From seed to scale : building the foundation to personalize learning in Denver public schools

Abstract

“Blended learning,” the combination of online and classroom instruction, has gained momentum over the last several years. Though charter schools have spearheaded the exploration of this new way of learning, school districts, including Denver Public Schools, have taken an interest in the benefits blended learning may have in personalizing the learning experience for their own students. In this capstone, I describe my role in building the foundation for personalized learning in DPS, with the hope that it proves useful to other practitioners interested in implementing, or supporting the implementation of, personalized learning within school districts. Drawing upon research focused on innovation, scaling, and change management, as well as practitioner interviews and school visits, I make the argument that personalized learning requires not only a focus on shifts in teaching and learning rather than technology implementation, but also a keen eye towards change management and an affinity for learning in service of innovation and scale. This capstone then describes the multiple approaches I took to build the foundation for personalized learning, striving to create support for a shared vision and framework. The analysis of my actions and results generates two key findings: 1) creating a vision of teaching and learning that multiple constituents find valuable yields the support necessary to build capacity to implement personalized learning, and 2) a district with a multiplicity of priorities must focus relentlessly on personalized learning in order for it to implement it successfully at scale. This capstone should provide two potential contributions to the sector: First, while this capstone focuses specifically on personalized learning, this capstone provides a case study of how one can infuse innovations of teaching and learning within a school district. Second, given the limited number of districts implementing “personalized learning,” this capstone should provide insight into the successes, and challenges, of scaling personalized learning in a district context.