Personalized Learning : Preparing High School Students to Create Their Futures

When it comes to learning, is smaller really better? There is a growing body of evidence to support the notion that smaller, more personalized schools are better for both students and teachers. Bringing together the combined knowledge and experience of more than two dozen teachers, administrators, and researchers, this book provides a roadmap for educators embarking on the journey to create a more personalized environment for high school students.

Features include:
· Highlights of current initiatives aimed at personalizing learning for high school students.
· Description of Personal Learning Plans that tie the learning to the talents and aspirations of the student.
· Exploration of classroom teaching that allows individuals to gain knowledge while pursuing their own hopes.
· Description of high school designs that engage students in democratic processes and systemic changes that must accompany and support personalized learning for all students.

Written by practitioners with practical interest in moving high schools toward personalization, this book will excite others to initiate reforms that enable ALL young adult learners to meet common standards while designing and pursuing a unique pathway toward adult roles. That's what personal learning and this book are all about.

Joseph DiMartino is the director of the Student Centered Learning Program at the Education Alliance at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
John Clarke is professor emeritus, University of Vermont in Montpelier.
Denise Wolk is program assistant, Student Centered Learning with the Education Alliance at Brown University.