EdStat: In 2016, Raising Blended Learners Chose Five “Demonstration Sites” to Receive Grants of up to $500,000 Over Three Years – by Education Next

In an effort to scale up personalized learning in the state of Texas, Raising Blended Learners (RBL) has matched grants with extensive tailored support. RBL hosted in-depth workshops that guided 74 teams from districts to create blended learning plans. Ultimately, 10 school systems were selected to refine their plans before five winning “demonstration sites” were chosen in 2016 for grants of up to $500,000 over three years.

The five demonstration sites had mixed or modest gains in student achievement and engagement, according to a report on the first year of RBL written by FSG. Although the rural Cisco Independent School District has seen some improvement in student test scores, for example, it remains below the state average. However, educators report greater student ownership of learning, more peer collaboration between students, deeper teacher knowledge of student needs, and fewer disciplinary problems.

To learn more about regional personalized learning funds, read Julie Landry Petersen’s “Kickstarters for Personalized Learning” on EdNext.org.

—Education Next

Source: EducationNext