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Personalized Learning Blog

B.Y.O.T Bring Your Own Thoughts

K-12 Education Resources

The latest on all student-centered models, leadership development, strategic planning, teacher retention, and all things innovation in K-12 education. We answer questions before you think to ask them.

Andrea Goetchius

Andrea Goetchius is an Associate Partner at Education Elements, working with schools and districts to best meet the needs of all learners. Andrea enjoys collaborating with and connecting clients across the country to leverage a community of innovation as schools embark on a personalized learning path. Andrea began her career as a Special Education Teacher in Glendale, Arizona. During her time in the classroom, she coached and supported student teachers and led staff development. Andrea then worked for Teach For America as a Manager of Teacher Leadership Development where she coached and supported teachers to match their strengths and skills with the needs of their students. She has coached in pre-school to twelfth-grade classrooms with a focus on implementing Culturally Responsive Pedagogy in the classroom. In her current role, Andrea specializes in projects that bring personalized learning to scale across districts, regional centers, and state entities. She is passionate about the development of innovative leaders.

Blog Feature

Strategic Planning

From School Strategic Plan to Action: Reflections from a Superintendent

It's been a year since the school district surrounding Columbus, Indiana started their strategic planning process. The district team partnered with Education Elements, and during a time of increased uncertainty, chose to set a clear direction. Now, as the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation prepares to roll out their new plan this coming fall, we talk with superintendent Dr. Jim Roberts about how he is positioning the work with the community, so that together they can do the challenging work of reaching their goals.

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Blog Feature

Strategic Planning

Thank You Nintendo: Lessons learned that can help your strategic planning initiatives stick

As a product of the 90s I spent my late elementary school years like many of my contemporaries: playing Super Nintendo. I grew up with a large group of cousins and whenever we got together we approached video games as a group project. We took turns helping one another with the tough spots in the game; those of us who were older played a “leadership” role, determining who got to play, and – if we had enough lives left – when we would give a little kid a chance. In retrospect, we had a clear strategy: take turns in order to share a limited resource while achieving our goal - to get the highest score possible.

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Blog Feature

Innovative Leadership  |  Return Planning  |  Strategic Planning

Take it or leave it: lessons learned about strategic planning during a global pandemic

More than a year ago, I - like many others - was hunkering down for what I thought would be a two-week quarantine. Thirteen months later, I have found myself adapting to my circumstances. I have created a comfortable work-from-home space, embraced many home DIY projects. I’ve started a herb garden, purchased a inflatable baby pool (I don’t have a baby) and I have had enough time to get in and out of shape...multiple times. I have learned a whole lot about things I never questioned before “the great pause.” For instance, my perception of time is completely arbitrary: some days seem never-ending while in others, 24 hours do not feel like enough. I’ve also rediscovered the magic of a full-night’s sleep and what a blessing and privilege it is to have my health. There are some things I plan to forever eliminate from my life (I’m looking at you, non-stretchy jeans) and some things I hope to incorporate in the next phase of life (hello, neighborhood walks). I am also seeing many district partners grapple with the tensions of identifying what we want to take with us and leave behind in our next phase.

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Blog Feature

Communication  |  School Leadership

What Families Need Now From the Perspective of a School Parent Liaison

This is a special blog post because not only am I interviewing an expert in family outreach but I am interviewing my mom, Aleida Goetchius, who is truly my first mentor and forever hero. This is a translation of a conversation she and I had about her role as a Parent Liaison in Northern Virginia. Aleida has been a Parent Liaison for 16 years supporting all families with a specialty in supporting families from international backgrounds who are navigating the American school system for the first time. Aleida was named the 2017 Region 4 Outstanding Hourly Employee and one of five finalists for this year's Outstanding Secondary Teacher Award in her district. In this conversation, we talk a lot about support for families in general and most specifically for international families whose first language is not English. I hope you enjoy reading this conversation as much as I enjoyed having it.

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Blog Feature

Communication  |  Teachers  |  Virtual Learning

A Teacher's Guide to Collaborative Family-Teacher Relationships

I moved a lot with my multi-cultural family as a kid. If you know me, you know this because I talk about it often. And this experience significantly impacted the way I view the world: I know what it means to be both a guest and a host, to speak the regional tongue fluently and not at all. If you’ve had a similar experience, then you know that it shapes you. I have seen my parents (and by extension, myself) be both locals and foreigners all in one day. These experiences have given me the gift of empathy.

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Blog Feature

Crisis Management  |  Virtual Learning

Best Practices For Digital Learning & Virtual Meetings

Many school districts are closing to keep their communities safe from COVID-19. While we believe safety is the priority, we know that loss of classroom time could further achievement gaps due to paused learning. Since we are an education organization of primarily remote workers, we have a few tips we think you can utilize to maximize your time for those meetings or courses that cannot afford to be paused.

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