We live in times of a wealth of research and evidence for what works in education. Yet student performance on standardized assessments is stagnant or declining. It’s time to reimagine the education ecosystem as a thriving community that values, generates, and applies relevant research evidence for teaching and learning.
This summer the LEARN Network hosted a conversation series with education leaders to discuss a vision for an evidence-based education ecosystem. As part of this visioning, we considered the entire ecosystem of actors, organizations, processes, and resources that work together to shape education. Each component plays a vital role in fostering evidence use, from classrooms to policymaking.
The conversations engaged thought leaders with important perspectives from the district, state, and national levels, and with varying expertise from edtech and AI to policy and instruction. All conversations were free to attend and open to the public.
The conversation series was moderated by Victoria A. Schaefer, senior principal education researcher and technical assistance provider with SRI Education.
A conversation featuring the perspectives of former and current state education leaders who have led evidence-based initiatives in multiple states. Dr. Carey Wright and Dr. Jason Glass discussed the critical steps toward inspiring large-scale change to create an education ecosystem that prioritizes proven student-focused solutions.
Panelists
- Carey Wright, Maryland State Superintendent of Schools and former Mississippi State Superintendent of Education
- Jason Glass, Superintendent, Laguna Beach Unified School District and former Kentucky Commissioner of Education and Iowa Director of Education
Watch the discussion and access a transcript here.
A conversation featuring the perspectives of national leaders from the education research community. Linda Darling-Hammond and Vivian Tseng discussed the role of researchers in the education ecosystem and in translating evidence into actionable policy and practice changes to improve teaching and learning.
Panelists
- Linda Darling-Hammond, Chief Knowledge Officer, Learning Policy Institute
- Vivian Tseng, President, Foundation for Child Development
Watch the discussion and access a transcript here.
A conversation featuring local perspectives on designing an evidence-based education ecosystem. Panelist Chris Jones discussed the mindset, culture, staffing, and development needed to create an education system where the identification, use, and generation of evidence in teaching and learning is “business as usual.”
Panelists
- Chris Jones, Executive Director, Virginia Association for Teaching, Learning, and Leading
Watch the discussion and access a transcript here
SRI’s Susan Patrick and InnovateEDU’s Erin Mote led a discussion on how AI can catalyze a transformation in how evidence is generated, accessed, and applied across schools, districts, and state systems.
Panelists
- Susan Patrick, Senior Principal Education Researcher, SRI Education
- Erin Mote, CEO and Founder, InnovateEDU