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Focus Area:
Innovation and the Future of Learning

At CRPE, we study how public education can evolve to meet the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing world. Our research on innovation and the future of learning examines how schools are rethinking teaching and learning models—from personalized and competency-based approaches to the use of technology and AI—to better prepare students for life beyond school. We investigate how these innovations take shape in real contexts, what barriers and enablers schools encounter, and how systems can support sustainable change. Across this work, we aim to understand how schools and communities can design learning environments that are more equitable, adaptable, and responsive to the diverse needs of students.

  • The Lens    

Notes From the Field: Personalized Learning

Betheny Gross

In 2015, CRPE kicked off a multi-year, multi-method study of district and regional systemic efforts to support schools implementing personalized learning.

  • The Lens    

Following the Money in Personalized Learning

Robin Lake

Reorganizing time, talent, technology, and physical space to support personalized learning takes money, planning, and time. Dozens of philanthropies, new support organizations, and policy groups are dedicated to helping schools implement this model.

  • Research Reports    

Financing Personalized Learning: What Can We Learn From First-Generation Adopters?

Larry Miller, Betheny Gross, Tricia Maas, Alton Lu, Robin Lake

This paper takes the first systematic look at costs associated with implementing personalized learning schools, how leaders of these schools choose to allocate their funds, and what it might take to make personalized learning financially sustainable on public dollars.

  • The Lens    

Can Districts Learn to Innovate? Lessons from NYC

Robin Lake

We at CRPE have been watching the evolution of New York City Department of Education’s (NYCDOE) “iZone” for years. Betheny Gross and I did a paper on the early days of the iZone, when the district was asking about 200 schools to radically rethink their instruction, assessment, and staffing to revolve around personalization and customization for each student.

  • Research Reports    

Changing Methods and Mindsets: Lessons from Innovate NYC

Steven Hodas

Author Steven Hodas shares his experiences working with the New York Department of Education to foster innovative practices and develop more nimble procurement procedures.

  • The Lens    

Are Innovative K-12 Systems Solutions Hiding In Plain Sight?

Jordan Posamentier

Grappling with new ways to solve problems is a regular challenge in the K–12 space, yet good ideas don’t fall from the trees.

  • The Lens    

Fix Online Charter School Policy: It’s Past Time

Robin Lake

Today CREDO, Mathematica Policy Research, and CRPE released three papers as part of the first comprehensive rigorous national study of online charter schools.

  • Research Reports    

The Policy Framework for Online Charter Schools

Rosa Pazhouh, Robin Lake, Larry Miller

CRPE partnered with Mathematica and CREDO on a rigorous analysis of online charter schools. Our paper examines how state policy shapes the online charter school landscape.

  • The Lens    

Rethinking High Schools: Past Efforts Should Inform New Models

Paul Hill, Tricia Maas

Pundits on the left and right have criticized Laurene Powell Jobs’ new $50 million initiative to develop new high school models.

  • The Lens    

New Orleans: A City That Works—Together

Imagine a city where all high school students have had a series of job experiences by the time they graduate. When many of us think back to some of the essential lessons we learned growing up—lessons around hard work, reliability, punctuality, a service ethic—we find that we developed many of our habits of mind through our early working experiences.

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