Those frustrated by the slow accretion of hard evidence about personalized learning can take comfort in one thing: Studies of the model released to date may be limited and inconclusive, but for the most part they are identifying the same strengths and roadblocks.

The most recent entry is a RAND Corp. early evaluation of a Carnegie Corporation of New York effort to create and monitor new high schools featuring both high levels of personalization and positive youth development, known as the Opportunity by Design initiative.

Here are five top takeaways from the latest look:

  1. Quality curriculum is scarce.
  2. Assessing mastery is also a challenge.
  3. Teacher hiring and retention are crucial.
  4. Principals crave mentoring and coaching.
  5. Students don’t yet own their learning.

We heard a lot of students who appreciated having the opportunity to work on something that was tailored to their interests, participating in decisions and having a voice in how the school is run,” she says. “These are things that are important to the non-academic skills they will need.”

Read the full article by Beth Hawkins about personalized learning on The 74