Category Archives: Innovation

Technology Gives Students with Disabilities Access to College Courses

Last week, I met with a group of high school students with learning disabilities who attend a dual-enrollment high school/college program at Mission Middle College in Santa Clara, California. The program emphasizes the use of technology, including the Bookshare accessible … Continue reading

Posted in Education Technology, Headlines, Innovation, News, Students | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Meeting the Challenges of Student Writing in the Digital Age

Writing is an important part of the Common Core State Standards in English language arts, but what about students learning to employ the digital tools so natural to them outside the classroom to express themselves in school? The challenges to … Continue reading

Posted in Headlines, Innovation, News | Tagged , | 2 Comments

i3 Grant Provides STEM Graduation Path for Colorado Students

Thanks to the implementation of a five-year, $3.6 million Investing in Innovation (i3) grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Skyline High School in Longmont, Colo., is getting a second chance.  Six years ago, Skyline was considered a “ghetto school … Continue reading

Posted in Headlines, Innovation, News, Science and Math (STEM) | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Community Partnerships for the Digital Learning Revolution

I wasn’t surprised to learn that my hometown of Huntsville, Alabama –The Rocket City – has launched one of the largest school district transitions to digital learning in the nation. I recently visited Huntsville to learn from their experience, and … Continue reading

Posted in Education Technology, Headlines, Innovation, News, Schools and Community | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Early Math Teachers Celebrate ‘Critical Thinking, Not Correct Answers’

With math literacy a must for most jobs in our knowledge economy, Secretary Duncan has called math teachers “our nation-builders of the future.” Yet, just 40 percent of 4th-graders and 35 percent of 8th-graders are proficient in math, according to … Continue reading

Posted in Headlines, Innovation, News, Teachers | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Unlocking Human Potential: The Cost of Conflating Potential and Performance

I recently gave a TEDx MidAtlantic talk entitled Unlocking Human Potential: Why We Need a New Infrastructure for Learning about Learning. My premise was that we have the opportunity to tap into vast amounts of latent human potential; but, to do so quickly, we … Continue reading

Posted in Headlines, Innovation, News | 2 Comments

Driving Productivity in Postsecondary Education Through Innovation

The Department of Education (ED) seeks to encourage innovation in higher education teaching and learning to drive productivity, quality, and equity. To contribute to the national conversation in this arena, ED, in collaboration with the White House Office of Science … Continue reading

Posted in Headlines, Innovation, News | Tagged , | Comments Off

Schools That Can

For each of the last three years, Secretary Duncan has started the school year with a bus tour visiting schools and communities across the country to find what’s working in education and to hear the concerns, insights, and lessons learned … Continue reading

Posted in Back To School Tour, Back to School Tour 2012, Innovation, Promise Neighborhoods, Success Stories | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Back-to-School Bus Tour Takes Shape – CA, NV, UT

What do tech startups, the Biggest Little City in the World, and great skiing have in common? They’re the first things that come to my mind when describing the early stops on ED’s Education Drives America cross-country bus tour. Silicon … Continue reading

Posted in Back To School Tour, Back to School Tour 2012, Headlines, Innovation, News, Teachers | Comments Off

Connected Educator Month: Game-Based Learning

The topic of “game-based learning” is gaining considerable attention as more and more young people are learning from games outside of school and more and more teachers are leveraging the power of games to engage students in school. Well-designed games … Continue reading

Posted in Headlines, Innovation, News, Teachers | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Education Innovation Clusters: Accelerating Innovation Through Regional Partnerships

At a time when advances in technology and digital media hold the potential to dramatically reshape the way we approach instruction, assessment, and research, many barriers still continue to slow innovation in learning, teaching and educational technologies.  Accelerating the pace … Continue reading

Posted in Headlines, Innovation, News | Tagged | 1 Comment

Reading Recovery: i3 Grantee Has Immediate Impact on Young Readers

When young children struggle to read, they can quickly fall behind their classmates in a number of subjects. Teachers with the 27-year old Reading Recovery program work one-on-one with 1st graders to rapidly reverse that descent, developing tailored strategies that … Continue reading

Posted in Headlines, Innovation, News | Tagged , | 7 Comments