We heard in the videos that Differentiated Instruction is important to achieve the goal of “Leave No Student Behind.”  The premise, of course, is to allow the child to learn in accordance with their own needs, alongside a supportive classroom environment. The desired outcome is to push those who struggle up to high achievement and those who excel to even higher standards. And, with the advent of so many digital tools/software – providing differentiated instruction should be very possible in every classroom, where computers are also present.  One of the best resources I found was: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/every-learner/6776, developed by the University of North Carolina. If this link were my assignment, I am sure I would get an A+. There are some nice articles which advocate for the use of social media as a medium towards “differentiated instruction.”  This one link provides an explanation of how this is done and access to 100+ resources: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-social-media-tools-john-mccarthy

Well, there is lots of evidence that this works and the software exists to support it. But, is software for differentiate instruction routinely implemented in public K-12 classrooms? Hard to say…did not find any firm evidence of the proportions of classrooms who have done this and how they have done this (apart from Individual Education Plans for special needs/gifted children which have been standard for years – but even then, I understand the extent and success is variable). It is a philosophy that is for ALL children, not just those at the extreme ends of the bell curve.

It seems documents by school boards have been produced to support it. Some examples that I found:

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/learningforall2013.pdf (2013)

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/technology/technology_initiatives/e-learning_backpack/institute/2013/Support_for_Differentiation_Implementing_eSpark.pdf (2012)

http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/scmsAdmin/uploads/005/120/Culturally%20Responsive%20Differientiated%20Instruction.pdf (2008)

There are also sites/docs on how to implement it – for example:

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-ways-to-plan-john-mccarthy

There are some documents telling us about individual schools and what their goals/objectives are who have implemented it…

So, we have thought about it, know how to implement it, some who have…but I could not find any global or national statistics …on how often, what, and if it works. I guess I’ll start with my kids’ local school!