Competency-Based Education

Leadership

Coalition Before Consensus: How Trust and Shared Ownership Sustain Transformation

Rebecca Midles, Nate McClennen

Jun 29, 2026

Competency-Based Education

The Tyranny of College Admissions: Why It’s So Challenging to Have Real Change in K-12 Education

Guest Author

Jun 8, 2026

Two middle school boys work together on a coding project.

Leadership

What AI-Enabled Education Actually Looks Like When It’s Working for Workforce Students

Guest Author

May 28, 2026

Students and instructors in lab coats working on robotics and electronics in a modern manufacturing workshop

Ed Policy

Making Work-Based Learning Work: Georgia’s Novel Approach to WBL Data

Mason Pashia

Apr 2, 2026

Project-Based Learning

Lever 2 for Deeper PoG Implementation: Teaching the Skills Behind the Portrait

Abby Benedetto, Kimberly Erickson

Mar 23, 2026

Competency-Based Education

What if Proficiency is not Proficient? The Case for Calibration

Rebecca Midles, Nate McClennen

Jan 20, 2026

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This podcast highlights developing trends in K-12 education, postsecondary and lifelong learning. Each week, Getting Smart team members interview students, leading authors, experts and practitioners in research, tech, entrepreneurship and leadership to bring listeners innovative and actionable strategies in education leadership.

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Norwalk Public Schools' Portrait of a Graduate wheel showing five competencies: Critical Thinker, Self-Directed Learner, Global Citizen, Synergistic Collaborator, and Effective Communicator.

Competency-Based Education

Norwalk Public Schools: Levers for Living the Portrait of a Graduate (a 7-part series)

Abby Benedetto, Kimberly Erickson

Jan 12, 2026

Join Abby and Kimberly as they document the journey of the Norwalk Portrait of a Graduate and its role in education.

A student wearing safety goggles and an instructor collaborate on a gear-and-belt mechanism in a makerspace classroom.

Future of Learning

A Graduate Portrait Names What We Value. Our Learning System Shows That We Mean It.

Rebecca Midles

Dec 8, 2025

Aligning a Portrait of a Graduate with daily practices transforms vision into a lived culture, fostering coherence across education systems.

Diverse middle school students collaborating on 3D design software with colorful printed parts on classroom table

Competency-Based Education

Advancing Assessment in the Service of Learning

Edmund W. Gordon, Eric Tucker

Oct 8, 2025

Reimagining assessment to serve learning, not just grading. Explore the Handbook for Assessment in the Service of Learning for innovation in education.

Students arranged in a large circle in a modern library space, holding papers during a collaborative discussion session.

Equity & Access

Reimagining School Starts with Reclaiming Time

Guest Author

Jul 11, 2025

Exploring innovative time structures in schools to enhance personalized, competency-based learning and support teacher collaboration.

	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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Competency-Based Education

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