.

EdTech

Gooru Powers Personalized Learning With Open Content

Getting Smart Staff

Sep 23, 2017

Nonprofit platform Gooru provides K-12 teachers and students with real-time assessment data and a catalog of free and open content designed to personalize the learning experience and support students in reaching their goals.

	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