The start of a new year is the best time to reflect and review what happened the previous year. One of the areas that has received the most attention in K-12 education, dominating headlines, conversations, and research, was personalized learning.

Personalized learning remains a broad topic. But it often refers to innovative approaches to tailoring instruction to fit students’ individual needs and increase their autonomy over how, when, where, or what they learn.

Proponents believe personalized learning offers the best way to prepare students for college and career success. In 2017, two of the biggest names in education funding, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, continued to pledge their support (and millions of dollars) to promote the potential of personalized approaches.

Opponents of personalized learning, however, are quick to point out reasons why it is not the solution to our education problems. From educators who are hesitant to abandon a model that has worked for them, to edtech skeptics that fear computers will replace teachers, many question the benefits in an approach that has little research supporting its ability to improve most students’ outcomes.

Amidst these debates, one thing is abundantly clear: personalized learning is not a one-size-fits-all method. Schools and students have different needs that can’t all be met with one single model or tool. If we can agree on this, we can also agree that we need research and thought leadership from multiple organizations, dealing with diverse populations, and conducted under various circumstances if we hope to fully understand the potential and pitfalls of personalized learning efforts.

Read the full article about personalized learning by Luis Flores at Christensen Institute.