Innovation in Education

Decades Later: A Nation in Crisis (A White Paper)

In the 37 years since it was published, much has been debated about A Nation at Risk, its recommendations, and the eventual policies that were guided by it. But consensus is quite clear on one argument—our nation remains at risk.

In fact, our nation is now in crisis. That’s because our education system is obsolete, and many students are still being left behind. Given the U.S. is facing an alarming talent shortage that could cost our economy up to $1.7 trillion by 2030, we must act now to correct course.

In the wake of COVID, we are at an inflection point. Our education system has to change and improve student outcomes for good, so we must reevaluate our policy-making decisions from the last 50 plus years, not just the last two. We must create a nonpartisan stakeholder task force that examines what we’ve learned since A Nation at Risk, redefines the purpose of education in our country, and recommends policy solutions that work for 2022 and beyond.

Download the full white paper.

Read the companion opinion piece in Education Week by Gov. Bev Perdue.

 

A Model for Creating Policy Change: The Strategic Policy Playbook

digiLEARN released the Strategic Policy Playbook: Driving Innovation in Education for All Students to highlight the State of North Carolina's successful policy initiative to ensure equity in educational opportunity across the state. As a result of this process, any student, regardless of his/her address or economic circumstances could access the same academic courses, materials, and highly qualified teachers as any other student in the state. 

This policy brief, prepared by entangled.solutions and through generous support from the Carnegie Foundation of New York, describes North Carolina's successful effort to effect lasting change in education policy. It provides a primer to be used by other states and localities seeking to affect similar lasting change in education policy or in any other policy sector.

For a more in-depth look:

Personalized Learning in a Digital World: A Guide for Teachers and Schools

With the help of technology, teachers and schools across the country can transform their classrooms into collaborative learning spaces where teachers help students drive their own learning and better prepare for college and careers. 

Our 2018 brief, Personalized Learning in a Digital World: Four Key Priorities for Personalized and Digital Learning, is a guide for teachers and schools to learn best practices on incorporating technology and data into personalized learning. It stems from a meeting of educators and policymakers from across the South co-hosted by digiLEARN and the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and features case studies from across the country that highlight key strategies teachers and administrators can use to bring education into the digital age.

For a more in-depth look: