Getting Smart Podcast 250 - Tom Rooney and Scott Rowe: Buildings are Closed, Learning Goes On!
In today’s special bonus episode, the Getting Smart team is sharing two school districts’ success stories that are currently shifting to remote learning after the outbreak of the coronavirus. In these schools, the buildings may have closed but the learning has never stopped! Both of these Superintendents have built great teams and great systems and they are confident that education in their districts (and beyond) will emerge better than ever as a result of this crisis.
First up to speak on the podcast is Tom Rooney from Lindsay Unified, which is located in California’s Central Valley. For the last decade, teachers (called ‘learning facilitators’ in Lindsay) have ensured learners’ success with the performance-based system that promotes agency, transparency, and learner goal setting.
Next up on the podcast, Tom speaks with Scott Rowe, the Superintendent of the Huntley Community School District located in a Northwest Chicago suburb. The Getting Smart team first visited Huntley in 2016, about five years into their transformation, and were very impressed with the high school blended learning program that allowed learners to earn autonomy and make decisions about their own learning. Two years ago, Huntley launched a competency-based micro-school. Both of these developments prepared Huntley to efficiently move learning online in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Both of these education leaders were proactive in crisis and quickly rallied their teams to do the best that they could to support every learner right now. They spotted challenges and built solutions to promote equity. Tune in to learn more about all that they’re doing amid the crisis and how they’re furthering personalized learning.
Key Takeaways:
[:11] About today’s bonus episode.
[1:22] Tom welcomes Tom Rooney to the podcast.
[1:27] Tom gives an overview of the core elements of Lindsay Unified.
[3:02] Tom Vander Ark shares an experience of his at Lindsay Unified.
[3:34] Tom Rooney highlights a few more key components of Lindsay Unified’s personalized learning.
[5:19] Tom shares how Lindsay Unified is continuing to teach students since their schools closed their doors.
[10:45] Tom shares the core elements of what is different between elementary and secondary.
[14:14] Tom shares how they’re working towards assisting students with special needs and learning differences.
[16:19] What they’re doing at Lindsay Unified to keep seniors on track.
[17:39] How Tom thinks this experience is going to change Lindsay and learning more broadly.
[22:04] Tom Vander Ark thanks Tom Rooney for his leadership and for joining the podcast.
[22:25] Jessica highlights some other episodes to check out about Lindsay Unified!
[22:41] About this episode’s next featured guest, Scott Rowe.
[23:15] Tom welcomes Scott Rowe on to the podcast!
[23:37] Scott describes what personalized learning looks like at Huntley.
[25:18] Scott further describes their earned autonomy model.
[26:02] How Huntley converted their gymnasium into a cool learning hub.
[27:58] Scott speaks about the competency pilot they recently launched at Huntley.
[30:57] Is pacing a big challenge at Huntley?
[32:30] How have things changed for Huntley when the Governor closed all of the schools?
[34:30] How things are currently going in the elementary vs. the secondary level.
[40:24] What Huntley is doing for students with special needs and learning differences.
[43:47] Scott shares how Huntley is helping juniors and seniors stay on track for post-secondary planning.
[45:09] How Scott thinks this experience may change Huntley as well as learning more broadly.
[47:31] Tom thanks Scott Rowe for his leadership and for joining the podcast as well!
[47:51] Jessica wraps up this week’s episode.
Mentioned in This Episode:
GettingSmart.com/GettingThrough
Lindsay Unified School District
Getting Smart Ep. 176: “Schools Out: Lessons Learned from Lindsay Unified School District”
Getting Smart Ep. 205: “Rebecca Midles on Mobilizing Change to Meet Learners Where They Are”
Huntley Community School District
iNACOL (now called the Aurora Institute)
Competency-Based Education: A New Architecture for K-12 Schooling, by Rose L. Colby
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