Finding and funding what works: next generation initiative aims to expand technological innovations.

Finding and funding what works: next generation initiative aims to expand technological innovations. By now, the statistics and trends about American education havebecome a deflating drumbeat See Drumbeat 2000. of bad news and unrealized expectations. Despite billions of dollars in spending at federal, state and locallevels, educational achievement levels in America remain astonishingly a��ston��ish?tr.v. as��ton��ished, as��ton��ish��ing, as��ton��ish��esTo fill with sudden wonder or amazement. See Synonyms at surprise. low. Some 30 percent of high school students drop out before graduation.For African Americans, Hispanics and low-income students, the numbersare even worse, closer to 50 percent, according to according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. federal statistics. For higher education, the landscape is scarcely better. Thoughcollege enrollment has been on a steady upward climb for decades, only42 percent of students who enroll in college earn a bachelor'sdegree by age 26. Only 12 percent earn an associate degree by the sameage, federal data shows. The numbers are more that merely data. In an era of globalization globalizationProcess by which the experience of everyday life, marked by the diffusion of commodities and ideas, is becoming standardized around the world. Factors that have contributed to globalization include increasingly sophisticated communications and transportation ,they have grave implications for the future of the American economy.Lower-skilled jobs have vanished, never to return, due to technologicaladvances and global competition. Americans with only a high schooldiploma A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED. , or less, face a harsh new reality: their education no longerqualifies them for the kind of job that can support a family or ensureeconomic security. The long-term trends seem set in concrete. By 2018, 63 percent ofall jobs will require some kind of post-secondary credential, accordingto the Center for Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University Georgetown University,in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C.; Jesuit; coeducational; founded 1789 by John Carroll, chartered 1815, inc. 1844. Its law and medical schools are noteworthy, and its archives are especially rich in letters and manuscripts by and .The center projects that 22 million workers with postsecondary degreeswill be needed by the American economy 2018, but current trends willleave the country 3 million workers short of that mark. Even as these trends have been accelerating, educationalinstitutions have been slow to adjust. Hidebound hideboundsaid of skin that is not easily lifted from the subcutaneous tissue. Occurs in emaciated animals because of the absence of fat and connective tissue rather than absence of fluid. instructional methodsfail to engage a new generation of learners raised amid technologicalinnovations. Neither do they account for students with seriouschallenges such as financial constraints and work and familyobligations. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] To be sure, colleges around the country--especially communitycolleges--have been making great strides to deal with these soberingrealities. They are streamlining developmental education sequences andimproving assessments. They are embracing distance education andoffering midnight classes. But too often, these initiatives exist insplendid isolation Splendid Isolation is the foreign policy pursued by Britain during the late 19th century, under the Conservative premierships of Benjamin Disraeli and The Marquess of Salisbury. The term was actually coined by a Canadian M.P. , educators say, benefitting only a tiny sliver ofstudents. Now, an effort led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation isseeking to move these islands of innovation into the mainstream ofAmerican education by identifying and supporting practices which usetechnology to improve both college readiness and completion. Scaling Up Announced last year, the Next Generation Learning Challenges willfunnel tens of millions of dollars to higher education and K-12 publicschools to find technological innovations that work--and moreimportantly, that can be scaled up to the larger education community. "The purpose is to have a demonstrably solid impact on collegereadiness and completion, especially for low-income students," saidIra Fuchs, executive director of the initiative. "The goal is toseek out solutions that have been shown to work and scale them up tomuch larger numbers of students and institutions." Though the Gates Foundation is providing most of the funding forthe effort--and grants could eventually total $80 million or more--it isbeing led by a consortium of groups with a wealth of experience ineducational instruction, leadership and management: EDUCAUSE, theCouncil of Chief State School Officers The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a national nonprofit organization in the United States which represents public officials that head elementary and secondary education departments. , the International Associationfor K-12 Online Learning and the League for Innovation in the CommunityCollege. Gerardo de los Santos De Los Santos is a common surname in the Spanish language meaning of the saints. Epifanio de los Santos (1871–1928), Filipino historian Gonzalo de los Santos (born 1976), Uruguayan football player Jaime de los Santos (born 1946), Filipino general , the League's president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , saidthe initiative is part and parcel of the completion agenda that nowdominates community college education, but is distinctive in that italso addresses college readiness. "As we look at the completion agenda, we know that wecan't do one without the other," he said. "We have tomaintain our focus on the front door, but also concentrate oncompletion." "There is a great deal of pressure on colleges to make surestudents earn credentials," he added. "But we need to havestudents succeed on the front end, where so many students getlost." The initiative is being guided by three overarching goals:financial support for innovators to refine and test their ideas; thecompiling of a body of evidence on what works; and, perhaps mostimportantly, building a broad community of innovators who can create arobust marketplace of solutions, and a larger pool of participants. "We really wanted to do something that was driven by thecommunity, instead of a single Gates initiative," Fuchs said. The response to the Next Generation initiative has been promising,Fuchs said. Plans call for a "wave" of grants to be releasedevery six to 12 months and designed to remove barriers to educationalsuccess. The first two waves already have been released, while a thirdis in the planning stages. More than 600 Apply More than 600 applications were received for the first"wave" of grants, from which 29 were approved in April,including eight community college initiatives. The first wave, aimed at post-secondary education, asked applicantsto address four specific challenges: * Increasing the use of blended learning models, combiningface-to-face instruction with online learning activities. * Deepening students' learning and engagement through use ofinteractive applications, such as digital games and social media. * Supporting the availability of high-quality open courseware,particularly for high-enrollment introductory classes like math,science, and English. * Helping institutions, instructors, and students benefit fromlearning analytics, which can monitor student progress and customizeproven supports and interventions. Stella Perez, the League's executive vice president andliaison to the Next Generation initiative, said the responses were bothbroad and deep, ranging from online analytics to early warning systemsfor developmental math students. "I think the results, and where we are now, in this recession,is a very hopeful sign," she said. "I think people capturedthat unique blend of innovation and collaboration." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The second wave of grants, aimed at K-12 education, attracted morethan 200 applications. Proponents of the program are quick to point out that technology isnot the sole answer of America's educational woes, but only part ofthe solution. "We are not saying that technology by itself will solve orsave anything," Perez said. "It may be that a hybrid approachusing technology is the best way we can scale innovation. The questionis, how can we leverage resources, and use our technologyinfrastructure, to scale up and get more of students through? It'sa resource and a tool." Added Fuchs: "Technology is an amplifier. It's not theanswer, but it's a matter of taking what we do well and expandingit." Now that he first two waves of funding have been approved anddisbursed, the initiative is planning the third wave and expects toissue an RFP (Request For Proposal) A document that invites a vendor to submit a bid for hardware, software and/or services. It may provide a general or very detailed specification of the system. 1. (business) RFP - Request for Proposal.2. in October. While details are still being worked out, Fuchsexpects that the third wave will attempt to bridge the gap between K-12and higher education. Future waves will be based on the success of theirpredecessors, he said. "It's all about adoption," he said. "It'sall about scaling, where solutions were built for one school but havethe promise of working for others. We need to find what's outthere, and scale it up."