What 100 School Visits Taught Us This Year
We visited more than 100 schools this year. About half were new schools (in the last 20 years) and the other half were (at least partially) transformed. They were in every corner of the country and ranged from tiny rural schools in Idaho to big schools in Chicago (and a few in Europe and Asia). As a year-end reflection, we identified 10 lessons.
The Future is Here: Artificial Intelligence & What it Means For Our Kids
In this episode of the Getting Smart podcast, we throw it back to an old episode featuring Emily Liebtag, Tom Vander Ark and senior Silicon Valley software engineer Gerald Huff on how artificial intelligence will impact the future and how important it is for today's students to #AskAboutAI.
Scaling Competency-Based Education: Equity-Focused Strategies for Policy and Practice
By: Tom Vander Ark and Mary Ryerse. This week's episode of the Getting Smart Podcast features an in-depth look at the equity imperative behind competency-based education, current barriers to CBE, and five key points to move the field toward CBE for all.
Schools Out: Lessons Learned From Lindsay Unified School District
In our final episode of the Schools Out series, Tom speaks with Tom Rooney Superintendent of Lindsay Unified Public Schools. Listen in as they talk about lessons learned from Lindsay Unified Public Schools and how the community can play an active role in the future of learning.
School’s Out: Anywhere, Anytime Learning and the Role of Technology
In part two of the series, Tom is joined by Nate McClennan and Oscar Brinson as they discuss anywhere, anytime learning, the community as a classroom, the importance of guidance of advisory for learners, and the role AI and automation will play in the future or learning.
Helping Students Thrive in San Diego
This week we're bringing you a bonus episode to share the great interviews we got to do at iNACOL. Grab your headphones and hear the story of Thrive Public Schools. How it started, what they've learned and where they're headed next.
School’s Out: Engaging Family and the Community
In this episode of the Getting Smart podcast, Tom interviews two of the authors of Education Reimagined "Schools Out" paper, Amy Anderson and Scott Van Beck. Listen in as they about family participation in learner advocate networks, flexibility within the learner’s day, the expanded role the community could play in offering learning opportunities for students, how teachers and community members could shift into the role of learning designers, and much more.
20 Signs of Progress at Singapore American School
In this week's episode of the podcast Tom talks about the progress seen at Singapore American School when it comes to prepping students for life and college.
How Teachers and Leaders Can Promote Personalized Learning
Personalized learning is the future of education. In the latest episode of the podcast, Tom shares five important attributes, five tips on learning environments and how teachers and leaders can help promote personalized learning.
Project-Based Learning Connects Real World With Deep Impact
In a special throwback episode of the Getting Smart Podcast, we feature student stories about their experiences with project-based learning (PBL), an interview with a PBL STEM teacher and interviews with education leaders Bob Lenz and John Larmer of Buck Institute for Education about PBL and the impact PBL has on student achievement.