Personalized Learning for Every Student Every Day: The Best Hope for Accelerating Student Achievement Is by Using a Range of Pedagogical and Technological Innovations That Deliver Personalized Learning to Each Student

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The class of 2025 will complete 1st grade in a few weeks. Last fall, those 6- and 7-year-olds strapped on backpacks and embarked on a path that their families hope will lead to a successful, productive life. More than ever, that path runs through college. Students unprepared for college will have limited options for employment in a global economy where most jobs and industries will require some postsecondary education. In fact, in the 8th grade, 95% of students report they intend to go to college. This aspiration is virtually the same across income groups and geographies. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Approximately 70% graduate four short years later. But only 37% of all graduates and fewer than 20% of low-income students are prepared to succeed in college. These statistics are consistent across a number of proxies, such as ACT and SAT scores and college remediation rates. And while not all students will choose college, every young person should have a great, free public education that makes achieving their 8th-grade aspirations a viable option. Will we make good on this promise for the class of 2025 before graduation day? So far, despite the steady progress to improve student achievement across the country, the probable answer is "not likely." Faced with an urgent need for results amidst increasing budget constraints, many schools are being redesigned to help every student get what they need to reach their own aspirations by creating more personalized learning environments. Personalized learning Since having a teacher for every single child in America is impractical, many educators are exploring more scalable ways to produce gains in student performance similar to those obtained by one-on-one instruction. One promising approach is the personalized learning instructional models. By personalized learning, we simply mean that student learning experiences--what they learn, and how, when, and where they learn it--are tailored to their individual needs, skills, and interests, and that their school enables them to take ownership of their learning. Although where, how, and when they learn might vary according to their needs, students also develop deep connections to each other and their teachers and other adults. When done well, personalized learning can meet all students where they are, motivate them based on their interests and academic level, accelerate their learning, and prepare them to become true lifelong learners. Personalized learning challenges traditional school design by moving away from a teacher leading the whole class in a common lesson. Instead, each student can follow an optimal learning path and pace through a mix of instructional methods, including individual and small-group time with teachers, group projects, and instructional software. Early evidence indicates that personalized learning can empower and support teachers to meet student needs (Hassel & Hassel, 2011). Many innovators are exploring promising options to accelerate learning for students. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is supporting these innovators so they can strengthen promising approaches, identify what works, and spread those models and practices to other school networks and districts. A Silicon Valley project Summit Public Schools in San Jose, Calif., operates six charter schools in the heart of Silicon Valley. Despite the area's wealth, the schools serve a significant population of low-income and immigrant families. Only 39% of Silicon Valley's public high school students complete the right courses to be eligible to attend a four-year college. Since its founding in 2003, Summit has focused on a college-preparatory curriculum for all students and has tried to support teachers in differentiating instruction. The results have been impressive. Since 2007, almost all of Summit's 12th graders have been accepted to at least one four-year college, and standardized test scores have climbed. …