New Year, New Learning Networks

January 17, 2018

January 17, 2018

CEI is excited to share the launch of two Learning Networks for two of our Big Bets — High School Redesign and Competency-Based/Personalized Learning.

Our strategy release last September reinforced CEI’s vision that all Colorado students develop not only the academic, but also the professional, personal, entrepreneurial, and civic competencies we know are needed for students to become successful, happy, healthy 21st century adults as a result of their K12 education in our state. We believe work on high school redesign and competency-based/personalized learning are entry points to transforming systems such that they reliably produce these outcomes at scale for all students. The Learning Networks will begin a multi-phase journey for participating school and district teams, focused this spring on building community around a coalition of educators engaging in this work with specific attention to equity and empathy, and transitioning this fall into Design Networks, organized in response to identified needs and opportunities across participating teams.

With thanks to feedback from a handful of local school and district partners who are already leaders in this work across our state, CEI’s theory of change around each of these Big Bets is grounded in national research, as well as mindsets and conditions for scale that are consistent across both areas of work. Practices that are specific to each Big Bet, and that we are eager to convene participating teams to explore and further define in their contexts, include: social, emotional, and academic development (SEAD), rigor, and relevance for high school redesign; and climate and culture, articulated and transparent competencies, and teaching and learning for competency-based/personalized learning. Importantly, participation in the Learning Networks should not be viewed as a funding opportunity, but a chance to shape upcoming capacity building efforts, inform future development, and partner with others rethinking and redesigning how we approach school to these ends.

CEI Big Bet Learning Networks

High School Redesign

Competency-Based/Personalized Learning

CEI will partner with a maximum of 12 schools in the High School Redesign Learning Network, and 10 districts in the Competency-based/Personalized Learning (CB/PL) Learning Network. Interested teams are invited to submit a Letter of Interest by February 6, for notification by February 16. See the project overviews (linked above) for application details.