iNACOL’s annual conference is the industry’s leading event shaping the future of K-12 education. Experts, practitioners, educators, policymakers and researchers gather and work to transform education.
The iNACOL Symposium will be held on October 28-31, 2019 at the Palm Springs Convention Center in Palm Springs, California. iNACOL’s annual conference is the industry’s leading event shaping the future of K-12 education. Experts, practitioners, educators, policymakers and researchers gather…
Today, iNACOL (@nacol) published its iNACOL 2019 State and Federal Policy Priorities, an equity-driven, future-focused set of recommendations to drive the transformation of our nation’s K-12 education systems to meet the needs of every student. Our current, traditional K-12 education systems are not adequate to prepare all students for success after high school. The problem […]
Educators across the K-12 education workforce are the most important drivers for success in the shift to powerful, personalized, competency-based learning. Only by raising and building the capacity of educators and school leaders will we realize the bold vision of systemic transformation toward student-centered learning. If we fail to invest in the capacity of educators […]
To present, the idea of accountability in American education has been synonymous with end-of-year, statewide, summative tests that are tied to high stakes outcomes for teachers and schools. No Child Left Behind’s (NCLB) intent was to increase equity. The strategy NCLB employed was to require states to test all students in grades 3 through 8 […]
State and local education systems need to focus on supporting an accountability system that continuously improves to meet the needs of a changing society, economy and student populations. We need to ensure that accountability systems are “fit for purpose” and support student-centered, competency-based learning. How could we know in real time whether students are making […]
In our current, traditional educational system, there is a significant focus on old pedagogical models delivering a one-size-fits-all lesson of grade-level content each day. The retrograde effects of accountability systems are perhaps most apparent in the challenges educators face across the United States to truly try to meet students where they are. David Hood’s “Paradigm […]
The learning sciences are an important reference point in designing instructional models for equity where all students can succeed. Learning sciences are the multidisciplinary study of how students learn best, and what feeds intrinsic motivation and the experience of personal success. A school redesign informed by learning sciences puts student success at its center. It […]
There is a need to rethink the purpose and role of assessment in education systems. Assessment literacy, according to the New Zealand Ministry of Education, is “the possession of knowledge about the basic principles of sound assessment practice, including its terminology, the development and use of assessment methodologies and techniques, and familiarity with standards of […]
On July 23, Congress voted to pass a bill to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins Act) and on July 31, President Trump signed into law, the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, providing states with the opportunity to advance competency-based pathways in career and […]
Moving to a future state of an equitable K-12 education system requires that we consider and perhaps rethink what students need to know and be able to do to achieve success. It also requires that we set a vision and foundation for achieving success throughout the state education system. Here we dig into the second […]
Not only do high school diplomas need to certify mastery of academic competencies, but they also need to certify mastery of a comprehensive set of skills, knowledge and dispositions students need to succeed after high school. More meaningful qualifications can promote active, inquiry-based pedagogy with more holistic, learner-centered models to ensure students gain the knowledge […]