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Understanding the Future of School Choice

EdCircuit Staff067 views
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In this episode, you’ll hear about many components contributing to an expanded, enhanced definition of school choice. When students and families have options and information, they can pursue the choices that are personalized to their needs and provide the greatest flexibility to achieve each of their goals. 

 

The episode begins with the segment “Parent’s Thoughts,” presented by education advocacy pioneer Tillie Elvrum (0:39). Tillie, who co-founded Parent Support for Online Learning, a group of thousands of parents providing resources and mentorship, speaks about the positive impact of online learning in her own life. She discusses her son’s experience in a full-time online public school and then shares her hope that students everywhere will have choice over the  time, pace and place of their learning because “students work best when they’re masters of their own education.”

The Role of the Teacher in Modern Learning Environments

Then, in the featured interview (2:25), host Amy Valentine welcomes Kareem Farah, an award-winning former HS math teacher who is co-founder and CEO of the Modern Classrooms Project. Kareem shares his thoughts on the role of the teacher in modern learning environments, sharing that the teacher is largely the facilitator who can ensure learning is student-driven. He describes how he learned as a teacher to “eliminate the lecture,” a component of instruction he found ineffective and disengaging, and applied himself to more innovative practices.

Kareem also talks about the effects of the pandemic on the work he’s doing with the Modern Classrooms Project. The Project’s research-backed instructional model promotes teacher-created videos, self-paced student learning, and mastery-based grading, and demand has increased during the remote learning period. The approach speaks to the power of innovative thinking for educators, and giving students autonomy and choice in learning. 

This episode’s Research Insight (18:53) highlights that flexibility is the top reason students choose online or blended learning, including flexibility related to their schedule, expanded course offerings, the ability to compete in an elite sports program, and more. Flexibility has never been more possible and is an essential component in the future of school choice. 

Online Learning 

Next, Christian Rodriguez shares a student’s thoughts about the impact of online learning (19:25). Currently a college student, Christian was involved in online learning throughout middle and high school. He found that it allowed him to maximize his time, by providing flexibility over when he completed his school work. He had a busy schedule working on a farm and participating in numerous organizations, and online schooling made sure he could do it all.

Vision of Future of School 

The episode concludes with an interview conducted by Jorgie Ingram, a Future of School Student Scholarship winner (21:32). Jorgie chats with Amy Valentine to dive into a vision of the future of school. What can it look like? Jorgie and Amy also discuss one of the most important ways technology can make an impact, which is to increase communication among stakeholders.

Learn more about Future of School and its mission to mobilize change in American K-12 education from a one-size-fits-all system to one that ensures all students reach their unbounded potential no matter where their learning takes place at www.futureof.school. Follow Future of School on Twitter @futureof_school and follow Amy Valentine @amyvalentine555 to keep up-to-date on exciting initiatives and opportunities. 

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  • edCircuit is a mission-based organization entirely focused on the K-20 EdTech Industry and emPowering the voices that can provide guidance and expertise in facilitating the appropriate usage of digital technology in education. Our goal is to elevate the voices of today’s innovative thought leaders and edtech experts. Subscribe to receive notifications in your inbox

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  • Amy Valentine is the Chief Executive Officer and Education Evangelist of Future of School, a national nonprofit organization designed to support the growth of innovative school models integrating blended and online learning. Prior to guiding Future of School’s incubation and launch, Amy managed a portfolio of Colorado schools where she led academic and operational turnaround strategy. She also previously served as executive director for a network of Nobel Learning Communities schools in California.

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  • Tillie Elvrum is an education advocacy pioneer with experience at the state and national levels. She founded Elvrum Consulting after two decades of education reform and school choice advocacy. With a background in communications, early childhood education, and personal experience as a parent advocate, Tillie specializes in grassroots organizing, parent and stakeholder engagement, school choice policy, and innovative education models. Tillie previously served as President of the National Coalition for Public School Options Board of Directors where she led a network of advocates in 30 states. She worked to advance policies that would increase educational opportunity for students in statehouses across the country and on Capitol Hill. She currently leads the Parent Support for Online Learning initiative. She previously served as President of the Colorado Coalition of Cyberschool Families, a board member for the Ohio Coalition of E-School Families, and as board treasurer for Ohio Connections Academy. Additionally, she mentors advocacy organizations and is an advisor for KaiPod Learning.

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  • Kareem Farah spent his teaching career as a math educator in Hawaii and Washington, DC. He earned his undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis and later received a master’s degree in secondary education at Johns Hopkins University. Instead of using a traditional lecture model, Kareem taught math through a blended model where students accessed content through his self-made videos. The cornerstone of his classroom was the ability for students to work at their own pace and Kareem’s ability to assess students on mastery. Kareem co-founded the Modern Classrooms Project to empower teachers worldwide to redesign their classrooms around blended, self-paced, mastery-based learning.

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