A NETWORK LEARNING APPROACH TO SUPPORTING SCHOOL AND DISTRICT IMPROVEMENT

The Alaska Educational Innovations Network (AEIN) is built on the twin premises that the expertise to improve schools and student learning exists within Alaska’s schools and universities, and that through networked learning this expertise can be effectively applied to improve educational outcomes for students.

 AEIN is a federally funded partnership between the University of Alaska Anchorage’s College of Education and eight school districts.  Its goal is to use networked learning among communities of rural and urban educators to improve student outcomes at both K-12 and post-secondary levels.  Since 2004, more than twenty public schools have participated in the network. The AEIN model of supporting networked learning and problem-solving provides a useful and cost-effective model for applying and leveraging in-house and in-state resources to address persistent school improvement challenges in Alaska’s schools.

Key Learnings from the AEIN Network

• Networked learning uses research-recognized tools such as logic models to integrate, focus, and improve staff efforts around understanding and using data, assessing student growth and achievement, and improving instruction and learning.
• This approach builds capacity within schools and across the state to design, implement and evaluate effective school improvement strategies.
• By building on the wisdom and expertise from partners across the entire network, the network initiatives and the school improvement efforts become cost-effective and context specific, both for the local school and for Alaska.

AEIN's Networked Learning Approach

The contents of this website were developed and fully funded under a $9.3m Title II Teacher Quality Enhancement Partnership grant from the U.S. Department of Education.  However, they do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education or endorsement by the Federal Government.