Giving Compass' Take:

· Linda Jacobson reports that a new Harvard study shows that personalized learning plans help boost student success by pulling together their strengths, needs, and goals.

· How can donors support redesigning learning and strengthening student outcomes? How do personalized plans cater to the needs of students? 

· Read more about the power of creating personalized learning plans for students. 

When one school in Salem, Massachusetts, received a “Level 4” designation in the state’s accountability system — thereby causing the entire Salem Public Schools to receive the same low rating — city leaders began looking for ways to bring schools and community partners together to improve outcomes for students.

“We have definitely struggled to meet the needs of all kids,” Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said in an interview. “We also know and recognize that what happens outside of school has such a big impact.”

Driscoll and the city’s children’s cabinet began working with the Education Redesign Lab at Harvard University as part of its By All Means initiative. And they partnered with City Connects, a Boston College program, to bring coordinators into schools who link together the various in-school and out-of-school programs serving students. The coordinators and teachers develop a personalized plan for each student when he or she enters pre-K that might include healthcare needs, afterschool and enrichment programs, and specific interventions, if needed.

“Education is really a community mission in Salem,” Driscoll said.

Read the full article about personalized plans boost student success by Linda Jacobson at Education Dive.