New England Board of Higher Education » student-centered

Nellie Mae Education Foundation Issues Report Boosting Technology in Schools

John O. Harney — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 21:08:23 +0000

More than 40% of high school students feel unprepared to use technology as they look ahead to college and work, and only 8% of teachers fully integrate technology in the classroom, according to Integrating Technology with Student-Centered Learning, a new report prepared for the Nellie Mae Education Foundation (NMEF) of Quincy, Mass., by Education Development Center (EDC) of Newton, Mass.

The report examines current literature to better understand how technology could be used to advance the foundation's focus on student-centered learning at the high school level across New England.

More specifically, the report explores how integration of computer- and web-based tools, applications and games, as well as video and technology associated with mechanical and electrical engineering, can expand education beyond traditional boundaries.

The report contends that technology could help diagnose and address individual needs and help establish a clear baseline from which teachers can then serve as coaches and advisors, steering students to the right mix of resources to meet academic requirements and enhance the knowledge and skills valued by employers and not typically measured in achievement tests.

Moreover, technology can equip students to independently organize their learning process, the report notes. Through online learning and digital games, students have the ability to direct their own progress.

Nellie Mae Education Foundation Seeks Consultant to Further Work in Proficiency-Based Pathways

John O. Harney — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 16:30:34 +0000

The Nellie Mae Education Foundation posted an RFQ to its website for a consultant/consulting team to help guide its Proficiency-Based Pathways project.

The project aims to:

deepen the foundation’s understanding of the emerging sector of proficiency-based education systems; and
support the development of quality proficiency-based pathways to high school graduation and beyond.

Proficiency-based pathways would reform the educational process so a student’s achievement is not measured by the hours spent in a classroom, but rather through demonstration of a mastery of skills and material. In a traditional classroom setting, student learning has become the variable, in which achievement is measured by hours spent inside a classroom and categorized by rigid grade-block levels.

In keeping with the foundation’s ongoing efforts to promote “student-centered” education, proficiency-based pathways put the student at the center of learning so education is customized to the student's needs and abilities. This competency-based system aims to ensure that the student moves on to new material with the knowledge of the old.

The RFQ and a PDF with more information have been posted to the foundation’s website.

Interview with Nick Donohue of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation

NEBHE Admin — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:12:57 +0000

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Nellie Mae Education Foundation President Nick Donohue to discuss the foundation’s new direction. This new direction focuses on "student-centered" learning opportunities exploring different ways to engage students, different places students learn and different people students connect with to help them achieve skills and knowledge. The Quincy, Mass.-based foundation is the largest charitable organization in New England that focuses exclusively on education. Donohue has been president and CEO of the foundation since late 2006.

Click here to listen to the interview.

Click here to read a full transcript of the interview.