Kristin Humphries, Superintendent for the East Moline School
District
Blog entry for AASA
09.30.19
Dr. Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know
better. Then when you know better, do better.” After participating in AASA’s
Personalized Learning Cohort for the past two years, I know better. AASA’s
Personalized Learning Cohort is a group of superintendents and district leaders
who have come together around a problem of practice. How do we move schools
that were built around an industrial model into a new world economy and
personalize education for each and every child in order to reach their full
potential?
For the past two years, I have seen incredible work in the
field by our colleagues and their school districts as they move to a model that
is tailored to meet the unique needs of every child. In the Dysart Unified
School District in Surprise, Arizona, we saw scaffolded, personalized
instruction starting in kindergarten. In North Penn, just outside Philadelphia,
we were able to see students in charge of their learning and interacting with
standards by creating content in high-interest areas to spark engagement. Just
last week, we visited the Mehlville School District in St. Louis to see their
work in helping all children create and navigate pathways that were personalized
to their specific needs. As my colleague and Personalized Learning Cohort
member Dr. Jeff Thake, superintendent for the Williston, North Dakota Schools,
said, “When we really dig deep to answer the question -- how does each student
learn best and what is each student’s strengths and interests, it’s going to
transform public education as we know it.”
In the East Moline School District, we have been hard at
work for over five years to move to standards-based, student-centered
instruction at a rigorous level. It’s been a great deal of work, but our
teachers are seeing the fruits of their labor in students that are more in
charge of their own learning. As superintendent, it is important for me to communicate
our shared vision that every child in the East Moline School District deserves
a world-class education that is tailored to their specific needs. Dr. Gail
Pletnick, retired superintendent of the Dysart Unified School District and
co-chair of the Personalized Learning Cohort said, “This mission that we are
all on, to personalize learning, is about equity.” The parents in my school
district dream of infinite possibilities for their children just like parents
from Dysart, North Penn and Mehlville. The Personalized Learning Cohort has
helped me envision those next steps in East Moline as I learn from
superintendents and school districts that have worked to create individualized
pathways for their students in order to meet their full potential.
I look forward to continuing the work of our Personalized
Learning Cohort. We are focused on learner agency by increasing engagement and
giving students choice and voice as they take ownership of their education. I
hope more superintendents get involved in this important work as we grow and
learn together in personalizing education for every child. When we know better,
we do better.
