Vt. Initiative Seeks to Balance Innovation, Accountability

By Kevin Bushweller

Laurie Hodgdon is a big believer in the power of technology-rich, personalized learning. But the co-principal of Milton Middle School/High School in Vermont emphasizes the importance of a balance between educational innovation and accountability.

“That level of accountability needs to be there,” she says. “You can’t just teach your pet project. You want to see kids not only learning but achieving.”

Milton Middle School was the first site to participate in I-LEAP, the Learning and Engaging Adolescents Project, an initiative run by the Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education at the University of Vermont. The initiative aims to improve teaching and learning for middle school students in the state by creating 1-to-1 computing environments that allow students to use the latest digital tools to work at their own pace, collaborate with peers, and pursue classroom projects based largely...