Giving Compass' Take:

• Linda Jacobson, Roger Riddell, and Naaz Modan highlight five k-12 education trends they expect to see in 2020.

• How can funders advance k-12 education in 2020? What challenges do schools in your community face? 

• Read about education philanthropy. 

Continued innovations and shifts in assessment 
The Every Student Succeeds Act gave states and districts permission to try new assessment models in response to concerns students were being over-tested and that schools and policymakers had come to place too much emphasis on test scores to measure students’ and schools’ success.

While only four states are participating in ESSA’s innovative assessment initiative so far, efforts to exercise that freedom in other ways are likely to grow. The state of Washington, for example, has now approved seven pathways toward earning a high school diploma — not all of which include passing a test. Other states, including Georgia and Nebraska, are de-emphasizing end-of-year tests by measuring students’ proficiency levels on interim tests throughout the year. And several states and districts are dropping tests deemed redundant.

Clashes between safety efforts and student privacy
Parents and students may not fully understand the level of monitoring, surveillance and data collection that occurs in schools in an effort to identify those who may have the potential to harm others or themselves. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the number of school districts purchasing social media monitoring software is increasing.

Teacher activism spurs lawmaker response
Recent teacher activism over compensation, including Chicago's 11-day strike and smaller ones across the nation, have led state and even federal lawmakers to seriously examine the issue.

More than 300 bills were introduced in 2019 related to teacher compensation, and at least 45 were enacted, according to the Education Commission of the States. Alaska, Arkansas, Illinois and Idaho are among states to increase their teachers’ salaries this year.

Rethinking what a classroom and instruction can be
The paradigm shift of traditional classroom and instructional models — which has largely been centered around the idea of the teacher's transition from the "sage on the stage" who talks at students to the "guide at the side" who works with them — has largely been portrayed in terms of flexible seating arrangements and spaces resembling modern open office environments.

But the redefinition of what constitutes a classroom and what instruction can be is so much more, and a number of schools and districts stand to shake that up even further.

The changing face of professional development
Professional development has undergone significant change in recent years with the realization that, as with students, a "sit-and-get" lecture approach just didn't cut it anymore. The effectiveness of more individualized PD — delivered via mediums that have included everything from EdCamp "mini-conference" formats to digital microcredential programs — has helped further efforts to redefine the idea of what professional learning is.

But this, too, just scratches the surface.

Read the full article about Linda Jacobson, Roger Riddell, and Naaz Modan by Linda Jacobson, Roger Riddell, and Naaz Modan at Education Dive.