---
title: "A Successful Personalized Learning Initiative: Lessons Learned - Education Elements"
description: Dr. Dena Cushenberry, Superintendent, Metropolitan School District of Warren Township IN, shares her districts journey with personalized learning and the lessons learned.
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---

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 By: [Dena Cushenberry](https://www.edelements.com/newsroom/author/dena-cushenberry)  on January 13th, 2016

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# A Successful Personalized Learning Initiative: Lessons Learned

[ District Partners in the News ](https://www.edelements.com/newsroom/topic/district-partners-in-the-news)   |  [ Mentions ](https://www.edelements.com/newsroom/topic/mentions)

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It’s tempting to believe that money can solve all your problems—especially if you’re a school superintendent. I’ll never forget the moment my school district won its [Race to the Top district grant](http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/education-department-announces-16-winners-race-top-district-competition) from the federal government in 2012. 28.6 million dollars! I felt like I had won the lottery. Except that instead of buying a mansion or a yacht, my reward would be ensuring better outcomes for all my students in Warren Township in Indianapolis.

We rushed to start implementing the ambitious plans we outlined in our Race to the Top application, which included 11 different projects embedded within three overarching goals.

The questions we forgot to ask before we got started were:

- What needs to change in order for our students to be prepared for the future?
- What’s the impact on student learning?
- What problem(s) are we trying to solve through technology?
- How will it enhance teacher’s capacity to improve student learning in a blended learning environment?
- How will blended learning fit into the district framework of continuous improvement?

Luckily, when it came time to answer these questions, we had some help along the way...

 

[This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post. Read the full article here.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hippo-reads/a-successful-personalized_b_8959720.html)

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<https://www.edelements.com/newsroom/author/dena-cushenberry>

#### About Dena Cushenberry

 Dr. Dena Cushenberry is the Superintendent of the Metropolitan School District of Warren Township, IN.

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