Dive Brief:

• Rhode Island is at the beginning of a statewide personalized learning initiative, capitalizing on its foundation with blended learning to try to scale best practices to all schools.
• The Hechinger Report writes the Bristol-Warren Regional School District has been working with other districts to jointly train teachers on digital tools that can customize lessons for individual students and it also uses teacher leaders to provide in-class support for teachers new to the strategy.
• State education leaders caution districts to avoid approaching personalized learning as a silver bullet, however, given persistent questions about the best ways to design and implement such programs.

Dive Insight:

It is not surprising districts have latched onto the power of personalized learning, especially given the market of digital devices that can help ease the work of teachers in tailoring lesson plans and pacing to student needs. Still, experts on all sides are urging caution as technology can make even the worst practices more efficient.

Districts interested in personalizing learning for students should give serious consideration to teacher training and supports. The role of teachers can shift dramatically depending on how personalized learning is implemented in the classroom, and veteran and novice teachers alike need support in that transition.