Center for Inspired Teaching and the Astra Center for Innovative Education form the National Alliance for Engagement-Based Education
Center for Inspired Teaching and the Astra Center for Innovative Education are pleased to announce an exciting new initiative, the National Alliance for Engagement-Based Education. In a world of heightened uncertainty and rapid technological advances, Inspired Teaching and Astra jointly recognize the urgency of ensuring that schools across the United States authentically engage students in their education and enable them to direct their own learning.
An education that emphasizes rote memorization and compliance does not work in today’s world; our future leaders and citizens need the ability to exercise their critical thinking and analytical skills in order to solve novel, complex problems. This multi-year initiative is designed to ensure that engagement-based and student-directed education becomes the widely accepted norm in classrooms across the country, in service of the ultimate goal of preparing students for the 21st century and beyond.
Inspired Teaching’s work as a teacher training organization – with over two decades of practice led by experienced educators – equips us with the expertise to identify and cultivate the pedagogical approach that creates authentically engaging learning environments. This, coupled with the decades of education experience that the Astra Center staff brings to the project, ensures that this work will be done from the perspective of those who have practical experience with teaching and learning.
During the first stage of the initiative, educators and experts from the National Alliance for Engagement-Based Education will visit schools across the country that exemplify engagement-based education. From these visits, and from conversations with faculty and staff at the schools, we will distinguish the qualities and characteristics of outstanding engagement-based classrooms to inform best practices in the field.
Once the observations have concluded, the Alliance will produce a report that synthesizes our findings and identifies instructional approaches that cultivate engagement-based education. The report will provide schools, districts, and nonprofit organizations interested in adapting or improving their engagement-based philosophy with a framework for determining the hallmark features of engagement-based education, and the many ways in which engagement-based practices can be adopted in classrooms and schools.The Alliance will publicize the report’s findings to ensure the widespread implementation of engagement-based education.
After phase one, the Alliance will offer schools, districts, and nonprofits interested in implementing engagement-based education the opportunity for targeted professional development related to the report and its findings. Through workshops designed to meet the needs of the school, district, or nonprofit partner, the Alliance will support institutions as they create more engaging learning environments.
There are many individuals and groups who work in the education system and share our commitment to providing every student with an authentically engaging education. We welcome new voices and partners in this work. Currently, we are seeking school partners that model the successful implementation of engagement-based education, and who are willing to invite representatives from the National Alliance for Engagement-Based Education into their school communities to observe and learn. Please contact martha@inspiredteaching.org if you would like to be involved in this project, or if you can connect Alliance members to an aligned school.
Inspired Teaching and the Astra Center for Innovative Education are proud to launch The National Alliance for Engagement-Based Education, as we envision and work toward an education system that develops students who are empathetic, critical thinkers, and prepared to thrive.