TLA Blog

The field of education is constantly innovating as schools across the country search for the best ways to improve learning for each student. On the TLA Blog, The Learning Accelerator team and guest experts investigate and help you navigate the latest research, commentary, and useful tools to push the field forward.

Building Community and Connections: An Update on TLA’s Innovation Directors Network

by Jin-Soo Huh, Juliana Finegan on February 13 2019

The Learning Accelerator’s (TLA) Innovation Directors Network (IDN) recently finished its second convening in Dallas, TX. Once again, we were inspired, energized, and humbled by the amazing group of 13 system-level leaders and innovators who attended. We enjoyed two packed days of exploring, connecting, sharing, learning, and observing some best...

When we talk about “assessment,” what do we really mean?

by Nithi Thomas on January 17 2019

When we talk about teachers and classroom data use, we’re oftentimes talking about data produced via assessment, or as Stassen et al. (2001) eloquently write, “the systematic collection and analysis of information to improve student learning.” The word “assessment” can conjure a lot of things for a lot of people, ranging from the high-stakes world...

Making good on our data resolutions: Introducing a new series on lessons from TLA’s 6-month study on the current state of classroom data use

by Beth Rabbitt on January 15 2019

At TLA, we believe that the use of data is one of the most powerful strategies for realizing an effective, engaging, and equitable outcome for every child in classrooms across America. As our friends at the Data Quality Campaign (DQC) say, when used in service of learning “data is one of the most powerful tools to inform, engage, and create...

So You Want to Innovate? Remember to Communicate

by Kira Keane on January 10 2019

Schools across the country are transforming education by embracing innovation and breaking out of the traditional paradigms of time, place, and pace. Teachers are blending in-person instruction with technology to differentiate lessons, using real-time data to personalize learning and allow for mastery-based progression, and they are incorporating...

Ignite Your Use of Ed Research

by Saro Mohammed on January 2 2019

Learning sciences seem to be everywhere these days. Over the last couple of years, the message that educators have been getting about evidence has flipped from, “the research is new,” or “the evidence isn’t conclusive,” to “learning science clearly shows us...” This is a positive development, but the challenge still remains to help educators...

2018: A Year to Remember for TLA

by Michela Marini, Samantha Brumley on December 22 2018

The end of the year is a time when The Learning Accelerator team likes to step back and reflect on progress and accomplishments. Above all, we spend a lot of time evaluating how well we’re doing against our mission to ensure that teachers and leaders across the country have the knowledge, tools, and networks they need to support every child in...

The Parent Perspective: Parents’ Perceptions of Their Children’s Blended Learning Experiences

by Erin Cofrancesco, Melina Minji Kim on December 18 2018

We are graduate students at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) studying educational technology and innovation. As part of Barbara Treacy’s course, Connected Teaching in the Digital Age, we partnered with The Learning Accelerator (TLA) to research an important stakeholder in the field of blended learning: parents. We surveyed parents...

Blended Learning Data: Moving Beyond Binary Results

by Kevin Hoffman on December 13 2018

“For every 20 minutes a student spent [on our software], their MAP score increased by 2.5 points.” “Ensure that students see two years of reading growth [if they use our program].” “Our study has found that use of this math program with fidelity has roughly the positive impact of a second-year teacher versus a first-year teacher.” In the world...

TLA Is Looking for a Data Analyst to Join Our Small but Mighty Team

by Michela Marini on December 3 2018

The Learning Accelerator (TLA) is launching an 18-month partnership with a leading performance-based school system to support the district’s use of evidence across its adult-facing initiatives to inform continuous improvement and the scaling of highly innovative competency-based learning strategies and programs across the organization. We are...

Tech or No Tech, Effective Learning is All About Teaching

by Saro Mohammed on November 5 2018

This blog was originally published on the Brookings Institution's Brown Center Chalkboard. As millions of students head back to school, families are probably wondering if those shiny new devices, apps, and even games that are becoming a typical part of the school day are good for learning. As an education researcher focused on blended learning, I...

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