BlendED Blog

Innovation... disruption... transformation... the path to successfully implementing high-quality blended learning in America's schools is rapidly unfolding, and The Learning Accelerator is developing a road map for districts ready to embark on this journey. On the BlendED Update you will find our latest research, commentary, and helpful tools for schools that are ready to blend.

Behind the Curtain of Flex Time

by Rob Schwartz, Jeffrey Starr on July 25 2018

This blog first appeared on EdWeek’s Next Gen Learning in Action column.With all the interest in innovative school models, many schools are creating “flex time” periods during the day for students to increase student agency. We at Silicon Schools Fund and Relay Graduate School of Education set out to understand what makes flex time periods work...

How an Injury Made Me a More Accessibility-Focused Digital Citizen

by Samantha Brumley on July 11 2018

I’ve been fortunate to live most of my web-browsing life as an able-bodied person. I’ve never encountered any difficulties being able to find, see, and otherwise experience online content, which is crucial in an age where people are so likely to consult Google for answers to their questions and dilemmas. The convenience is undeniable – especially...

A Warm Welcome to the Innovation Directors Network!

by Juliana Finegan on July 2 2018

Last week, The Learning Accelerator (TLA) brought together 15 amazing leaders from across the United States for our inaugural launch of the Innovation Directors Network (IDN). Participants were invited to join based on their strong work in leading blended and personalized learning at the system level. The group represented 10 districts and five...

Seven Top Decisions For Leaders Scaling Innovation

by Ellie Avishai, Beth Rabbitt on June 28 2018

This blog was originally posted on Education Next.Networks of schools across the country are increasingly using more personalized and blended learning strategies to create equitable access to high-quality instruction, increase student engagement and agency, and meet individual student needs. This has put a growing number of district and CMO...

Exciting New Initiatives Provide Hope for Improved EdTech Purchasing Across K-12 Schools

by Daniel Owens on June 25 2018

Education purchasing should be simple, right? If you need some pencils or paper, you can get them at the nearest supply store. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. We often overlook everything a district needs to buy – from mundane things like clocks to more symbolic items like school buses. The broad spectrum of purchases a school district...

TLA: A Culture of Urgency, Fun, and Flexibility

by Michela Marini on June 19 2018

At The Learning Accelerator (TLA), we focus every day on programmatic activities that help us achieve our mission and get a step closer to the world we have envisioned since our early days – a world in which every child in America receives an equitable education that is engaging and personalized. Over the last several years, we experienced a...

Why the Recent Facebook/Cambridge Analytica Data ‘Breach’ Matters for Students

by Saro Mohammed on June 13 2018

This blog was originally published on the Brookings Institution's Brown Center Chalkboard.When 80 million Facebook users’ data were found to be in the hands of Cambridge Analytica, users of the social media platform–and Congress–decided it was time to take a closer look at the data collected by the platform and the apps it hosts. I couldn’t help...

Structure Helps Promote Student Agency

by Rob Schwartz, Jeffrey Starr on May 16 2018

This blog first appeared on EdWeek’s Next Gen Learning in Action column. At Silicon Schools Fund we invest in schools that take new approaches to education. We recently wrote that many schools are starting to create flex time periods during the day, where students work independently, often online, while teachers perform high-leverage activities...

TLA’s Measurement Fellowship: New Knowledge for the Field

by Saro Mohammed on May 14 2018

As part of our work to catalyze measurement that increases our evidence base of equitable, effective blended practices, TLA is currently piloting a one-year Fellowship to support research that advances our measurement agenda. Our goal is to help folks across the ecosystem (including future researchers, leaders, and educators) work together towards...

Supporting and Engaging Diverse Learners within Blended and Personalized Learning

by Juliana Finegan on May 8 2018

With support and feedback from the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), we recently launched a three-part “Problem of Practice” series focused on supporting diverse learners utilizing specific strategies from the Blended and Personalized Learning At Work site as well as research and insights obtained from the team at NCLD. Being...

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