Below are upcoming opportunities to explore.

August

How Big Data Can Help You Personalize Learning An EdWeek webinar (11 a.m. EDT  Wednesday, August 22) Personalized learning is based around students’ personal interests and their natural ability to learn in order to develop their skills further and increase engagement in class. But the question remains, how can we create an environment that enables this framework in a practical way to support the needs of every student in the classroom?  That’s where big data and learning analytics comes in. Data empowers educators and administrators to better understand their students, helping them make instructional decisions that will enable all students to reach their full potential. Data empowers students to become partners in their own learning, enabling them to track their progress towards their learning goals. Finally, data empowers ed-tech developers so that they can continue to improve the user experience for teachers and students alike.  All of these applications of big data and what it means for personalized learning-today and in the future will be addressed.

Fit for Purpose: Taking the Long View on Systems Change and Policy to Support Competency Education—an iNACOL webinar (2 p.m. EDT Tuesday, August 28) To build a vision for coherent, student-centered systems—and to encourage all stakeholders to take ownership of education innovation—we must take the long view in our approach to state policy. The work begins with unpacking brave new ideas about education, piece by piece, so that policymakers understand each issue that must be addressed for sustainable education transformation. You’re invited to join iNACOL’s president and CEO and policy team to discuss the long game in moving toward personalized, competency-based education in the United States in an iNACOL Special Edition Webinar.

Report Card 2018 and Beyond!  (August 29, 2018, 2 p.m.-3 p.m. CDT)  This webinar  will provide an overview of the changes for this year’s Report Card including new features and new information. Discuss the justification behind those changes and where that information comes from. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers and to provide feedback to ISBE staff.

September

The Big Idea: Cracking the Code on Chronic Absence   (Monday, September 24, 2018, noon–1 p.m.)  More than seven million U.S. students are chronically absent each year—meaning they have missed a month or more of school. This webinar explores the pernicious effects of chronic absence and the “Every Student, Every Day Toolkit” developed through Facebook and the New York City Community School Initiative.

October

2018 National Forum to Advance Rural Education and 110th NREA Convention and Research Symposium   October 11–13, 2018, in Denver, Colorado. In the spirit of collaboration, Battelle for Kids and the National Rural Education Association (NREA) will host the 2018 National Forum to Advance Rural Education and 110th NREA Convention and Research Symposium. This annual event is designed to create an environment for collaboration and innovation with a diverse community—national experts, K–12 and higher education practitioners, leading researchers, policymakers, and philanthropic leaders—to learn and share ideas around the topics at the forefront of rural education and to ensure 21st century learning is a reality for all rural students.