How does culturally sustaining pedagogy look in a personalized learning environment? That is the question we asked when examining the iLab academic program at Winooski High School in Vermont. With over 25 languages spoken and a large student population of new Americans, Winooski High School is the setting for this study that investigates student…

Personalized learning (PL) and social-emotional learning (SEL) are areas of increasing emphasis in U.S. educational policy and practice. With the goal of examining how these initiatives may be mutually supportive, this exploratory study investigates the potential for a PL experience to help middle school students develop the SEL skill of…

This study investigates the hands-joined learning framework as an approach to personalize and provide instructional scaffolding within project-based learning. The authors include a case description of hands-joined learning in a middle school social studies classroom and critically examine middle school student feedback in relation to two aims: (a)…

This article considers the epistemological consequences of interdisciplinary, collaborative pedagogy through the lens of a practitioner whose goal is to theorize and contextualize her practice. The author traces connections between interdisciplinary pedagogy and the idea of Making or makerspaces. Giving in-depth examples of interdisciplinary,…

Creating meaningful professional development opportunities for general education faculty can be particularly challenging at professionally-focused institutions where teaching liberal arts courses is sometimes viewed merely as a service requirement. Committing to sustained professional development for general education faculty can lead to…

This article considers the epistemological consequences of interdisciplinary, collaborative pedagogy through the lens of a practitioner whose goal is to theorize and contextualize her practice. The author traces connections between interdisciplinary pedagogy and the idea of Making or makerspaces. Giving in-depth examples of interdisciplinary,…

Competency-based pathways (CBP) have the potential to open new opportunities for students to learn and demonstrate their learning in meaningful ways that are grounded in application and relevant to their career goals. This brief argues that states can and should leverage CTE when considering how to move K-12 education toward a system marked by…

American Institutes for Research (AIR) conducted an external evaluation of Vermont's Ed-Tech Program from January 2010-June 2011. The purpose of the evaluation was to provide feedback on the implementation and outcomes of the competitive grant programs that were active during this time. The findings of the evaluation are intended to help VTDOE…

Early adolescence is a time of transition, change, and growth. At no other time after gestation and early infancy are the human body and mind undergoing such rapid developmental changes. The bodies of young adolescents are physically and sexually maturing. Cognitive changes expand thinking abilities; social and emotional changes move adolescents…