Now Is the Time for Teachers to Use Data-Based Inquiry Cycles

In this unprecedented time during a global pandemic, schools are navigating uncharted waters as they must quickly adapt to new ways of teaching and learning. Teachers are learning how to use video conferencing platforms, employ interactive digital tools, test creative strategies for maintaining student engagement, and redesign their classrooms for social distancing. Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) West Literacy Improvement Partnership leader Kim Austin calls the current situation “a large-scale, unintended experiment in American education.”

Without a blueprint to follow, now is an opportune time for teachers to innovate and try new ideas. But how can they know if a new approach is actually helping students to learn?

“This is the moment — it is the time of innovation,” says Jarrod Bolte, founder and CEO of Improving Education. Bolte has been involved in REL West partnerships supporting K–6 teachers to use an iterative cycle of prototyping and problem solving to improve student outcomes in literacy.
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