What will educational innovation look like in 2017?
In a recent blog post, the Clayton Christensen Institute – “a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank dedicated to improving the world through disruptive innovation” — shares its insights on key trends.
One trend: “Wraparound services will get a boost—hopefully for the sake of learning.”
“New metrics, like school climate or social and emotional progress, are likely to generate demand for interventions that attend to nonacademic factors of students’ experiences.”
One driving factor is ESSA, the Every Student Succeeds Act. “The law requires that states consider additional measures beyond just test scores to assess student progress and school quality.”
“ESSA also presents a chance for states to double down on wraparound services that support whole child health and well-being. Moreover, the law’s Full-Service Community Schools provision offers states a pathway to fund more robust and connected supports that address nonacademic barriers to learning.”
The open question, the institute says, is which investments will “actually manage to drive resources in a manner that increases learning outcomes—rather than merely to increase access to supports and services.”
Our answer is City Connects. Evidence shows that our customized interventions work. We meet students’ comprehensive needs with school and community-based resources, and their learning outcomes improve.
We’ve seen students show more effort, earn higher grades, and have better attendance. By eighth grade they’ve narrowed the achievement gap. And by 12th grade, their high school dropout rates have been cut nearly in half.
We agree with the Christensen institute that, “The most successful states will find ways to integrate academic and non-academic services rather than keep them siloed from one another.”
And we’re happy to be part of such an important trend in 2017.
City Connects Blog 