Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Across the nation, young people are raising bright red flags about their education. Less than half of students say their schoolwork challenges them. Fewer than two in 10 strongly agree that what they are learning is important, engaging, or relevant. Half of Generation Z feels unprepared for the future and millions of students are voting with their feet by attending school sporadically or not at all.
One way to heed these clear calls from students for much more rigorous, engaging and relevant education is to leverage Competency-Based Education (CBE). While CBE is not a new idea—dating back to the first blacksmiths, if not the beginning of human existence—it has never penetrated classrooms and schools at broad-scale. At its core, CBE is designed to help students progress at their own pace, focusing on mastery of skills and knowledge, rather than accounting for learning based on time spent in a classroom or on a digital platform.
There is promise on the horizon. As of last year, every state in the nation allowed for some form of competency-based learning. Today, while many are early on the journey, an increasing number of schools, systems, and postsecondary institutions are exploring and adopting CBE models. In Utah, for example, about half of the state’s school districts have received grants supporting their transition to CBE—helping develop graduates who demonstrate academic mastery and durable skills like communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving. In New Hampshire, the PACE program enables students to demonstrate deeper learning through a growing set of performance-based assessments. And as I noted in September, in more than 30 school districts across Kansas City, high school students are demonstrating competency through carefully designed community-based learning experiences and a rich array of internships as part of the Real-World Learning Initiative.
As CBE gathers momentum, more robust research and development is essential. We need to better understand what methods are most effective, for whom, and under what conditions. Fortunately, a growing number of organizations are working at the forefront of these efforts, creating resources, undertaking research, and building roadmaps to help schools reimagine and redesign student learning. The Aurora Institute is one such institution. As Virgel Hammonds, CEO of Aurora recently shared with Carnegie:
“Transformative shifts in education require significant commitment; they don’t happen overnight. A critical first step is adopting a mindset that believes in the potential of all children.”
For more perspective from Hammonds on the transformative potential of CBE and strategies for its implementation, I invite you to read our Q&A conversation.
Together, we can ensure American schools unlock the potential of every student, no matter what their future holds.
In partnership,
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