Five Districts Selected as Winners in the Education Elements Personalized Learning Challenge

SAN CARLOS, Calif., Oct. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- With much excitement, Education Elements, a recognized national leader in the design and implementation of personalized learning, today announced the five winners of their first Personalized Learning (PL) Challenge. Districts in Utah, Illinois, Arizona, and Missouri were each selected by Education Elements' team of judges, and will be awarded personalized support from Education Elements.

"It was inspiring to see what each district has already accomplished, and what they envision for the future of personalized learning in their schools," said Amy Jenkins, COO of Education Elements. "This passion is what fuels our mission of bettering the learning experience for teachers and students across the country, and we are looking forward to helping these winners take the next steps in their journeys with personalized learning."

Each judge for the PL Challenge brought a unique perspective to the contest, ensuring that the group of Challenge winners represented districts of varying sizes, with a range of needs, at every phase of the implementation journey.

• Michael Horn is the author of multiple books and works with various education organizations. He is the Chief Strategy Officer and a principal consultant for Entangled Solutions, as well as the co-founder of and distinguished fellow at the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation.
• Dr. Dena Cushenberry is the Superintendent of Metropolitan School District in Warren Township, Indiana and has been in public education for over three decades. She opened a public school which went on to be recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School, and MSD Warren won The Race to the Top Grant under her leadership.
• Betsy Corcoran is the founder and CEO of EdSurge, with a career in journalism as an award-winning writer and editor at Forbes Media, the Washington Post, and Scientific American. Corcoran is an advisor to multiple charter schools and the AT&T Aspire edtech accelerator, and has led workshops on using IT in public elementary schools.

"We all love to say, 'It's about the students!'" said judge Betsy Corcoran. "But these school leaders are demonstrating, every day, what it means to be rethinking education and learning to be student-centered."

Highlights from each district winner include:

• Juab School District in Utah was selected by the judges because of the team's clarity and focus, as well as their emphasis on mindset and student ownership of work.
• Amboy Community Unit School District 272 - a rural district from Illinois - showed the judges that they are committed to effecting change district-wide, with thoughtful roles and responsibilities designated for stakeholders at every level.
• Kaneland Community Unit School District302, also in Illinois, impressed judges with the district team's focus on developing Learner Profiles to optimize classrooms for all types of students, as highlighted in their application.
• Mehlville School District in Missouri was selected by the judges for their sincere effort across the leadership spectrum – from superintendent, to principal, to teacher – and their robust vision of what personalized learning could look like both in and out of the classroom.
• Peoria Unified School District in Arizona is the largest district on the list of winners and impressed the Challenge judges with their forward momentum around a plan to implement Personalized Learning.

"Our personalized learning journey is an ever changing adventure that has already led to great student engagement and success through the use of learner profiles," said Sarah Mumm, Director of Education Services K-5 for Kaneland School District #302. "We are excited to continue our journey and to empower our students to be in the driver's seat for their learning!"

To learn more about the PL Challenge and judges, see here. To learn more about Education Elements, visit https://www.edelements.com or see Education Elements CEO Anthony Kim share his expertise on communicating about personalized learning and preview his new book, "The New School Rules," co-authored with Alexis Gonzales Black, at the iNACOL Symposium on October 25th at 11:15 am.

About Education Elements

Education Elements works with districts to build and support dynamic school systems that meet the needs of every learner, today and tomorrow. The Education Elements team takes the time to understand the unique challenges school leaders face, and then customizes an approach for each district. Since 2010, Education Elements has worked with hundreds of districts across the country and brings deep expertise, design-thinking, expert facilitation and the spirit of collaboration, along with an extensive toolkit of resources and technology, to deliver sustainable results.

Company Contact: 
Amy Jenkins
(415) 377-8292 
amy@edelements.com

Agency Contact:
Alexis Fried
(609) 279-0050 
alexis@resoundmarketing.com