Ed Department pushes school districts toward individualized education
Education is getting more personalized with the use of online education, tutors and programs created to educate students in a manner that works best for the individual. The nation’s Education Department is looking to build on this personalized approach by launching a Race to the Top competition that calls for school districts to create classroom plans that cater to all student learning styles and provide individualized instruction.
“We’re taking the next step forward,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan explained in a press release. “We’re announcing a new Race to the Top competition for school districts that is aimed squarely at the classroom level and the all-important relationship among teachers and students.
“With this competition, we are inviting districts to show us how they can personalize education for a set of students in their schools. We need to take classroom learning beyond a one-size-fits-all model and bring it into the 21st century,” Duncan added.
The competition is open to districts with a student body of 2,500 or more; at least 40 percent of students in the district must qualify for reduced or free lunch. The districts will be vying for funds to help support education reform programs that will personalize learning at either all of the schools, some of them, or for a particular grade level or subject.
The Race To The Top initiative began in 2009 and has helped fund education reform measures in school districts throughout the country, with 46 states working toward and developing “higher standards, data-driven decision making, greater support for teachers, and turnaround interventions in persistently low-performing schools,” according to the Department of Education. The latest effort is focused on reforming education at the classroom level and individualizing education to allow students to learn in the modality and pace that works best for the individual pupil. All Race to the Top initiatives are aimed at better preparing students for college and careers.
The Education Department has posted more about the new district-level Race to the Top initiative online and will make applications available in July. All interested school districts must apply by October. The winners will be announced no later than December 31, 2012.
