PROVIDENCE, RI ― In a newly-released policy brief, Perspective on Personalized Learning and Recommendations for Successful Statewide Implementation, Teach Plus Rhode Island Teaching Policy Fellows examine what it means to personalize learning and provide a series of recommendations on what is needed to successfully implement the vision of a personalized education experience for all Rhode Island students. The 24 Fellows, all current teachers in traditional district and charter schools across the state, spent the past year developing a deeper knowledge of personalized learning and zeroing in on a set of recommendations Rhode Island policymakers, district and state education administrators, parents and the business community should consider to support the adoption and successful implementation of student-centered, personalized learning across the state.
“Rhode Island has been heralded as the state that is leading the nation in creating a more student-centered, personalized education experience for its students,” said Paul Toner, Teach Plus Rhode Island Executive Director. “Many educators are excited and supportive of these efforts but to be successful, they need support and our teacher preparation and traditional notions of school need a significant redesign. The Fellows make this clear in their new brief.”
The Fellows will share their policy brief with Rhode Island Department of Education Commissioner, Dr. Kenneth Wagner and his staff, as well as legislators, policy makers, and education organizations. The Fellows hope that these recommendations will lead to deeper conversation and needed policy changes to make personalized learning a reality across the state.
“The Teach Plus Fellowship has helped me to the see the variety of options for personalization within the classroom,” said Amanda Larner, 6th grade humanities teacher at Segue Institute for Learning in Central Falls and one of the brief’s authors. “I now can see the foundational importance of personalization and I’m prepared for the next steps in the growth of our school community. My hope is that this has just been the beginning of a journey to reformat education to fit the needs of all of our students.”
Teach Plus established the Rhode Island Teaching Policy Fellowship in 2017 with funding from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF) to engage Rhode Island educators interested in learning more about personalized learning.
About Teach Plus
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has trained thousands of teacher leaders across the country who are driving policy changes and improving the instructional practices of teachers to create an education system driven by equity, access, and excellence for all students. teachplus.org
