Giving Compass' Take:

• At Education Dive, Naaz Modan summarizes some of the missteps in the critical transition to student-centered schooling for COVID-affected education.

• How can you help support schools as they make the adjustment to student-centered learning? What will it take to get equitable access to remote resources for students in marginalized communities?

• Learn about the importance of student-centered schooling, even before the global pandemic.

COVID-19 and virtual learning have created "the perfect combination of catalysts for a rapid conversion to student-centered schooling," according to a new report from the Christensen Institute.

However, the authors write, most K-12 educators aren't equipped with the skill sets needed to run student-centered schools. For student-centered learning to be adopted, educators must be trained for student-centered competencies, but current approaches to educator development also fall short in this area.

The report suggests school and district leaders should revamp their professional development approaches for student-centered learning.

Specifically, the report suggests school and district leaders:

  • Work toward a more modular professional development system, which includes specific, verifiable and predictable microcredentials.
  • Specify competencies needed for student-centered educators.
  • Compensate educators with bonuses for microcredentials to incentivize earning them.
  • Purchase bulk licenses to allow teachers the opportunity to earn microcredentials.
  • Demand and pay for mastery of skills rather than a one-time workshop.
  • Vet microcredential issuers' verification processes, like rubrics and evaluation systems.

When schools shifted to remote instruction, some students fell off the grid while others were stressed and faced barriers to to completing schoolwork online, such as the lack of Wi-Fi and unstable home environments. Now that districts across the nation are returning to school with a hodgepodge of reopening plans following COVID-19 closures, educators are preparing for for widened gaps and for students to be at different places in their in their learning.

Read the full article about student-centered learning by Naaz Modan at Education Dive.